But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance.--Obadiah 17
A PROMISE FOR THE FAITHFUL
The name for this book, in Hebrew, is hydbu, which means, “Servant of Yahweh.” It’s Greek title is OBDIOU, which is a transliteration of the Hebrew name, and explains our English translation, Obadiah.
We know nothing about the prophet who writes this book, neither are we certain of the exact date for the writing. But what we are sure about is this: The prophecy focuses on two things—judgment against Edom and salvation for Judah once this time of persecution and hardship has passed.
Now, given the historical events along any time line that you choose, one might ask why was God’s judgment so hot against Edom as opposed to those nations more directly responsible for Judah’s troubles. But central to our understanding of this Word of God is in learning about the relationship between Edom and Judah. Obadiah frames this as a struggle between two nations, which is true. But when you go beyond the surface, there’s more to this struggle. When you trace the relationship between Judah and Edom back to its roots, you’ll discover that this is a family crisis; this is a struggle between brothers that escalated into a struggle between nations.
The strife between Judah and Edom had its beginning in the womb of Rebekah, the wife of Isaac. Isaac and Rebekah had been trying to have children for some time without success. And so Isaac prayed to the Lord on Rebekah’s behalf, and asked that God permit her to bear children. And God granted Isaac’s request. Rebekah became preg-nant with not one child, but two. But as the children grew within her womb, Rebekah experienced unusual discomfort and, concerned that something may be wrong, she went to God for understanding as to what her discomfort meant. And God told her, “Rebekah, there are two nations in your womb; two manner of people will be born by you. One will be stronger than the other and, in fact, the older child will serve the younger child.”
These children hardly knew a time when they did not struggle. They were born strug-gling with each other. The Bible says that when the first one came out of his mother’s womb, the second one was grabbing at his heel. The older son was named Esau and the younger son was called Jacob. They struggled in their youth. Though they were twins, they were different from each other. There were physical differences—Esau was a rugged individual, but Jacob had a more fair appearance. They had different interests—Esau was a hunter and an outdoorsman, but Jacob preferred the comforts of his tent. But the biggest difference between Jacob and Esau was that Esau didn’t appreciate what he had and Jacob specialized in taking advantage of people who didn’t know how to appreciate what they had. Because of his lack of appreciation, the Bible says that Esau gave up his birthright to his brother for a plate of food.
Church, it’s always bad when we can’t appreciate what we have; it’s sad when we place so little value on what we have that we’re willing to give it up for short-term pleasure. Some of us forfeit our integrity, forfeit our morals, forfeit our spirituality chasing behind short-term pleasure. And the sad thing is that most of us who do that are just like Esau —we don’t realize what we’ve lost until it’s gone. And though we may long for it, though we may cry over it, once it’s gone, it can’t come back again.
Esau and Jacob struggled throughout their lives. The struggle got so bad that Jacob had to run for his life. And what we find when we read Obadiah is that the struggle that began with Jacob and Esau continued through their descendants, Judah and Edom. While the Bible records that Jacob and Esau made peace at a place called Peniel, when they parted from each other, Jacob still didn’t trust Esau, and their children kept up the conflict that their parents had started. In the years that followed, Esau’s offspring became the nation of Edom, and Edom was particularly hostile toward Jacob’s offspring, Judah. The writer of Numbers tells us that, when Moses and the children of Israel tried to pass through Edom on their way to Canaan, Edom refused them safe passage and forced them to go around. I Samuel 22 tells how Edom helped to stir up and keep up confusion between Saul and David; II Samuel 8 tells us how Edom sided with the Philistines against Israel and tried to destroy her. From one generation to the next, the children of Esau did what they could to hurt the children of Jacob. But in every situation, God blessed the children of Jacob and caused her to overcome. In every situation, God proved to be the difference-Maker.
Church, God still is the difference-Maker. Esau was bigger and stronger than Jacob, but Jacob prevailed because God was with Jacob. Esau relied on his strength and his abili-ties, but Jacob had learned to rely on the power of God. Jacob had a lot of faults; Jacob had a lot of weaknesses; there was a lot that Jacob did that wasn’t right. But Jacob knew that something was missing in his life, and so when something good came into his life, he refused to let it go. The Bible says that God came to Jacob one night and Jacob wouldn’t let God go until he received his blessing.
Church, it’s good to know what to hold on to in life. Too many of us are holding on to the wrong things and letting go of the thing we need the most. We’re holding on to fame, we’re holding on to financial prosperity, we’re holding on to this world’s power and influence, but we don’t need power and influence. What we need is the Lord. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness, and all other things will be given to you.” You can let go of a lot of stuff in your life, but don’t let go of the Lord.
The struggle between Jacob and Esau became the struggle between Judah and Edom. And in this prophecy, Obadiah tells is what the end of this struggle shall be. And in so doing, he gives a Word of encouragement for those who are holding on to God’s hand. In this prophecy, the end of Edom symbolizes the end of a life lived without God as its foundation. Obadiah says, “Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down...You think that you’re wise, but I will make your wisdom into foolishness; you think that you’re strong, but I will break you and bring you crashing to the ground.”
Church, I say again, it’s dangerous to try to make it in life without the Lord. We may do well for a long time, but sooner or later, conditions will catch up with us; sooner or later, things will shift in our lives. Where once we were up on top, we’ll find yourself at the bottom. Where once we were considered to be a big-timer, we’ll find ourselves left out in the cold. Without God as our foundation, we won’t have anything substantial to hold on to when trouble comes.
Obadiah gives us a sobering prophetic word of what happens to those who leave God out of their lives. And it’s an important message for those who have not made Jesus Christ their Lord to hear. But I’m glad that’s not all of what Obadiah says to us. When he turns from Edom to Judah, when he turns from Esau to Jacob, he reminds us that there is a promise for the faithful. “Even though Jacob is having a hard time right now, if you will just hold on through your trouble, I declare that I have a promise for the faithful. On Mount Zion there will be deliverance; on Mount Zion there will be holiness, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance.”
“Well, what is this word saying to us today?” When you look at Obadiah’s prophecy through an eye of faith, you see that this promise wasn’t just for the House of Jacob, but it’s for everyone who loves the Lord and is struggling through this world. Just as Edom symbolizes the meanness of the word—and Obadiah assures me that, in His own time and in His own way, God will deal with evil, and it shall be no more—Jacob symbolizes a righteous remnant. Jacob symbolizes God’s Church pressing on in spite of what comes against it. And I know that the promise God gave to Judah is good for you and for me today. Our way may be dark sometime, our load may be heavy, but there is a promise for the faithful—there will be deliverance, there will be holiness and there will be an inheritance.
First of all, God promises that the faithful will be delivered. You know, that’s the meaning of the word salvation—to be delivered. So God’s promise of deliverance is actually an assurance of salvation for the faithful. No matter how heavy my burden, if I take it to God, He will deliver me; no matter how great the temptation, if I take it to God, He will deliver me. The Psalmist offers this reassurance to the faithful, “He that dwells in the secret place of the Most high shall abide under the tabernacle of the Almighty... surely He shall deliver you from the trap of the hunter and from persistent evil doers. He will cover you with His feathers and under His wing we will find trust...we will not be afraid of the terrors of the dark, nor of the arrows that are fired at us through the day...a thousand will fall at your side and 10,000 at your right hand, but you will be safe.”
Then, not only does God promise deliverance, but He promises the bring me into holiness. The promise of holiness is really an assurance to the faithful that God will set us apart for a special purpose.
Church, the promise of holiness is really a promise of justification. God has promised that if I’m faithful to Him, He will take my wrong and make me right. And I don’t know about you, but I need God’s justification. I can’t be holy on my own, but holiness is available to me through His gracious justification, which is extended to me when I am faithful to Him.
I love to read what Isaiah writes about the day God brought him into holiness. He said that, in the same year that King Uzziah died, he saw the Lord, high and lifted up. He said that the train of God’s robe filled the Temple and, when God spoke, the power of His voice caused the doorposts to quake. He said that God was so holy that angels danced around the Temple all day just singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord almighty. The whole earth is full of His glory.” And Isaiah said that when he saw the Lord in His holiness, he saw himself for who he really was. He said of himself, “I am ruined, for I am a man of unclean lips, from a people of unclean lips.” But God didn’t leave Isaiah in that pitiful state, but He sent an angel to him. The angel swooped down and took a live coal from off of the altar and came to Isaiah and touched his lips with the coal. And then the angel declared, “Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Church, that’s justification. When God touched us, He makes up for our short-comings; He does for us what we can’t do for ourselves. And once we are justified, our new state of holiness gives us a new purpose in life. For when Isaiah knew that he had been justified, the question was asked by God, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” And Isaiah was quick to respond in his sanctified state, “Here I am Lord. Send me.”
Church, the promise to the faithful is that God will deliver and He will make us holy. And with our holiness, we are given a new purpose for our living. With our holiness, we will follow after things that are transcendent rather than the things that are temporary, and what we do we will know is right because we will be sent in the power of the Holy Spirit to do those things that God has assigned to us to do.
Well, finally, God’s promise to Judah was that they would possess their inheritance. What exactly is that? Well, if you cut through all of the legal language, an inheritance is simply that which someone has set aside for you to enjoy. And when I think about an inheritance from the Lord, I know that he has set aside some wonderful things for me. He has set aside companionship for me—“I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” He has set aside authority for me—“If you abide in Me and my Word abides in you then you may ask what you will and it will be done for you.” He has set aside protection for me—“Be not afraid of their words, for I, the Lord am with you, and I will protect you and keep you.” He has set aside provision for me—“If you eat of My bread and drink of My water, you will never be hungry or thirsty again.” He has set aside power for me—“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria and to the uttermost part of the earth.”
But more than anything, the inheritance I’m looking for is what awaits me on the other side. I heard Jesus say, “ I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you will be also.” I heard Him tell a dying thief, “This day you will be with Me in Paradise.” Well, I’m resting in the same promise as that thief—“We shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when the trumpet of God shall sound.”
Church, when you know what God has promised, then you’re able to keep your faith in hard times.
