First, Correct Interpretation, Then Corresponding Application

I recently heard a teacher explain that the lesson of Obadiah is that if you curse others, you will be cursed. Because I think this is a natural way that Bible teachers often arrive at wrong applications, I thought I’d use it as an example of why it is so critical (1) to properly understand the message of the text and (2) to make sure that applications derive from that message. Let me say it a different way: since the power of God’s Word comes from its message, an inaccurate interpretation or application of that has no power or authority. Specifically, the authority for stating that one who curses another will be cursed comes from the teacher and not from God, since it is not what Obadiah is teaching.

First, let’s briefly consider the message of Obadiah. These 21 verses condemn Edom for persecuting Israel and predict restoration for the defeated nation. It is true and important that Edom is faulted for cursing Israel. They cursed them not only in their speech but also in their hearts and in their violent actions. Edom is guilty for how they treated God’s chosen people. The basis for their guilt, and this is critical background, is their violation of God’s promise to Abraham. (This is why I recently told a friend that people should not be allowed to study the Bible until they get a good handle on Genesis!) The reason why it is wrong to curse is because God had said “whoever curses you [Abraham] I will curse” (Gen 12:3). There’s nothing here that says it is inherently wrong to curse [anyone]; in fact God himself says he will curse. The point is not the cursing, the point is the object of the cursing. Edom was guilty not for cursing but for cursing Israel. Obadiah’s decree that Edom would be punished was simply the fulfillment of that age-old promise.

If that is the message of the book, then what is (are) correct application(s)? Does Obadiah provide textual authority that those who curse others will be cursed? I cannot see how one can make such a case from this text beyond Israel. The application today is that if one curses Israel (even in a time of divine punishment!), one risks being cursed by God. If one curses Mozambique, Minneapolis, or Michael, one may be judged, but I have no textual warrant to come to such a conclusion on the basis of Obadiah. If I want to teach a lesson to my congregation that they should not curse others, I must teach from another passage.

I believe it is a common failing among those who teach the Bible to make a point that the text does not make. In that sense (but not in others), they are no better than false teachers or cult leaders. Those who trust these teachers and fail to discern are no better in this regard than those who follow false teachers and cult leaders. If we could teach people these basic principles of interpretation and application, we could empty a lot of (bad) churches. Those who cared about what God was saying could not stay under a teacher who was not faithful to the message of the biblical text.