Daily Devotion

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.


Love Rejoices Only in Good
Because of the violence you did to your close relatives in Israel, you will be filled with shame and destroyed forever.
When they were invaded, you stood aloof, refusing to help them.
Foreign invaders carried off their wealth and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem, but you acted like one of Israel's enemies.
You should not have gloated when they exiled your relatives to distant lands.
You should not have rejoiced when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune.
You should not have spoken arrogantly in that terrible time of trouble.
You should not have plundered the land of Israel when they were suffer¬ing such calamity.
You should not have gloated over their destruction when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have seized their wealth when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have stood at the crossroads, killing those who tried to escape.
You should not have captured the survivors and handed them over in their terrible time of trouble." - Obadiah 1:10-14 NLT

We're told to love our neighbors even if they're our enemies, but we tend to rejoice when bad things happen to our enemies. Schadenfreude is a German word that describes this paradox. Schadenfreude is the pleasure we experience when something bad happens to someone else, especially if we think that someone deserved it. But God told the Edomites not to rejoice when their enemy stumbled, and he criticized them for their reaction to Israel's punishment.

The Edomites were descendants of Esau, Israel's brother. Israel had deceived him and stolen his birthright. The prophet Obadiah brought God's message of judgment against the Edomites for rejoicing and plundering after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. God condemned their attitude and their behavior and promised that consequently they would suffer his wrath. This was in keeping with God's promise to Abraham—those who blessed him would be blessed and those who cursed would be cursed. Although Esau and the Edomites were descended from Abraham, they were not in the line of promise. Israel alone had received Abraham's blessings.

God expects us to love our neighbors, even those neighbors who hate us. When our neighbors are in trouble, we're supposed to help them, whether they're nice to us or not. True love does not depend on the worthiness of the recipient.