Jerusalem by the Philistines and Arabians, at which
G e n e s i s E x o d u s L e v i t i c u s N u m b e r s D e u t e r o n o m y J o s h u a J u d g e s R u t h
J o n a h M i c a h N a h u m H a b a k k u k Z e p h a n i a h H a g g a i Z e c h a r i a h M a l a c h i
1 S a m u e l 2 S a m u e l 1 K i n g s 2 K i n g s 1 C h r o n i c l e s 2 C h r o n i c l e s E z r a N e h e m i a h
E s t h e r J o b P s a l m s P r o v e r b s E c c l e s i a s t e s S o n g o f
J e r e m i a h L a m e n t a t i o n s E z e k i e l D a n i e l H o s e a J o e l A m o s O b a d i a h
Obadiah in His Time We know very little about the prophet Obadiah except that he wrote the prophecy bearing his name (the shortest book in the Old Testament) and that his name means "one who worships God." At least twelve other men in Scripture had this name, four of whom were connected in some way with the ministry at the temple (1 Chron. 9:16; 2 Chron. 34:12; Neh. 10:5, 12:25).
OUTLINE Key theme: Nations and individuals reap what they sow. Key verse: Obadiah 15
I. GOD'S MESSAGE TO EDOM'S NEIGHBORS (1)
A call to arms against their old ally
II. GOD'S MESSAGE TO EDOM (2–16)
Students aren't even agreed as to when the events occurred that are described in Obadiah 10–14. The traditional view is that Obadiah was referring to the Babylonian invasion of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC The psalmist states that the Edomites encouraged the Babylonians as the army razed the city (Ps. 137:7), but there is no evidence that the Edomites actually entered Jerusalem at that time or tried to stop the Jews from escaping.
A. Divine judgment declared—2–9
1. Edom's pride brought down—2–4 2. Edom's wealth plundered—5–6 3. Edom's alliances broken—7 4. Edom's wisdom destroyed—8 5. Edom's army defeated—9 B. Divine judgment defended—10–16
1. Violence against the Jews—10–11 2. Rejoicing at the Jews' plight—12 3. Assisting the enemy—13–14 4. Ignoring God's wrath—15–16
Some Old Testament scholars think that Obadiah's reference is to an earlier invasion of Jerusalem by the Philistines and Arabians, at which time Edom assisted the invaders and broke free from Judah's control (2 Chron. 21:8–10, 16–17). This would have been during the reign of weak King Jehoram (853–841), who married King Ahab's daughter and led Judah into sin. God permitted the invasion of the land and the plundering of Jerusalem as a punishment for the king's disobedience.
III. GOD'S MESSAGE TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE
(17–21)
A. God will deliver them—17–18 B. God will defeat their enemies—19–20 C. God will establish their kingdom—21
Obadiah's themes are (1) the evil of long-standing family feuds, (2) the certainty that people eventually suffer for the way they treat others, and (3) the assurance that Israel's enemies will be defeated and the kingdom established in the land.
CONTENTS
Obadiah 1–21 1438 A Tale of Two Brothers
Obadiah their political discussions were secret. There were no newspapers or press conferences.
Obadiah 1–21 A TALE OF TWO BROTHERS O
God told His servant that an ambassador from a nation allied with Edom was visiting the other nations to convince their leader to join forces and attack Edom. Actually, it was the Lord who had ordained this change in policy, and what appeared to be just another diplomatic visit was actually the working out of the Lord's judgments against Edom. This was the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy in Obadiah 7, "All your allies will force you to the border" (niv).
f all human conflict, the most painful and difficult to resolve are those between blood relatives. But if family feuds are tragic, national feuds are even worse. Almost every nation has experienced a civil war, with brother killing brother in order to perpetuate a long-standing disagreement that nobody fully understands or wants to settle. History records that the roots of these disputes are bitter, long, and deep, and that every attempt to pull them up and destroy them usually meets with failure.
John Wesley is said to have remarked that he read the newspaper "to see how God was governing His world," and this is certainly a biblical approach. God rules over kingdoms and nations (2 Chron. 20:6; Dan. 5:21); and as A. T. Pierson used to say, "History is His story." This doesn't mean that God is to blame for the foolish or wicked decisions and deeds of government officials, but it does mean that He is on the throne and working out His perfect will.
Esau and Jacob were twin brothers who had been competitors from before birth (Gen. 25:19–26). Unfortunately, their parents disagreed over the boys, with Isaac partial to Esau and Rebekah favoring Jacob. God had chosen Jacob, the younger son, to receive the blessing attached to the Abrahamic covenant (Rom. 9:10–12), but Jacob and Rebekah decided to get this blessing by scheming instead of trusting God (Gen. 27). When Esau learned that his clever brother had stolen the blessing, he resolved to kill him after their father was dead, and this led to Jacob's leaving home to find a wife among his mother's relatives (vv. 41–46). Years later, the two brothers experienced a brief time of reconciliation (Gen. 32), and they both faithfully attended the burial of Isaac (35:27–29), but the animosity was never removed. Esau established the nation of Edom (25:30; 35:1, 8; 36:1ff.), and his descendants carried on the family feud that Esau had begun years before.1
The eminent British historian Herbert Butterfield said, "Perhaps history is a thing that would stop happening if God held His breath, or could be imagined as turning away to think of something else." The God who knows the number and the names of the stars (Ps. 147:4) and who sees when the tiniest bird falls dead to the ground (Matt. 10:29) is mindful of the plans and pursuits of the nations and is working out His divine purposes in human history.
I. God's message to Edom's neighbors (1) A call to arms against their old ally
II. God's message to Edom (2–16) A. Divine judgment declared—2–9
Knowing that the Lord reigns over all things ought to encourage the people of God as we watch world events and grieve over the decay of people and nations. The sovereignty of God isn't an excuse for believers to be indifferent to evil in the world, nor is it an encouragement to slumber carelessly and do nothing. God's ways are hidden and mysterious, and we sometimes wonder why He permits certain things to happen, but we must still pray "Thy will be done" (Matt. 6:10) and then be available to obey whatever He tells us to do.
The law of Moses commanded the Jews to treat the Edomites like brothers: "You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother" (Deut. 23:7 nkjv). In spite of this, the Edomites "harbored an ancient hostility" against Israel (Ezek. 35:5 niv) and used every opportunity to display it.
God's Message to Edom (2–16) There are two parts to this message. First, the prophet declared that God would judge Edom and take away everything the nation boasted about and depended on for security (vv. 2–9). Second, Obadiah explained why God was judging Edom and named four ways in which the Edomites had sinned against the Jews and the Lord (vv. 10–16).
In this brief book, Obadiah the prophet delivered three messages from the Lord.
God's Message to Edom's Neighbors (1) Like Isaiah (1:1), Micah (1:1), Nahum (1:1), and Habakkuk (1:1), the prophet Obadiah received his message from the Lord by means of a vision. "Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7 nasb). Obadiah wrote the vision so it could be shared with others and eventually become a part of the Holy Scriptures.
Divine judgment declared (vv. 2–9).2 What kind of judgment did God promise to send to the nation of Edom? To begin with, He said He would bring down their pride (vv. 2–4). Edom was a proud nation that considered itself impregnable and invulnerable because it was situated "in the clefts of the rock" (v. 3), a region of rugged mountains with high cliffs and narrow valleys that would dissuade any invader from attacking. Like the eagles, the Edomites lived on the rocks and looked down from the heights with disdain upon the nations around them. The Edomites thought they were
The Lord enabled Obadiah to know what was going on among the nations that were allied with Edom against Judah. Thanks to today's international media coverage and the instant transmission of information, very little can happen in political and diplomatic arenas without the world knowing about it. But in Obadiah's day, the travels of national leaders and
Obadiah a great people, but God said He would make them small, which means "paltry." "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18 niv).
guilty of at least four abominable sins, the first of which was using violence against their brothers, the Jews (vv. 10–11). When their founder, Esau, discovered he was deprived of his father's blessing, he determined to kill his brother, Jacob (Gen. 27:41), and this malicious attitude was passed along to his descendants. If you had asked them, "Are you your brother's keeper?" they would have replied, "No! We're our brother's killer!"
The prophet also said that their wealth would be plundered (Obad. 5–6). Located on several major trade routes, Edom could amass the riches of other nations; and out of their mountains, they could dig copper and other minerals. Because of their isolation, they didn't have to worry about making treaties with the larger nations or helping to finance expensive wars. But their wealth would be no more. Unlike ordinary thieves, their plunderers would take everything they could find, and unlike grape harvesters, they would leave nothing behind for others. This would be the end of Edom and its boasted wealth.
Instead of assisting their brothers in their plight, the Edomites stood "on the other side" (see Luke 10:30–32) and watched the enemy soldiers cast lots for the spoils, including the captive Jews, who would become slaves. The Edomites acted like the enemy instead of behaving like blood brothers of the Jews.
1. Edom's pride brought down—2–4 2. Edom's wealth plundered—5–6 3. Edom's alliances broken—7 4. Edom's wisdom destroyed—8 5. Edom's army defeated—9 B. Divine judgment defended—10–16 1. Violence against the Jews—10–11 2. Rejoicing at the Jews' plight—12 3. Assisting the enemy—13–14
A word from Solomon is appropriate here: "Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, 'Surely we did not know this,' does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?" (Prov. 24:11–12 nkjv) Also, a word from the prophet Amos: "For three sins of Edom, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. Because he pursued his brother with a sword, stifling all compassion, because his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked" (Amos 1:11 niv).
Third, the Lord would work so that their alliances would be broken (v. 7). Though protected by their lofty heights, the Edomites were smart enough to know that they needed friends to help them stand against the great empires that frequently threatened the smaller Eastern nations. Edom would also want allies to assist them in their constant feud with Israel (see Ps. 83:5–8). But God would turn these friends into enemies, and those who had eaten with them and made covenants of peace would break those covenants. While pretending to be friends, their allies would turn into traitors, set a trap, and catch Edom by surprise.
Not only did the Edomites ignore the plight of the Jews, but also they rejoiced at what the enemy was doing (Obad. 12; see Ezek. 35:15; 36:5). For the Jews, this was a day of destruction and distress; but for the Edomites, it was a day of delight and rejoicing. In their pride, Edom looked down on the Jews and gloated over their misfortune. Again, Solomon has counsel for us: "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him" (Prov. 24:17–18 niv). God didn't spare the Jews, but He did send judgment on Edom in due time.
Nations today that boast of their political alliances and their formidable military establishments should take heed to what happened to Edom long ago, for that proud nation is no more. About 300 BC, the Nabataean Arabs drove out the Edomites and occupied their key city Petra, the "rose red city" carved out of solid rock. The Romans took Petra in AD 105, but the decline in the caravan routes eventually led to the nation's demise.
God also warned that Edom's wisdom would be destroyed (Obad. 8). The people of the East were known for their wisdom (1 Kings 4:30), and this included the Edomites. Located as they were on the great trade routes, the leaders of Edom could get news and views from many nations. Job's friend Eliphaz was from Teman in Edom (Job 2:11; see Jer. 49:7). Without wisdom, the leaders of Edom couldn't make the right decisions, and the result would be confusion.
Edom's third great sin was assisting the enemy in attacking the Jews (Obad. 13–14). It was bad enough for people to do nothing to help their brothers, and to stand and rejoice at their brothers' calamities, but when they gave aid to the enemy, that was carrying their ancient "family feud" too far. The Edomites entered the city and shared in dividing up the spoils, thus robbing their brothers of their wealth. (Later, Edom's wealth would be taken.) The Edomites also stood at the forks in the roads, ready to capture the fugitives who were trying to escape; and they turned them over to the enemy to be imprisoned or slain.
Finally, Obadiah announced that Edom's army would be defeated (Obad. 9). Without wisdom, the military leaders wouldn't know how to command their troops, and their mighty men would be defeated. This may have happened when the Babylonians took Jerusalem, or this promise may have been fulfilled when the Arabs invaded Edom and took over their cities, driving the Edomites to the west. The Greeks and Romans called these Edomites "Idumeans" (Mark 3:8), and from them came Herod the Great. Having announced what God was going to do to Edom, Obadiah then proceeded to defend God's judgment of the nation (Obad. 10–16). The Edomites were
What the prophet Jehu asked King Jehoshaphat is applicable here: "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord and so bring wrath on yourself from the Lord?" (2 Chron. 19:2 nasb). As God's people, we must love our enemies and pray for them (Matt. 5:44–48), but we certainly shouldn't assist sinners in opposing and persecuting believers. To do so is to turn traitor in the army of the Lord.