Football is a rough sport, but it has rules against un-sportsman like conduct. One of the rules of the game is against piling on. Once the ball carrier is stopped, the play is over. If a hit comes too late, the referee has the authority to signal the foul with his yellow flag and declare the penalty. Obadiah is the prophet of God—the Lord’s referee. His short book is both the yellow flag signaling the foul and also the announcement of the penalty. The call is against Edom for piling on.

The people of Edom were neighbors of the children of Israel and they shared a common ancestry. The Edomites were descendents of Israel’s twin brother Esau. Those twins did not get along very well. Neither did the people who descended from each one. Even though they all were descendants of Isaac, they did not live as brothers.

Obadiah’s message is about Edom. We read in verses 1-9 that enemy nations will come up against Edom and conquer it. More than that, they will ransack and pillage Edom. Why? Because of the way Edom treated the Israelites when they were invaded. Did the brothers to the southeast come to their aid? Just the opposite. Edom cheered and laughed at Israel’s destruction. They pointed the way for the invaders to go. They came in behind them and took advantage of Israel’s defeat.

Israel suffered and Edom gloated. It gets even worse. V 13: You should not seize their wealth in the day of their disaster. You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives or hand over their survivors in the day of trouble. Not only were they verbally encouraging the invaders, they were piling on. They were taking what they wanted. They would help the enemy round up those trying to get away. They were even killing the Israelite soldiers as they were routed.

Have you piled on when someone else fell? Children do this a lot. Adults are subtler but are just as guilty. When we hear of the downfall of a politician (not of our party), do we mourn that one of our leaders has fallen or do we make jokes about it and laugh? To gloat at someone’s misfortune, we are piling on.

We are commanded to pray for our leaders. That includes the ones we voted for and the ones we did not vote for. If we pray for our leaders, we will not be so tempted to pile on when they fall. We will have the compassion that the Edomites lacked for their neighbors

We read in Proverbs (24:17): Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and turn his wrath away from him. What does that mean? It means what it says. If your enemy (someone who has been against you) falls into trouble, you are not to throw a party. If you do, God will not be pleased. Don’t pile on. When you pile on, it is saying to God, "You are not punishing enough. I need to add my vengeance to what ever you have planned."

This book warns us not to pile on, but it also tells us that we are not to retaliate on those who do. Obadiah throws the yellow flag on Edom for their piling on, but he is a Hebrew prophet. He tells the people who have been wronged that God will take care of it. When someone piles on you, remember that God is handling it. You do not have to even the score.

Have you acted like the Edomites? Have you piled on? Have you rejoiced in the fall of others? God does not like this and you must repent. The first step in repentance is to realize what is wrong. Ask the Lord to show you your own heart so you might be able to repent. Ask God to give you love for others so you can pray for them with sincerity. You can be used by God to help get them back to the Lord who is their maker also.

Most importantly, you need to lean on the power of the Holy Spirit for this to be a reality in your heart. Is it natural to forgive others when they hurt you? Not at all. How can you do it? By the power of the Christ within you. By asking the Lord to help you. By being aware of his presence within you. By letting God love others through you.

You will be able to bless those who curse you when you realize the depth of God’s love for you in Christ. Do you know that you have been God’s enemy, rebelling against him, and that his response was not to destroy you, but bless you with forgiveness through Jesus? This same power of God who forgave you is available to keep changing your life. God wants you to be like him. He is the one who makes you like him.

Can you really live this way, forgiving others and not piling on? Not without the power of God. Not without knowing God’s love for you in Christ first. Do you know the Power of Christ as your Savior? Now is the time to come to Jesus and find out.