Obadiah - Little Prophet with a Big Message

by Lance Ponder⁽⁹⁰⁾
http://fkiprofessor.xanga.com

Introduction to Obadiah

The prophet Obadiah most likely wrote this briefest of prophetic books shortly after the fall of Judah (586 BC). When we talk about the exiles of Israel and Judah all too often we talk about Assyria or Babylon as if they existed in some sort of vacuum. Several other surrounding nations were involved to one degree or another with the action. In this case, Edom was helping Babylon. When Jews fled to the south, the Edomites would capture them and turn them over to the Babylonians.

The Edomites were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s older brother. While they did not inherit the same promise as Jacob, they did know the God of their father, Isaac. Just as Cain knew the God of his brothers Able and Seth, Edom knew the God of Judah and Israel. Just as Cain turned against his brother, so too Edom turned in the children of Judah to the Babylonians for a bounty. One of the great lessons of the prophecy of Obadiah is the very practical lesson of brotherly love. We are our brother’s keeper. Even more simply stated, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

There are also overtones to the prophecy whispering, if not shouting, about the coming day of the Lord. Certainly the object lessons of Obadiah apply today just as they did then. The character of God is unchanging. This implies the lessons of brotherly love and judgment on those who turn against believers is unchanging. This theme carries through all the way to the final judgment at the end of days.

From the standpoint of Edom itself, within a century of this prophecy Edom was in ruins. In 1812 ruins of the ancient Edomite capital, Sela (later called Petra), were discovered. Their city was cut from solid rose colored rock in the high cliffs. A general prophecy against Edom was given in Amos 1:11-12. Obadiah’s prophecy builds on it.

The Authority of Obadiah

Ob 1a The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom: The first lines of the book tell us the words recorded here came from a vision and that it was a vision of pronouncement by God directed toward Edom. Edom is the only group mentioned in the book, but by no means should we think the lesson was only for Edom.

Serving Notice

Ob 1b-2 We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!” Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised. As we learned from Amos 3:7, God doesn’t keep His plans secret. Is God a military man that He needs to keep His battle plans secret? No. This is part of the reason God reveals His divine plan, that we might know His power over our best laid and most secret plans to thwart us and accomplish His will. The message here is simple: “I am getting ready to kick your butt and when I’m done nobody will want anything to do with you.”

Edom’s Error

Ob 3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” If there’s one thing we can learn from nearly any book of the bible it is this: God hates human pride. Adam and Eve were first, thinking they could be elevated to be like God according to the lie of the serpent in the garden. Cain was prideful about his offering and murdered his brother when his pride was hurt. In the wilderness it was pride Satan appealed to when he tempted our Lord Jesus. Edom was just another victim of its own pride. Paul (1 Cor 1:31) quoted Jeremiah (Jer 9:23-24), paraphrasing simply: if we are to boast let us boast in the Lord.

False Security

Ob 4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord. The people of Edom, though somewhat nomadic, generally lived in the high rocky area south of Judah on the fringe of the great desert. Their life was probably pretty harsh, but they did enjoy relative security due to the terrain. It wasn’t easy to get to or travel through the region of Edom. Many of the people lived in homes hewn from the rocky cliffs. Since they were out of the way, hard to get to, and well defended in their high elevation dwellings they felt very secure regardless of their behavior. In their pride, the Edomites associated themselves with the high loftiness of the eagles. From their very homes in the high places God declares they would be brought down.

Greed

Ob 5-6 If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night— how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings? How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out! Seeing into the future, Obadiah looks back on the ruin of Esau and sees the fruit of Edom’s pride. Fruit is associated with action. When Edom was turning in Jews to the Babylonians they were taking over deserted villages in Judea and enjoying the spoils left behind by the exiles. Not only did Edom turn against his brother, but he picked the pockets of the dead – so to speak. The Lord is saying a normal thief would steal what they needed. Reapers of the fields don’t pick the fields bare. Edom, however, was picking Judea bare and taking every last tidbit of value. This greed is part of the judgment, too. This aspect of Edom’s sin most likely explains the nature of Edom’s fall into ruins. As Jesus himself said: “Do unto others…”

Deceit

Ob 7 All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you— you have no understanding. Pride has many pitfalls. The sense of infallibility is just as much a danger as any other flaw of pride. Pride not only makes you feel safe, it makes you feel like you’re right. Pride blindly justifies any sin in the eyes of the sinful, cloaking it in self-righteousness impervious to condemnation and judgment. When you are so full of yourself it is easy to believe those with whom you deal think as highly of you as you do yourself. Naturally they wouldn’t dare deceive you? When the Lord tells Edom they don’t have understanding He’s very plainly calling them fools. Who but God alone has grace and mercy so great as to tell you that you’ve fallen so you can see by His revelation what our own blindness prevents us from seeing? Though no greater pain is known than exposure of sin to the Light, there is also no greater mercy than to have the sin exposed so we might have an opportunity to repent and make right our relationship with God. It is only when we are made to see our sin that we are able to acknowledge it and cast our own judgment on our own sin. We must judge ourselves first with a righteous judgment. When we see Truth we can turn from our sin toward that Truth and obey it instead of our own carnal lusts. In context is isn’t easy to see the Lord’s mercy toward Edom, but there’s also the Lord’s prophecy of the stubborn delusion of Edom to ignore God’s word. In other words, God knew Edom’s response would be to ignore Him and continue in their self-destructive way. This of course did come to pass.

Payback

Ob 8-9 Will I not on that day, declares the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau? And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter. Ultimately Edom ignored the Lord’s warning and paid the price. The lesson here is quite simple. Remain in darkness and the darkness will blot you out.

Brother’s Keeper

Ob 10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. This verse more clearly than any explains the reason for the depth of God’s ire toward Edom in particular. Cain asked God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain’s arrogance was based on this simple self-deception and lack of understanding. It is one of the most important lessons we can take from scripture. Yes, we are our brother’s keeper. The implications here are many and far reaching. The 10 Commandments reveal the character of God. Jesus summarized the 10 with this: love God and love each other. Jesus also explained the need to internalize the 10 commandments and realize they spoke against the ultimate fruit of Spiritual Truth. When we internalize the 10 commandments we go to the root of their meaning. Jesus said if we wish someone dead that’s as bad as doing the act. He explained lust in the heart was as bad as the act of adultery. God expected Edom to help their relatives, the Jews, but instead they helped bring harm to them. There are many modern applications of this lesson beyond mere lust and murder. For example, the prophecy was directed at a nation for national action. Should our nation stand against Israel today, helping the many who would like to destroy it once again from the earth? Should we stand by while Christians are being slaughtered in Darfur and other places around the globe? What about when a Judge is thrown off the Supreme Court of Alabama for trying to uphold the 10 Commandments? What about when a church across town disagrees with something we’re doing – do we love them anyway?

Bad Fruit

Ob 11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. Extending on the lesson of Obadiah 10, here we see judgment coming for a heart condition, not just an act. Behavior can be corrected and forgiven, but how can you forgive one who refuses to be forgiven? When Jesus lectured the people in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5 – 7) he gave one lesson after another about how the heart is the root from which our actions grow. The good heart yields good fruit while the bad heart yields bad fruit. The lesson here seems to be get your heart in the right place, in willing submission to the good will of the Lord and not in gloating over others who are under judgment. This sounds a lot like the time Jesus told the angry mob that the person among them without sin could cast the first stone. In modern language we might say those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. No matter how you say it, we should never have pride in our position, even as saved believers in Christ. Our pride should be in the Savior alone, not in our position. It is about the chooser, not the chosen – about the Savior, not the saved. Never think too highly of yourself, but for grace there go I.

Stop…

Ob 12-14 But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress. Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity; do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity. Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress. A warning is given. Don’t gloat. Don’t take advantage of your brother. God doesn’t just whomp, He gives them warning. Not just a warning of the punishment, but God goes to the trouble of explaining in detail what He expects. I believe there’s more than one reason God gives fair warning. For one, there’s the hope of repentance. Elsewhere in scripture we see examples of judgments being given and God relenting when repentance results. Nineveh repented when Jonah preached their doom. There’s no excuse for Edom’s choice to ignore Obadiah’s dire warnings. Just as today, when you hear the gospel preached, there’s no excuse for ignoring it.

…Or Else

Ob 15-16 For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head. For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been. Just as with Joel and Amos before, we again see the very specific prophecy of a day to come called the day of the Lord. There can be no doubt this day is coming, but what does it mean to Edom? What does it mean in general? When Jesus said, “do to others as you would have done to you,” he was essentially rephrasing Obadiah 15. The Lord didn’t give us the golden rule only because it was the right thing to do, but also because it reflects the judgment the Lord himself will carry out. To believe in Jesus is more than accepting the fact he is both Lord and Savior, but to put all your trust in Him as such. As Lord, that means accepting his authority to rule us. To accept a ruler means to obey him. Shall we obey our own evil desires or the righteous will of our Lord? This is a decision we must all make – and follow through on. Just as we follow through, so shall the Lord follow through with our eternal hope. The reference to drinking refers to response to actions. Fruit makes wine. Good acts are good fruit and produce sweet wine whereas bad fruit produces wine that ends up making you drunk and ultimately being drunk refers to receiving the fullness of God’s wrath. You get what you deserve and when you get the ultimate wrath of God you will end up dying the second death as John describes (Rev 20:13-14). Every nation on earth will face the judgment and either be found in the Lamb’s book of life… or not.

YHWH Wins

Ob 17 But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions. A seminary professor saw a custodian studying his bible. He asked the custodian what part he was reading. The custodian replied he was reading Revelation. The professor asked if the man understood any of it. The custodian said yes, he did: God wins. This very same lesson is the one we can’t escape in the writing of Obadiah. Of all the lessons, learning God wins is the most important of all. It is only when we come to terms the Father will have His will done no matter what that we can come to terms with the rest of what He has to say. The good news is God’s plan is for good, not evil. There’s hope. There’s a promise of escape to a holy place of good things. The place is called Mount Zion. The condition of the place is holy. Those who live there are in the house of Jacob. God made this place. God made the promise and God shall make it come to pass. God will win. You’re either with God and included in the house of Jacob or you’re opposed to God and outside the family and the promise. Two choices – be on the winning team or the losing team. The winners inherit what is good.

Gehena?

Ob 18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken. If the winners get what is good, what do the losers get? The prophecy here likens the house of Jacob to a consuming fire. There are several parallels between the story of Cain and Able and the story of Jacob and Esau. Brother faced off against brother. One was favored by God. The one not favored had contempt. Cain and Esau both responded with jealousy and hatred when they were forced into humility. Both Cain and Jacob started out humble. Once again we see pride at the root of evil. God alone has the right to pride. God is perfect and man is fallen from grace. Adam thought he knew better than God through self-deceiving pride. Only when we overcome our pride by humbling ourselves to the thrown of God and to our brothers can we be counted with Jacob rather than Esau. The fire itself is another powerful image presented by Obadiah in this passage and it bares more investigation. It provides a stark contrast to the image of Mount Zion presented in Ob 17. For Edom it is the specific alternative. In as much as Edom represents all those prideful against the Lord on the day of judgment it logically seems to represent the result of eternal judgment. When we think of heaven and hell we all draw certain images in our imaginations of what these two opposite destinies are like. Hell is often pictured as a place of eternal fire and with it torment for the damned. Jesus used the Greek word “gehena” to provide a mental picture of the destination of the condemned. Literally gehena was the garbage dump outside Jerusalem where the city refuse was thrown. It was on fire day and night burning the debris cast out from the city. Everything thrown there was consumed by the fire. Jesus chose this vivid image very deliberately. Gehena is one of two words translated as “hell” throughout the Gospels. The other is Hades, another term representing the concept of a dismal place in the afterlife. Elsewhere in scripture we have specific images involving fire. Even Joel references a wall of fire dividing good and evil. If the winners go to Mount Zion, the loosers go to a place of consuming fire.

Promised Restitution to the Faithful

Ob 19-20 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb. This passage provides literal descriptions and, given the far reaching spiritual nature of Obadiah’s prophecies, it seems one might well be getting a general image of something far greater. This passage provides a list of who will eventually come to control what. The Negeb is the desert region extending from below the hills Edom across the Arabian peninsula (modern Saudi Arabia). The phrase “those of the Negeb” is interpreted differently depending on the translation you look at. Literally, the text appears to say those of the Negeb will inherit the Edomite territory including their capitol. These people will also one day control the land as far away as Phoenicia and all the regions of ancient Israel. In the middle a group of Hebrews will control a relatively small area. Today we see modern Israel controlling a small area almost entirely surrounded by the Arabic peoples who almost certainly descend from those who conquered Edom. In the closing line of Ob 20 it says a certain group of exiles from Jerusalem will come to control the Negeb cities. Wrapping this back around one is left with the possible conclusion that children of Jacob will one day take over Edom. The exiles mentioned are said to be in a place called Sepharad. Some believe Sepharad means Spain. Others suggest this more likely refers to Sardis. Both of these options provide fascinating conclusions. If it does refer to Spain then maybe it is talking about Javier Solana, a Spaniard, who is running the EU and working to control the middle east including Israel. Sardis, on the other hand, is mentioned as one of the seven Churches of John’s Revelation. Sardis was one of the major cities in Asia Minor located in what is now western Turkey. According to Rev 3:1-6, the Church of Sardis is largely dead, though a few remain faithful within her. If either of these are true it doesn’t bode well for the outlying areas of the Negeb, Phoenicia, or even the Samarians. Only those who are belong to Jerusalem are fully secure in their hope. Perhaps equally interesting is the part of the prophecy saying the exiles of Jerusalem will possess the land of the Canaanites. Literally this came to pass when the exiles returned from Babylon and rebuilt the temple. Though the Hebrews experienced very little political freedom, they did enjoy considerable religious freedom even through the periods of Greek and Roman control up until the second temple was destroyed. As a spiritual prophecy, it may mean all those belonging to the Lord will one day come into the eternal Mount Zion to rule the New Earth from New Jerusalem. This would include those far off being given authority over the arid desert and all which is far off. The bible speaks of the trees of life along the banks of the river of life and that the leaves of those trees will heal nations, unifying cultures world wide under the banner of the Lord Jesus (Ex 17:15).

Saviors

Ob 21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. At first this seems to be one of the most curious statements in the entire scroll of Obadiah. How can there be more than one savior? And how can they go to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau? And are both part of a common kingdom? Jesus said, “ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:18-19, ESV) The king is Christ. He is the ultimate savior. The word translated “saviors” in Ob 21 carries with it the meaning liberators. Jesus is the rock of salvation. At the same time the name Peter in Greek sounds like Petra, the Greek name of the capitol of Edom. Jesus is the true rock providing the foundation of our faith, but Jesus also sent his Spirit to fill Peter. Peter was the initial leader of the Apostles from Jerusalem after Pentecost. Catholic tradition holds Peter up as the first pope, the rock (foundation) of the Catholic church. While all this history makes for a fascinating play on Jesus’ words, the meat of his statement was the giving of authority over the keys to the kingdom to his faithful believers. Jesus was literally giving the power of liberation from death to Peter and the others. Does this mean Peter stands at the Pearly Gates and chooses who goes in and who doesn’t? No, not at all. It means Peter has been given knowledge of the Christ and the mission to tell the world this knowledge. It isn’t Peter’s power to save, but to share the Salvation he has received. In a literal sense the disciples were given authority by the name of Jesus to cast out demons and cure disease, but the knowledge of salvation was the greatest gift of all to be shared. Peter said, “ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Pe 2:9a, ESV) Mount Zion carries the connotation of the kingdom of heaven whereas Mount Esau carries the connotation of the kingdom of earth. Ultimately our Lord is Lord of Lords and King of Kings, thus Lord both of heaven and earth. Those who are his are chosen. They have the responsibility to carry the gospel message to the dying world, thus bringing light into darkness. Believers are forced to be in the world, but only as exiles who one day will come home to New Jerusalem. The Kingdom of God exists both in heaven and in the temples of God which are the bodies of the believing souls alive in this earth.

Majoring in the Minors

Article submitted Monday, April 26, 2010 & read 514 times.

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