Obadiah 1

Who's To Blame?

In the day that thou stoodest on the other side (RVm “aloof”)... thou wast as one of them. Obadiah 1:11.

It happened in a little town in one of the Western States of America on the 4th of July the day on which Americans commemorate their Independence.

It was evening. The speeches and celebrations were over, and a group of well-dressed boys had collected to build and light a bonfire. When the flames had caught they gathered round the fire to warm themselves, for the night was chilly.

Now, the cheery fire had attracted a little outsider. He was not well dressed like those other boys. His clothes hung in rags, his cap had a big hole in it, and his feet were guiltless of shoes or stockings. At first he hesitated on the outside of the group, but he was cold and hungry, and the kindly glow drew him on until at last he stood close to the fire.

Unfortunately at that moment the eyes of a big rough lad, the bully of the party, fell upon him.

“Hullo, Tatters,” he called, “what are you doing here?” The urchin tried to make his escape, but it was too late. With two great strides the bully was beside him. “Well, well,” he said, “you're too fine entirely! Bare feet, and what a cap! Don't you know it's just fit for roasting?” And with one blow he knocked the cap into the middle of the flames.

A few of the boys tittered, one said faintly, “Oh, Jim, that's mean!” but none of them made any attempt to intervene.

Bags and Tatters slunk off to a neighboring doorstep, where he sat down and drew his ragged sleeve across his eyes to wipe away the tears that would come.

Meanwhile, from a window just above the doorstep, an indignant little person had been watching the whole scene. When the ragamuffin sat down on the steps below, her mind was made up. First she hunted for an old cap belonging to her brother. Then she ran to the kitchen and begged some sandwiches and buns from the cook. Next she put the eatables inside the cap, added a bright silver dollar of her very own, and lowered the small bundle by a string from the window over the steps. The small boy looked up in astonishment, saw the face at the window, ejaculated an awkward “Thank you, mum!” and ran off with his booty.

Just then a voice behind the little girl said, “Whatever are you doing?” She turned to see her brother, who had formed one of the group round the fire. “Oh, Guy,” she asked, “how could you do it?” And Guy replied, “Do what? It was Jim Gregg who knocked his cap into the fire. I didn't do anything, nor did any of the others either.”

No, that was just it. They didn't do anything.

They just stood aloof, like the people in our text, when they might have helped. For that is what the prophet blamed the people for.

He was addressing his words to the Edomites, who were cousins of the Israelites. They were descended from Esau, just as the Israelites were descended from Jacob, and you know that Jacob and Esau were brothers. Well, the enemy had come down and laid Jerusalem waste. He had killed the Israelites or carried them away captive, and the Edomites had stood and looked on. They hadn't done anything to help their brothers in distress. They had just let things take their course. And the prophet says a very hard thing to them. He says, “In the day that thou stoodest aloof... thou wast as one of them,” and he means, “Because you didn't do anything to help, because you just stood on one side, you were really siding with the enemy.”

There are a lot of comfortable people in the world who imagine that because they are not willingly doing anybody else active harm, because they are not wishing anybody else harm, therefore they are all right. But that is not enough. If there is wrong going on around them and they are not doing their part to stop it, then they are placing themselves on the side of those who are doing the wrong. And this applies to the boys and girls just as much as to the grown-ups.

A weaker boy is being bullied in your presence. You wouldn't go the length of tormenting him yourself, in fact, you really don't approve of what is being done, but you are afraid of being laughed at if you interfere; and, besides, it's really none of your business. So you stand aloof.

Another girl's character is being pulled to bits in your presence. You know that the things that are being said are unkind and unfair and untrue, but you are afraid of risking you own popularity by contradicting them, or you have a personal grudge against the girl. So you stand aloof.

A bad story is told before you or a nasty joke is made. But you are afraid that you will be thought a prig if you protest. And so you stand aloof.

Boys and girls, will you listen to the story of one who was not afraid to stand on the side of right and who grew up to be one of the finest missionary heroes of modern times?

His name was John Coleridge Patteson, but the boys at Eton called him “Coley” for short. He was famed for his athletic ability, especially in cricket, and he ultimately rose to the coveted position of Captain of the Eton Eleven. On one occasion he won the game for his school in the annual match against a rival town.

“Coley” was fond of fun and as happy as any of the boys, but he couldn't stand any kind of coarseness and nastiness. Now, the custom had grown of singing rather objectionable songs at the annual dinner of the Cricket Club, and after Patteson had passed into the Eton Eleven he was present at a dinner where one of the boys sang a questionable song.

“Coley” immediately called out, “If that doesn't stop I will leave the room”; and as the singer continued, he jumped up and went out. Next he told the captain his intention of leaving the team unless an apology was forthcoming from the tean member. Now, “Coley” was too good a player to lose, so the captain asked the offender to make the apology, and as long as Patteson remained on the Eleven team there were no more nasty songs at the annual dinner.

You will not be surprised to hear that Coleridge Patteson grew up to be as fearless a man as he had been a boy. He became missionary bishop to the South Sea Islands. Many thrilling escapes and adventures he had, but he never turned back, and eventually he was murdered by the natives in the year 1871.

It isn't the “softies” that stand up for the truth and right things. It is the heroes of courage.

And, boys and girls, have you noticed one thing? Have you noticed who were the people to whom Christ spoke His sternest words? It wasn't to the publicans and sinners; it wasn't to the Samaritans. It was to the priest and the Levite who thought themselves too good to interfere with evil, who passed by on the other side.