See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised. – Obadiah 1:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 27, 2026): Obadiah 1

A Canadian general has suggested that his nation might need to arm itself with nuclear weapons. Unlike many non-nuclear nations, Canada possesses all of the technology and infrastructure to create whatever weapons it decides that it wants. However, it has remained a non-nuclear power because of safety guarantees from the United States.

But times, they are a-changing. I actually suggested that Canada might want to go nuclear a few years ago. At the time, my suggestion was roundly dismissed, mostly by some of my American friends. I do have a friend who believes that Canada possesses nuclear weapons about which no one knows, and has possessed these weapons for decades. But somehow that doesn’t seem likely.

There is a contemporary cautionary tale on the subject. It is Ukraine. There was a time when Ukraine was the third strongest nuclear nation, behind only the United States and the Soviet Union. At the time, both superpowers assured Ukrainians that they would protect the nation during a time of conflict. Promises have expiration dates, and apparently, the promise to Ukraine has ended because both Russia and the United States have broken it. If Ukraine were still a nuclear power, I suspect that the Russo-Ukrainian war might never have happened. I actually am on the side of nuclear disarmament. I don’t really want Canada to become a nuclear power, and I think that the Ukrainian decision to disarm was the right one. But I do understand why the decision is hard. In a world where might makes right, which we are currently re-entering, being strong in some way is important if a nation is to survive.

The ancient world was filled with small nations that either disappeared because they could not stand up to the bullies on the world stage, paid tribute to the stronger nations, or found one way in which their strength would help them survive in a competitive world of war.

Obadiah says that Edom would be made a small nation. The reality was that Edom always had been a small nation. But if Edom had a strength, it was its location. It was a nation that was literally built into the rocks. It wasn’t a strong nation militarily, but it was a difficult nation to attack, even if you were among the stronger bullies on the scene. Obadiah prophesied that the time would come when the rocks would not help the Edomites—a time when even Edom would be defeated, and its people despised.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 18