3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.
– Obadiah 1:3-4
By Agur Israel Thomas
20 August, 2020
You don’t have to be in the military to know this, but in case you do not, ask anyone in the infantry, what is the most ideal topography to defend, and they’ll all say that it is the mountains.
The reason for that answer is because of height, slope, and size. Height gives an all-around view of the battlefield: no one can approach without being seen. Slope negates speed and impact of the attack as no matter how fast and powerful the force, they’re also fighting against gravity. Finally, the size of the mountain will surely tire even the strongest of men. There is an added advantage to mountains more relevant today, and that is cover and concealment.
The sheer ruggedness of the Afghan mountains offered the Mujihadeen and the Taliban greater protection and enabled them to hide and move almost unseen because the face of the mountains are covered with boulders and clefts. Soviet in the 1980’s and Americans and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) struggled against them because it is all but impossible to see, find, and kill them. Often caught in an ambush, they often resorted to calling artillary and airstrikes to surpress until the attackers withdraw.
And all this Edom enjoyed. Their sense of security is something we also feel in the United States as the oceans separates us from the rest of the world, our land is almost as large as China, and our neighbors are nowhere near as powerful as we are. But a state, no matter how powerful or secure, is not always destroyed by outside forces as it can be destroyed inwardly. And God, who have created all can eliminate all key factors of that country’s source of safety, strength, and prosperity.
In the case for Edom, though they’ve dwelled in the mountains will not gaurantee them victory or survival, and histroy bore that out with the Babylonian invasion led by Nebuchadnzzar, followed by Persia. God promised judgment and He delivered.
For us today, as Americans, it is easy for us to feel invulnerable just like the Edomites for the aforementioned reasons. but the destruction of the state doesn’t always come from outside of our borders. The finest example of this is Rome.
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Agur's Observations 
