Obadiah An
Over view:
Exalted Edom
Will Be Exterminated
Where do go in God’s
word to get fueled and theology and inspiration?
I’m pretty
such no one would say the smallest book in the Old Testament- Obadiah.
What do you know
about Obadiah?
Yet again we
need to remember that all scripture is profitable for us.
Let’s see
what we can find profitable in these short 21 verses.
Read Obadiah
1 The vision of Obadiah.
Thus says the Lord God
concerning Edom:
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!"
·
The
book of Obadiah is a prophetic book. A
prophet of the Lord is filled with God’s Spirit and then a message is
proclaimed to people.
o
This
message comes commonly through
1.
a direct audible. We know this by the phrase,
“and the word of the Lord came to..” or
the formula, “The Lord says…” or “Hear
the word of God”
2.
Or
vision and dreams. In this instance the
message came through a vision. where Obadiah is conscious and alert.
o
A
prophet’s message can include
a.
The
judgment speech- prediction of disaster
b.
Prophecy
of blessing or deliverance-from God alone
c.
The
“woe” oracle- a particular of judgment detailing of tragedy and sorrow.
d.
Symbolic
actions- which is an imagery device
e.
Legal
or trial oracles- this is a summons to a trial which includes evidence proof of
guilt before God and the God’s verdict
f.
The
disputation speech- its to quote the people’s own words against them and to use
their words to show thrir error.
g.
Poetry
is used throughout the prohets
h.
You’ll
also find wisdom thinking and apocalyptic
proclaimations
·
Obadiah:
means “worshipper or servant of the Lord.” At
least 12 Old Testament men were named Obadiah including an officer in David's
army (1 Chron 12:9), Ahab's servant (1 Kings 18:3), a Levite in the days of
Josiah (2 Chron 34:12), and a leader who returned from the Exile with Ezra
(Ezra 8:9). Nothing is known of the author of this small prophetic book.
·
The
date of writing is equally difficult to determine, though we know it is tied to
the Edomite assault on Jerusalem described in vv. 10–14. Obadiah apparently
wrote shortly after the attack.
Four
significant invasions of Jerusalem in OT history
1.
By Shishak, king of Egypt, ca. 925 B.C. during
the reign of Rehoboam (1 Kin. 14:25,26; 2 Chr. 12)
2.
By the Philistines and Arabians between 848–841 B.C. during the reign
of Jehoram of Judah (2 Chr. 21:8–20);
3.
By Jehoash, king of Israel, ca. 790 B.C. (2 Kin. 14; 2 Chr. 25);
4.
By Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in the fall of
Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
·
But
even the knowledge of this doesn’t help and what we find for the accurate
dating of this book is almost impossible based on the information.
i. Well respected scholars and ministries
don’t agree.
ii. You look at respected study Bibles and
the boards of scholars there and they don’t agree.
iii. You see the proof for one view which
makes sense but then you see evidence for the other and that makes sense too.
iv. Even the arguments against a view are
not strong but yet can be viable reason.
·
Edom-
The background.
Turn to Gen 25:24-26, 30
The Edomites trace their
origin to Esau, the firstborn (twin) son of Isaac and Rebekah (Gen.25:24–26),
who struggled with Jacob even while in the womb (Gen. 25:22). Esau’s name means
“hairy,” because “he was like a hairy garment all over” (Gen. 25:25). He is
also called Edom, meaning “red,”owing to the sale of his birthright in exchange
for some “red stew” (Gen. 25:30). He showed a
disregard for the covenant
promises by marrying two Canaanite women (Gen. 26:34) and later the daughter of
Ishmael (Gen. 28:9). He loved the out-of-doors and, after having his father’s
blessing stolen from him by Jacob, was destined to remain a man of the open
spaces (Gen. 25:27; 27:38–40).
Esau settled in a region
of mostly rugged mountains S of the Dead Sea (Gen. 33:16; 36:8,9; Deut. 2:4,5)
called Edom (Gr., “Idumea”), the 40 mi. wide area which stretches approximately
100 mi. S to the Gulf of Aqabah. The fabled King’s Highway, an essential
caravan route linking North Africa with Europe and Asia, passes along the
eastern plateau (Num. 20:17). The struggle and birth of Jacob
and Esau (Gen. 25) form
the ultimate background to the prophecy of Gen. 25:23, “two nations are in your
womb.” Their respective descendants, Israel and Edom, were perpetual enemies.
When Israel came out from Egypt, Edom denied their brother Jacob passage
through their land, located S of the Dead Sea (Num. 20:14–21). Nevertheless,
Israel was instructed by God to be kind to Edom (Deut.
23:7,8).
Obadiah, having received a vision from
God, was sent to describe their crimes and to pronounce total destruction upon
Edom because of their treatment of Israel. The Edomites opposed Saul (ca.
1043–1011 B.C.) and were subdued under David (ca. 1011–971 B.C.) and Solomon
(ca. 971–931 B.C.). They fought against Jehoshaphat (ca. 873–848 B.C.) and successfully
rebelled against Jehoram (ca. 853–841 B.C.). They were again conquered by Judah
under Amaziah (ca. 796–767 B.C.), but they regained their freedom during the
reign of Ahaz (ca.735–715 B.C.). Edom was later controlled by Assyria and Babylon;
and in the fifth century B.C. the Edomites were forced by the Nabateans to
leave their territory. They moved to the area of southern Palestine and became
known as Idumeans. Herod the Great, an Idumean, became king of Judea under Rome
in 37 B.C. In a sense, the enmity between Esau and Jacob was continued in
Herod’s attempt to murder Jesus. The Idumeans participated in the rebellion of
Jerusalem against Rome and were defeated along with the Jews by Titus in A.D.
70. Ironically, the Edomites applauded the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
(cf. Ps. 137:7) but died trying to defend it in A.D. 70. After that time they
were never heard of again. As Obadiah predicted, they would be “cut off
forever” (v. 10); “and no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau” (v. 18).
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!"
Un
like the majority of the the minor prophets who primarily spoke to Israel,
Obadiah’s message from God was to Edom. And in the great sovereign plan of
God’s canon, he wanted us to know and explain the fall of Edom?
Why? (allow conjecture)
I offer to
you this explanation: Because the major
message of Obadiah, points to God’s judgment and deliverance and is to be a
source of comfort and encouragement as well as an inspiration for developing a
heart of reverence toward God and respect towards man.
These first
nine verse explain why Edom will be judged.
Verse 1 give us the the how it will happen: How will God’s judgment of Edom be
accomplished? Generally speaking it
is done through military engagements.
God can turn
the heart of kings. The prophet sees that nations don’t run the freedom of
their own. But he sees the nations and
human actions as they are properly yet mysteriously penetrated by God’s activity in the world for his greater
purposes of justice and judgement.
That means we can trust that God is
in control of the world’s seeming chaos. There is nothing that surprises him
and we are to see military campaigns and political campaigns through the
Biblical lens of God’s sovereign reign!
2 Behold, I will make you small among
the nations; you shall be utterly despised. 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?"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.
What is the sin of Edom? Pride. Pride in what?
First: in there strength.
Their strength in their
stronghold as a nation
Pride is saying we can do it without
God. Edom was blessed to be almost
impregnable. The capital of the nation
is (Sela) Petra. What does Petra mean
? (Rock) . Edom’s mountainous landscape rose to the height of 5,000 feet above
sea level. They had caves where fortress and homes set inside a secure. The
entrance into the city is through a narrow winding gorge or canyon.it went for
about a mile and experts say that due to the configuration of this winding canyon, they believe a dozen
men could hold an army back. Even if
they couldn’t they could defend rather successfully using the mountains to their advantage.
“Who will
bring me down? Pride in self sufficient
strength. God even uses the imagery we talked about earlier- the Eagle! A symbol of pride and strength Even the
exaggeration set among the stars”
points to their pride in being inaccessible among thte mountain tops.
When we are
blessed with strength and talent and advantage we are never to believe our own
press. Pride comes before the fall
Look up: Proverbs 11:2 13:10
16:18 29:23
Learn to be
humble or you will struggle with humiliation.
What do I mean by that?
What I mean
by that is that you will
·
struggle
with trying to be right all the time which will lead you to arguments.
·
You
will struggle with being wrong which leads to an unteachable spirit
·
You
will struggle to always look good/ confident all the time which means you will
where a mask of perfection and pretending
·
You
will struggle when you look bad which leads to discouragement and lack of
confidence.
·
You
will struggle when things don’t go right which leads to trying harder on your
own which can lead to trying controlling others and manipulate them
·
You
will struggle with others successes which will lead to a critical/competetive
spirit.
Anything that
may happen to put you down or humiliate you will fight it and fear it UNLESS
you learn how to be humble.
The prideful
person sis “It’s all about me” every
move I make ever breath I take, every conversation and actions of others is
about me and when it is others it is a paranoia of something that will
humiliate you.’
pride what’s in the middle? sIn what’s in the middle?
So Edom was proud because of it
strength
5 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?6 How Esau has been
pillaged, his treasures sought out!
·
The destruction and judgment of
Edom will be so complete, that it will be totaled. It would be unlike an
enemy’s attack where no matter how systematic they wouldn’t take everything. At
harvest time grape pickers leave some grapes. Not so with God’s judgment, it
will be completely taken!
Was God being particularly harsh here?
No. this is the way he is with
all nations. God exalts a nation- those
in power see cause for personal pride and boasting. They declare their
independence from God. Then God brings that nation down. Historians say we have
seen 21 great civilizations. All of them
have passed away. What about America?
What do we see happening?
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.
·
Edom’s
second reason for pride: Supporting allies. Many nations had befriended Edom
for its own reasons and gains. Territorially, having an alliance with Edom
would help in military campaigns.
·
“eat
your bread have set a trap for you”- in the Hebrew we understand this to
be an act of treachery on the part of a
previously trusted close friend.
8 Will I not on that day, declares the
Lord,destroy the wise men out of Edom,and understanding out of Mount Esau? 9
And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman,so that every man from Mount
Esau will be cut off by slaughter.
·
Edom’s
third reason for pride: Smarts- their extraordinary wisdom. Edom was know for
its wisdom this wasn’t an arrogant empty
boast
o
Eliphaz-
one of Job’s friend represented in that
account the human wisdom. He was from Teman (Edom)
o
1
Kings 4:30 says Solomon was wiser than the “men of the East” that Phrase is
used at times for both Egypt and Edom.
o
Edom
was known for its human wisdom yet even Jeremiah asks “is there no longer
wisdom in Teman… has their wisdom decayed?” Jer49:7
NOTE: Edom’s
strength supporting allies and smarts all deceived them!
We see the
charge of pride as there sin and the reason for
their judgment. But how are we to
know that? By their actions – they sinned greatly in their pride.
Remember how
I said at the beginning that a prophet’s message can be include a trial
declaration which presents proof of guilt.
This is what we see here.
10 Because of the violence done to your brother
Jacob,shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. 11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day
that strangers carried off his wealthand foreigners entered his gates and cast
lots for Jerusalem,you were like one of them. 12 But do not gloat over the day of your
brotherin the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judahin
the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress. 13 Do not enter the gate of my peoplein the day
of their calamity; do not gloat over his disasterin the day of his calamity; do
not loot his wealthin the day of his calamity. 14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his
fugitives;do not hand over his survivorsin the day of distress.
·
Pride
lead to an unjustified sense of personal superiority- what happens when we feel this
way? We naturally look down on them and mistreat them.
As we remember the historical brotherly relationship
between Esau and Jacob. And keep in mind that the jewish nation are descendants
of Jacob and the nation of Edom was a descendant of Esau. The mistreatment of
one nation to the other is particularly heinous in light of the fact that they
are brother nations. Deut 23:7 "You shall not
abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother…”
Yet that is what we see here from Edom
Violence
(v. 10).
Doing
nothing to prevent it, and by encouraging those who actually did the damage.
They stood "on the other side" (v. 11) and refused to stand with the
Jews.
Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites
did on the day Jerusalem fell. "Tear it down," they cried, "tear
it down to its foundations!" Psalm
137:4
·
This
reminds us of the priest and Levite in Christ's Parable of the Good Samaritan
(Luke 10:31-33). We may not actually lift a hand to hurt another, but by
watching and doing nothing, we are sharing in the crime.
Rejoicing
(v. 12).
Edom should have been weeping over his
brother's calamity, but instead he was rejoicing and jeering. See Prov
24:17-18.
Looting (v. 13).
They took advantage of the plight of the Jews
and robbed the city of its wealth. This plundering was seen by God even though
the thieves escaped.
Hindering Jews from escaping (v. 14).
Some of the Jews tried to escape and protect
their families, but the Edomites blocked the way. They even helped capture
those who did escape and returned them to the Babylonians.
These sinful
actions reveal a prideful heart. James Montgomery Boice labeled it- ackwardly-
it is the sin of unbrotherliness.
I know its not a strong word
like murder, slanderer, decit.- I think
our cultural perspective has dropped the God given regard for family relations.
Yet we are our brothers keeper.
“Love one
another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Rom
12:10-11
These
evidences of Edoms arrogance and pride show us what not to do.
·
Brotherly
affection is not passive and aloof- it cares and defends.
·
Brotherly
affection is not delighted in failure- it empathisize and encourages.
·
Brotherly
affection doesn’t think highly of self- but of the other
v15 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.16
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.
·
This
now is the declaration of God’s judgment.
God would treat them just the way they
treated the Jews.
o
They
were traitors to the Jews; therefore, their own allies would betray them (v.
7).
o
They
plundered and looted, so their nation would be robbed (vv. 5-6).
o
Edom
was violent, so they would be cut off completely (vv. 9-10).
o
Edom
wanted the Jews to be destroyed, so she would be destroyed by Babylon (vv.
10,18).
o
Edom
would reap what she sowed. See also Isa 34:5-15; Ezek 25:12-14; 35; Amos
1:11-12.
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.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.
Obadiah turns
from a prophetic prediction of judgment of Edom to a prophetic promise of
restoration to Israel.
·
God will deliver Israel (Obad 17-18). God did deliver His people
from Babylonian captivity, and He will again deliver them in the last days and
establish His kingdom. Mount Zion will be consecrated to the Lord and all
defilement removed.
o
"Jacob"
refers to the Southern Kingdom
o
"Joseph"
the Northern Kingdom. They will be united into one nation and enter the
Messianic Kingdom together, possessing the inheritance promised to them
o
Edom
will be like stubble
19 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.20 The exiles of this host of the
people of Israelshall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as
Zarephath,and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharadshall possess the
cities of the Negeb.
·
God will defeat your enemies (Obad 19-20). Israel will reclaim the
land formerly inhabited by the Edomites (the Negev), the Philistines (the
Shephelah), and the Samaritans (Ephraim). The Jews have been struggling to
possess their inheritance for centuries, but other powers have always stood in
the way. The Jews will "possess their possessions" without the help
of any nation, but only through the help of the Lord their God.
21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule
Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.
·
God will establish the kingdom (Obad 21). The Lord will reign from
Mount Zion, where His temple will stand, "and all the nations will stream
to it" (Isa 2:2 NASB). It's interesting to note that King Messiah will
have "deliverers" ("saviors" KJV) assist Him in His rule
over the nations. This fact should be studied with
reference to our Lord's promises to His apostles (Matt 19:27-30) and those who
are faithful to Him today (24:42-51; 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27). Jesus teaches
that faithfulness to Him today will mean reigning with Him in the kingdom.
TAKE AWAYS FROM THIS STUDY
1. God is and will always be in control
of this world and our lives- we can rest.
2. God judgment will com e- we are to
remain hopeful and patient
3. God will fulfill everything he says he
will do.- we can trust
4. Our strengths are a blessing from the
Lord- remain humble
Obadiah An
Over view:
Exalted Edom
Will Be Exterminated
FULL NOTES ARE AVAILABLE
AT http://momentsthatmotivate.blogspot.com/
1 The vision of Obadiah.
Thus says the Lord God
concerning Edom:
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!"
·
The
book of Obadiah is a prophetic book. A
prophet of the Lord is filled with God’s Spirit and then a message is
proclaimed to people.
o
This
message comes commonly through
1.
a direct audible. We know this by the phrase,
“and the word of the Lord came to..” or
the formula, “The Lord says…” or “Hear
the word of God”
2.
Or
vision and dreams. In this instance the
message came through a vision. where Obadiah is conscious and alert.
o
A
prophet’s message can include
a.
The
judgment speech- prediction of disaster
b.
Prophecy
of blessing or deliverance-from God alone
c.
The
“woe” oracle- a particular of judgment detailing of tragedy and sorrow.
d.
Symbolic
actions- which is an imagery device
e.
Legal
or trial oracles- this is a summons to a trial which includes evidence proof of
guilt before God and the God’s verdict
f.
The
disputation speech- its to quote the people’s own words against them and to use
their words to show thrir error.
g.
Poetry
is used throughout the prohets
h.
You’ll
also find wisdom thinking and apocalyptic
proclaimations
·
Obadiah:
means “worshipper or servant of the Lord.” At
least 12 Old Testament men were named Obadiah including an officer in David's
army (1 Chron 12:9), Ahab's servant (1 Kings 18:3), a Levite in the days of
Josiah (2 Chron 34:12), and a leader who returned from the Exile with Ezra
(Ezra 8:9). Nothing is known of the author of this small prophetic book.
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!"
2 Behold, I will make you small among
the nations; you shall be utterly despised. 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?"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.
5 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?6 How Esau has
been pillaged, his treasures sought out!
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.
8 Will I not on that day, declares the
Lord,destroy the wise men out of Edom,and understanding out of Mount Esau? 9
And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman,so that every man from Mount
Esau will be cut off by slaughter.
10 Because of the violence done to your brother
Jacob,shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. 11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day
that strangers carried off his wealthand foreigners entered his gates and cast
lots for Jerusalem,you were like one of them. 12 But do not gloat over the day of your
brotherin the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judahin
the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress. 13 Do not enter the gate of my peoplein the day
of their calamity; do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity;
do not loot his wealthin the day of his calamity. 14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his
fugitives;do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress.
v15 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.16
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.
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.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.
19 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.20 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 Sepharadshall possess the
cities of the Negeb.
21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule
Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.