Edom should have shown kindness to Israel during their time of need. Instead, they joined forces with Israel's enemies. The stress in this passage is on the word "you," similar to Caesar's cry to Brutus. A wrong action can be even worse because of who commits it. When we, favored by heaven, sin, it's all the more grievous. Our offenses are glaring because we've been so richly blessed.

If an angel saw us in sin, he might simply ask, "What, you? What do you here?" We've been forgiven much, delivered much, taught much, enriched much, and blessed much. How then could we entertain doing evil? God forbid! Spend a few moments confessing this morning. Have you ever been like the unrighteous?

At a gathering, did you not find jokes of impurity a little too amusing? When others spoke harshly about God's ways, did your silence make you seem like one of them? In the marketplace, were your deals as tough as theirs? Did your pursuit of vanity match theirs in intensity?

Can others see a difference between you and them? Is there any? This is where honesty with your own soul counts. Make sure you're a new creation in Christ.

Once assured of this, be vigilant. Don't let anyone say, "Even you were like them." You don't want to share their eternal fate, so don't live like them now. Stay apart from their secrets to avoid their ruin. Stand by God's afflicted ones, not the world.