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Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old
Testament. It is never quoted in the
New. But it contains a number of
valuable lessons that Christians (and for that matter, non-Christians!) would
do well to heed.
But too often it is neglected … one reason being
that without a study of the background against which it is set, it really makes
little sense.
*A.J. Ferris
sees the British troops during WW1 in verse 18 (Armageddon is at the Doors, pp.
8-9);
* H.W. Armstrong is convinced the whole book deals
with “the future history of Turkey” The Plain Truth; June, 1966, p.
6);
* Peter
Ruckman is sure it identifies the location of Hell! (Minor Prophets, p.
vii);
*G. Flurry
applies verse 7 to recent peace talks betwixt Jews and Palestinians (The
Philadelphia Trumpet, October, 2000, p. 6),
* A.
Bloomfield thinks the book has to do with the Great Tribulation (Survey of
Bible Prophecy, p. 155).
* Wm. Maglo tells us that space travel is condemned
by God in verse 4 (50 Questions about the Second Coming, p.76), as
does J. Murdock (The King is Coming,
p. 17).
* J.R. Church assures us verse 17 was fulfilled in
1948 (They Pierced the Veil, p. 71), and *Vernon McGee states that the Book of Obadiah is “God’s trenchant
answer to evolution!” (Evolution and You, p. 18).
Space forbids more of this kind of thing. Suffice to say prophecy preachers find the
Book of Obadiah a ‘happy hunting ground’ in which to find texts that support
their preconceived theories.
* * * * * * * * * *
Verse 1 tells us that this book deals with the Edomites,
and the Divine decree of judgement passed upon them …
“The vision
of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD
concerning Edom: We have heard a rumour
from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, ‘Arise ye, and let
us rise up against her in battle’.”
Isaac and Rebekah were the parents of twins, Esau
and Jacob. From Jacob descended the
Israelites; from Esau descended the
Edomites (Genesis 36:9). Thus Israel
and Edom were ‘blood brothers’.
But enmity between them commenced before they were
born!! Genesis 25:21-22, “And Isaac
intreated the LORD for his wife … and Rebekah his wife conceived … And the
children struggled together within her…”
This ‘struggle’ continues throughout the pages of
the Old Testament, and even in to the New.
Other foes of Israel arose and then disappeared from the pages of
history… the Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Philistines, the Egyptians, the
Scythians, and more. But the Edomites
continue to vent their wrath from the earliest chapters of Genesis until the
Apostolic Age.
Whilst journeying from Egypt to Canaan and in the
days of the kings, Saul and David and Jehoram, there is trouble with the
Edomites. The antagonism of Edom
reaches new heights in 586 BC, when the Babylonian armies attack Jerusalem,
plunder and destroy Solomon’s Temple, and carry most of the Jews into
captivity. In Babylon the psalmist
cries out to his God to punish the Edomites!
Why?
1. THE DOOM OF EDOM IS DESERVED
Obadiah refers to this sorry time in Israel’s history … and the part the Edomites played in it!
Verse 10 … “For thy violence against thy brother Jacob
(Notice the term ‘brother’!! a
reminder of their blood relationship), shame shall cover thee, and thou
shalt be cut off for ever.” (There
are no Edomites today! The prophecies
of God’s Word are sure.)
Verse 11 … “In that day that thou stoodest on the other
side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and
foreigners entered into his gates (when the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem)
and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.”
Verses 12-14 … “But thou shouldest not have looked on the
day of thy brother (brother!) in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over
the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly
in the day of distress. Thou shouldest
not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their
affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance
in the day of their calamity; (It
seems the Edomites plundered what was left of Judah after the Babylonians had
finished with it!!)
Neither
shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did
escape; (Any Israelite who fled the
Babylonian sword found an Edomite one awaiting him!!) neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did
remain the day of distress.”
2. THE DOOM OF EDOM IS DECREED
Obadiah spells out the Divine decree and points out to Edom that no one or nothing can save them! …
Verses 2-3 … “Behold, I have made thee small among the
heathen: thou are greatly
despised. 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?’”
They considered their city as impregnable. Surrounded by towering mountains and only entered
by a narrow ravine; it has been
suggested a dozen men could have defended Petra, their capital city, from an
invading army. The people carved their
homes, and temples, from the mountain-side … they literally dwelt ‘in the
clefts of the rocks’.
Verse 4 … “‘Though thou exalt thyself as an eagle, and
though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down,’ saith
the LORD.”
The reference to setting their nest among the stars
has nothing to do with space travel! It
refers to the caves carved out of the mountain side … when the Edomites
lived. They literally “dwelt in the
clefts of the rock” (v. 3), and tourists to Petra today can still see these
curious dwelling places. But God is
greater, higher, and He will ‘bring them down’!
Verses 5-6 … “If thieves came to thee, if robbers by
night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough?
If the grape-gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes? How are the things of Esau searched
out! How are his hidden things sought
up!”
A thief who robs a house will leave some of the less
valuable items. And a grape-gatherer
will only take when he needs even though there are more grapes upon the
vines. But by the time God is finished
with Edom there will be nothing left!
They will have no riches wherewith to ‘pay off’ the invading
Babylonians. Today no one lives in
Petra, capital of the ancient Edomite nation.
It is simply a tourist attraction.
Verse 7 … “All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee
even to the border: the men that were
at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; that they eat thy bread have laid a wound
under thee: there is none understanding
in him.”
Their allies will not come to their rescue … even those who made a treaty with their messengers and escorted them back ‘to the border’ …
Verse 8 … “‘Shall I not in that day,’ saith the LORD, ‘even
destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?’”
Their wise men will have no words to deliver them …
and Edom was famous for its wisdom. Job
4:1 speaks of wise Eliphaz, the Temanite … Teman being an Edomite city (v. 9).
Verse 9 … “And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to
the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.”
Their own warriors will fail them: not their environment (vv 3-4); nor their riches (vv 3-6); nor their allies (v. 7); nor their wisdom (v. 8); nor their military might (v. 9) will save
them from the Day of God’s judgement; A
Day that was near when the Babylonians would return and conquer them. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylonia, is even
described as God’s “servant” to carry out His decree…
Jeremiah 25:9 … “‘Behold, I will send and
take all the families of the north,’ saith the LORD, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar, the
king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, and
against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about,
and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing,
and perpetual desolations.’”
So it is today … there are those who trust in their environment
to save them from the Day of the Lord yet to come. Their church family or their Christian home give them a sense of
false security. Whereas the Lord will
say, “I never knew you…”
There are those who trust in riches. Some pay exorbitant sums of money for masses
to be said at the time of their death, thinking it will deliver them from
Purgatory and get them into Heaven.
Some trust in allies … they mix with
Christians and attend Christian meetings.
But fail to have their own personal relationship with the Saviour.
Some hope for deliverance from judgement to come by wisdom. Education.
Science will save us, they muse.
But the foolishness of God is greater than the total sum of mankind’s
wisdom.
Likewise one’s own strength. The apostle John depicts, in prophetic
imagery, all the armies that ever lived marshalled against God’s Kingdom …
Revelation 20:7-9 … “And when the thousand
years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison. And shall go out to deceive the nations
which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them
together to battle: the number of
whom is as the sand of the sea. And
they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints
about, and the beloved city: and fire
came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
A mighty army … all the might of combined
unbelieving humanity … is devoured in an instant at God’s command.
Behind all these sins is the root from which they
grow … PRIDE. “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?’”
(Obadiah vs. 3). They thought they were
outside of God’s reach. Safe and secure
with their impregnable location and their riches, allies, wisdom and military
might. And it is still pride that
causes the sinner to kneel at the foot of the cross and confess his need of the
Saviour. “God giveth grace to the
humble…” (1 Peter 5:5).
When Jonah brought a similar message to Nineveh as
did Obadiah to Edom, the Ninevites humbled themselves before God and
repented. And the Judgement of God was
averted. But not so with Edom.
Like the proud Pharisee they maintained that they
were not as others … they were able to get along without God. Whereas they should have bowed before Him as
did the sinful man and cried, “God be merciful unto me…” (Luke 18:13).
* * * * * * * * * * *
Learn, then, that “God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also
reap.”
Learn, too, that there is mercy with the Lord, who
waits to forgive the sinner who admits his need and comes to the Cross, that
place where the Saviour died to bear the punishment we deserved.
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Obadiah … ‘e saw Esau -
‘E saw Esau , ‘e was sore !
‘E said, “Esau , you are s o bad
Ire on thee is sure to soar.”
( D.P.)
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