Who are our heroes? Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, and Nolan Ryan? Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk? Celebrity actors or “influencers”? Political and military leaders?
Let’s ask the question another way. Who is most critical to the survival of our society? We do not depend on entertainers for survival. Rich businessmen are only slightly more important. And how much do politicians and generals contribute during peacetime?
Let’s ask a final question: If you were going to remove one group of people from our nation in order to destroy it, who would it be? If America were a Jenga game, which wooden block could you pull out to make the entire nation collapse?
None of the above.
When a Shakespearean character leads a rebellion against King Henry, one of the rebels says, “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.”[1] Why? Because the illiterate rebels—who murder anyone who can read—know that lawyers protect not only the rights of the people but the law itself.
Similarly, when God plans to overthrow the nation of Edom, He removes one group of people before the others. However, God does not name lawyers specifically, though some of them might be included in the category. (I bet you thought this was a post about lawyers, but it’s not. And I am certainly not suggesting lawyers are the heroes of society! Ha ha ha! I crack myself up. But no, that is not the point at all. That was never the point.)
Here are God’s words about the tribe descended from Esau, brother of Jacob. In the book of Obadiah, God pronounces judgment on Israel’s cousin:
“This is the Lord’s declaration—‘Will I not eliminate the wise ones of Edom and those who understand from the hill country of Esau?” Obadiah 8.
The first thing God will do when He judges Edom is remove people with wisdom.
The Voice translation says, “Won’t I destroy all the wise men of Edom and MAKE ALL INSIGHT VANISH from Mount Esau?”
You and I may never be famous athletes, celebrities, rich entrepreneurs, political leaders, or generals. But we can all be among the most important citizens in the nation, the wooden block on which the entire Jenga-like structure depends: people of wisdom.
How? Fear the Lord and study His word:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” Proverbs 9:10.
“For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding” Proverbs 2:6.
“Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” Psalm 119:105.
May we be like the men of Issachar, “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” 1 Chronicles 12:32.
God, grant us the wisdom to understand the times and know what our nation should do.
ΑΩ
[1] William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 2, Act IV, Scene 2.
Household Words: 