My Brother's Keeper Series

In 1974, Philippe Petit, the world-famous high-wire artist, fulfilled his dream of walking a high wire between the World Trade Center towers. In 2015, Tristar Productions produced a motion picture telling his story called The Walk. In an early scene from the film, he's under the Big Top in France. Take a look (show The Walk practice scene).

Philippe says, “So [my mentor] Papa Rudy let me travel with his troupe. Of course, I never did any performance. But any time the big top was empty, I would practice on the wire.”

In the next scene, Philippe is high up just under the tent's ceiling and balancing himself on a wire with a pole. Papa Rudy enters the tent and looks up at Philippe, who was walking carefully but confidently across the thin wire. He hesitates as he is about to reach the platform and then takes a more assertive forward step. But suddenly Philippe and his wire start shaking precariously. He falls to the side, grabbing on to the wire with both hands, barely avoiding falling to his death as the pole plummets to the ground.

As he hangs onto the wire with both hands, the ground a great distance below, he slowly works his way to the platform. Breathing heavily and making his way down the ladder he faces Papa Rudy who tells him, “Most wire walkers, they die when they arrive. They think they have arrived, but they're still on the wire. If you have three steps to do, and you take those steps arrogantly, if you think you are invincible, you're going to die” (The Walk DVD, Directed by Robert Zemeckis, 2015, Tristar Productions, 25:29 to 27:02; www.PreachingToday.com).

Pride goes before a fall every time (Proverbs 16:18). So how do you avoid the pitfall of pride? How do you keep arrogance from ruining your life? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Obadiah, the Old Testament book of Obadiah, where Edom, Israel’s neighbor to the southeast, learns its fate because of its pride.

Obadiah 1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the LORD, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!” (ESV)

God sent a message to the nations, telling them to rise up against Edom in battle, because of the nation’s pride.

Obadiah 2-4 Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the LORD (ESV).

God determines that He will bring down this proud nation. They’re proud of the place in which they dwell—high in the cliffs of Petra in current day Jordan, virtually impenetrable by any invading army. As a result, they feel invincible, but that didn’t stop God from bringing them down.

In 586 B.C. Edom encouraged Babylon to destroy Jerusalem (Psalm 137:7). Soon after that, the Nabateans, from northern Arabia, drove out most of the Edomites. They had invited the Nabateans in for a banquet, but the Nabateans, once inside Edom, turned against their ally, killed the guards, and drove the Edomites out of their homes (Baker, BKC).

Pride goes before a fall!

God brought them down from their lofty place.

God also plundered their lofty treasures. For the Edomites were not only proud of their place; they were proud of their possessions. They farmed irrigated, fertile valleys and lived on a major trade route, so they became extremely wealthy. But God took all that away when the Nabateans deceived them.

Obadiah 5-6 If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night— how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings? How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out! (ESV).

Even thieves and grape pickers leave something behind, but those who plunder Edom will leave nothing behind. They will totally pillage or ransack the nation—literally, they will thoroughly search out and expose all of Edom’s wealth, taking it all away. Now, Edom is called Esau here, because Esau, Jacob’s brother, was the founder of the nation. You see, no matter where you are and what you have, you can lose it all very quickly. That’s what happened to Edom.

Obadiah 7 All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you— you have no understanding (ESV)/