THE Edomites were the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s elder brother; thus they were closely linked with the people of Israel, but in their pride and folly they turned away from the true God and worshiped idols, forgetting Him who had created and cared for them through the years. We are elsewhere told that, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” So Edom’s pride, which caused them to lift themselves up against God, was punished at last by their complete destruction as a people. What a lesson it should be to us of the folly of trusting in our own hearts and turning away from the only One who can deliver in the hour of trial.
“‘Tis a wilderness path that I tread,
But I trust not my wayward feet;
And the cloud of His presence is spread
For a shield from the scorching heat.
I eat of the manna of Heaven,
And drink of the water from Home,
And glimpses of Canaan are given
While here as a stranger I roam.
But my pilgrimage soon will be o’er,
The desert forever be past,
And my feet shall be weary no more,
For my Home—I’ll have reached it at last?
There the joys of the blessed I’ll share,
On my Father and Saviour will gaze!
And often with gratefulness there
I’ll remember my pilgrimage days.”