Today we are considering the shortest book in the Bible, Obadiah. The name Obadiah means “servant of the Lord.” Nothing is known about this prophet apart from this book. There have been several theories about the period in which Obadiah might have lived; however, this illustration summarizes the most accepted one. If these dates are correct, Obadiah would have been a contemporary of Jeremiah, living just at the time of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem.
The main theme of Obadiah is God’s judgment against the nation of Edom. The Edomites were descended from Jacob’s brother Esau and lived in a mountainous kingdom south of the Dead Sea. Feeling secure in their location, the Edomites mocked the people of Judah and even took part in at least four plunderings of Jerusalem.
Why would God send a prophet to pronounce judgment on a nation that refused to worship Him? Remember that Jacob and Esau were both sons of Isaac, the son of Abraham. God was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; however, He could also have been Esau’s God, had Esau chosen to serve Him. But Esau and his descendants rejected God, choosing to serve idols instead. Ignoring the kinship of shared blood, the Edomites chose to attack the people of Judah on at least four separate occasions. As a result, the Edomites would eventually be expelled from their stronghold in Mount Seir by the Nabatean Arabs and dwindle away until they no longer existed as a people.
The Coming Judgment on Edom
“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, saying, “Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle”): “Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be greatly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’ Though you ascend as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” says the Lord.
“If thieves had come to you, if robbers by night—Oh, how you will be cut off!—Would they not have stolen till they had enough? If grape-gatherers had come to you, would they not have left some gleanings?
“Oh, how Esau shall be searched out! How his hidden treasures shall be sought after! All the men in your confederacy shall force you to the border; the men at peace with you shall deceive you and prevail against you. Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap for you. No one is aware of it.
“Will I not in that day,” says the Lord, “Even destroy the wise men from Edom, and understanding from the mountains of Esau? Then your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.
Edom Mistreated His Brother
“For violence against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. In the day that you stood on the other side—In the day that strangers carried captive his forces, when foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem—Even you were as one of them.
“But you should not have gazed (gloated over) on the day of your brother in the day of his captivity; nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; nor should you have spoken proudly in the day of distress. You should not have entered the gate of My people in the day of their calamity. Indeed, you should not have gazed (gloated over) on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. You should not have stood at the crossroads to cut off those among them who escaped; nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained in the day of distress. (handed over to the enemy)
“For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; as you have done, it shall be done to you; your reprisal shall return upon your own head. For as you drank on My holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yes, they shall drink, and swallow, and they shall be as though they had never been.
Israel’s Final Triumph
“But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame; but the house of Esau shall be stubble; they shall kindle them and devour them, and no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,” for the Lord has spoken.
The South shall possess the mountains of Esau, and the Lowland shall possess Philistia. They shall possess the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria. Benjamin shall possess Gilead. And the captives of this host of the children of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath. The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the South. Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion to judge the mountains of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.”
The Edomites have perched in their rocky strongholds for ages and feel quite smug and secure. Surely no invader will ever be able to roust them from their lands! Trusting in an unassailable location rather than God, the Edomites have done everything they can to avenge themselves on the Jews, even though their father Esau refused to take revenge on his brother Jacob. By attacking Jerusalem, the Edomites have broken the covenant between Jacob and Esau and are about to reap the results.
“Oh, how Esau shall be searched out! How his hidden treasures shall be sought after! All the men in your confederacy shall force you to the border; the men at peace with you shall deceive you and prevail against you. Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap for you. No one is aware of it. “Will I not in that day,” says the Lord, “Even destroy the wise men from Edom, and understanding from the mountains of Esau? Then your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.” All the time the Edomites have been scorning God, the weight of their sins has been mounting and soon even those who are allegedly their confederates will attack them, wiping them out completely.
““For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; as you have done, it shall be done to you; your reprisal shall return upon your own head. For as you drank on My holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yes, they shall drink, and swallow, and they shall be as though they had never been.” There is a saying that “What goes around, comes around.” Jesus will tell his disciples that the measure they give out was the measure they will receive. God has given the Edomites time to repent, and they have failed to do so. Now they will suffer for that bad decision.
“But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame; but the house of Esau shall be stubble; they shall kindle them and devour them, and no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,” for the Lord has spoken.” Even though the citizens of Judah and Jerusalem might be going into exile in Babylon at this point, God is promising to return them. But God is also promising to annihilate the Edomites.
APPLICATION: What can we learn from Obadiah? The Edomites brought about their own demise by refusing to keep covenant with the Jews, even though Jacob and Esau had made a covenant. (Genesis 33) Oaths are made to be kept, not broken. Even though there are many politicians and business people these days who appear to succeed despite a web of lies, God is the One who keeps the final books, and God hates liars and oath-breakers.
Are we people of our word? Do we mean what we say and do we keep our promises or do we manipulate and twist things? Those who manipulate, lie, and misuse mainstream media for their own ends might feel that they have succeeded; however, God is still watching and God knows the intents of the human heart. Let us remain honest and true so that at the end of everything, God will look upon us with favor!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to speak truly, to think truly, and to act truly. Keep us close to Your Heart so that we refuse to lie or manipulate. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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