John Trapp on Obadiah 1:3

Verſe 3. The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee,] ſo as to make thee think thy ſelf ſome great buſineſſe, when its no ſuch matter; and that thou canſt ſecure thy ſelf in thy ſtrong-holds from thy ſtrongeſt enemies: but herein thy pride hath befooled thee, and put the ſame trick upon thee that the ſerpent did once upon the firſt woman, Gen. 3.13. (the ſame word is there uſed as here) who complained, when ſhe was in the tranſgreſſion. The ſerpent hath deceived me, &c.1 Tim. 2.14. He is ſtill the King of all the children of pride; and thereby cheateth them, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. raviſheth them of their right reaſon, and rendreth them the direct objects of Gods hatred and heavy diſpleaſure, Jam. 4.6. hee ſetteth himſelf in battell aray againſt them. Though his excellency mount up to the heavens (ſaith Zophar concerning the proud perſon, Job 20.6.) and his head reach unto the clouds: yet he ſhall periſh for ever like his own dung; they which have ſeen him, ſhall ſay, Where is he? There is a deceitfulneſſe in ſinne, Heb. 3 13. a lie in all theſe outward vanities, Jon. 2.8. they were never true to thoſe that truſted in them. But the proud perſon feedeth upon aſhes, he feedeth himſelf with falſe hopes: a deceived heart hath turned him aſide, put him into a fools paradiſe, that he cannot deliver his ſoul, Eſay 44.20. get out of his golden dreams, nor ſay, Is there not a lie in my right hand? His caſe is not unlike that mans, who lying faſt aſleep upon the edge of a ſteep rock, dreams merrily of much happineſſe and ſafety: but upon the ſudden ſtarting for joy, breaks his neck, and tumbles headlong into the bottome of the ſea.

thou that dwelleſt in the clefts of the rock] In a rocky mountainous countrey (as the Highlander in Scotland out of the reach of my rod, as thou fondly fancieſt: in Arabia Petraea, where thine enemies cannot come at thee; and where thou thinkeſt thy ſelf no leſſe ſafe and out of harmes-way, then Moſes was, when God had put him into the cleft of the rock, and covered him with his hand Exod. 33.22. or Elias when he ſtood in the mouth of the cave 1 King. 19.13.

whoſe habitation is high] Heb: his habitation is high; by a change of the perſon out of an holy diſdaine o[illegible: 1 letter] Edoms pride and creature-confidence, as if he were extra jactum, out of gun-ſhot, above danger.

that ſaith in his heart, Who ſhall bring me down?] Aequalis aſtris gradior, & cunctos ſuper Altum ſuperbo vertice attingens polum,Atreus in Thieſte apud Senec. Demitto ſuperos, ſumma votorum attigi &c. My roof receives me not, tis ayre I tread: Ben: Jonſ. At every ſtep I feele my advanced head Knock out a ſtarr in heaven— Such great ſwelling words of vanity ſpeakes the proud man,2 Pet. 2.18. ſuch big bubbles of of words, ſ[illegible: 1 letter]ſquipedalia verba, Who ſhall bring me down? who is the Lord? who is lord over us? &c. Such haughty expreſſions ſuch lofty language is a forerunner, a preſage of imminent deſtruction, as here. A bulging wall is not farr from a downfall. While the word (Is not this great Babel &c.) was yet in Nebuchadnezzars mouth, he was deprived of his kingdome, and driven from men &c. Dan. 4.31. Megaſthenes the Perſian (an ancient writer) reporteth that the Chaldeans relate, that Nebuchadnezzar returning home laden with victories, fell mad; and being in a fanatick veine, foretold the deſtruction of Babel, whether he foretold it or no tis ſure he occaſioned it, by confiding in it, and by robbing both God of his glory, and his anceſtors (the firſt founders) of their honour: for he only enlarged it,Pſal. 129.1. and built the palace entirely: and now he ſaith? Who ſhall bring me down? &c. That will I, ſaith God, in the next words. Aeſop being asked by Chilo (one of the ſeven wiſe men of Greece) what God was doing? anſwered, He bringeth down the proud, and lifteth up the lowly. See the like Pſal. 147.6.