I hope that all of you enjoyed the last three weeks as much as I did. The prophetic implications of the three fall Jewish Feasts really fit in well with our study of the Old Testament prophets as we prepare for our study of the Book of Revelation. This morning we’ll return to our journey through some of the Old Testament prophets with the Book of Obadiah. Go ahead and turn in your Bibles to that small book which consists of only 21 verses in one chapter. You’ll find it right after Joel and Amos in your Bibles.
BACKGROUND
We really don’t know a whole lot about Obadiah. Although we find 12 other people in the Old Testament with the name Obadiah, it is not clear that any of them can be connected with the author of this prophetical book. According to the Jewish Talmud, Obadiah is said to have been a convert to Judaism from Edom, and a descendant of Eliphaz, the friend of Job. All we know for certain is the meaning of his name:
• Obadiah = “servant or worshipper of YHWH”
Much the same as we saw with Joel, there is nothing in the book that allows us to ascertain the date of its writing with any degree of certainty. There are two main possibilities – either around 845 BC during the reign of King Jehoram in Judah or around 586 BC after the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem.
Although we can’t be dogmatic about it, I tend to favor the earlier date:
• Date of book – likely during the reign of Jehoram around 845 BC
There are several things in the text that point to an early dating:
o The mention of Joseph in verse 18 indicates this was before Assyria dispersed the northern kingdom of Israel
o The lack of any mention of Assyria suggests an early date
o The placement of the Book in both our Old Testament and in the Tanakh suggest that the timing of Obadiah’s prophecy was in the same general pre-Assyrian time frame as Joel and Amos.
• Audience – the southern kingdom of Judah
The audience is identified clearly by the text itself. And, as we’ll see, this is a message of hope to a people who have continually been subject to the attacks of their enemies, particularly those from Edom.
• Subject – God’s judgment against Edom
This makes the Jewish tradition about Obadiah’s background really interesting. If Obadiah was indeed a convert to Judaism from Edom, then God used him to prophecy judgment to his own people. Since this entire prophecy deals with Edom, we need to take a few moments to examine some information about Edom.
o Descendants of Esau
Esau was Jacob’s fraternal twin brother. Jacob was renamed “Israel” by God and became the father of the nation of Israel. The names Esau and Edom come from a Hebrew word that means “red” and in Genesis we find that Esau becomes the father of the nation of Edom:
And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.)
Genesis 25:30 (ESV)
Eventually Esau’s descendants settled in a mountainous area southeast of Israel in what is modern day Jordan. It is also known in the Bible as Seir, Mount Seir, and Mount Esau.
o Enemies of Israel
Although Jacob had obtained Esau’s birthright and his blessing by deceit, the account in Genesis 33 reveals that Jacob and Esau eventually make peace and are reconciled. But that peace certainly isn’t passed down to their descendants. Among the evidence of the hostility of Edom towards Israel are these events:
They rejected Moses’ request to pass through their land (Numbers 20:14-20)
They opposed King Saul (1 Samuel 14:47)
They fought against David (1 Kings 11:14-17)
They opposed Solomon (1 Kings 11:14-25) and Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:22)
They rebelled against Jehoram (2 Chronicles 21:8)
With that background in mind, let’s take a brief look at Obadiah’s prophecy.
THE SIN OF EDOM (vv. 1-10)
Read Obadiah 1-10.
• The root sin – pride
The people of Edom had been deceived because of the pride of their heart. For years, they had sat by and watched Israel be attacked and, as we’ll see in a moment, even participated in many of those attacks themselves. But because of their pride, they did not even consider that they could possibly be subject to God’s judgment.
Edom’s pride was reflected in the two major areas where they had placed their security:
o Military security (vv. 3, 4)
From the 13th century to the 6th century BC, the Edomites had settled in the mountainous region south of the Dead Sea. The capital of Petra was an almost impregnable fortress located in a valley which can only be reached though a narrow canyon with towering walls on each side. And there in Petra they had created large caves high up in the sandstone rocks. This is certainly what Obadiah was referring to when he described the people who lived in the clefts of the rocks in their lofty dwellings.
In that setting, the people of Edom felt very secure from any kind of attack that might be launched against them.
o Wisdom (vv. 8, 9)
The other source of pride for Edom was their wisdom, which was centered in the town of Teman, which was known as a center of wisdom and military intelligence. In the book of Job, Eliphaz, one of Job’s so-called “friends”, is identified as a Temanite.
The people of Edom were also very secure because they believed that their superior wisdom and military strategy would protect them from their enemies.
• God’s response – total destruction of those things in which Edom was trusting (vv. 4-10)
God’s judgment against the Edomites would result in the total destruction of the things that they had take pride in and were trusting in for their security. He would bring them down from their lofty dwellings in the rocks and destroy their wise men.
We’ll come back to the first part of verse 10 in a moment, but for now let’s focus on the last part of that verse where Obadiah prophesied that God would cut off Edom forever. Like many Bible prophecies, there is both a near term and far term fulfillment of this prophecy.
The near term fulfillment occurred in the first century AD. Historically, the last of the Edomites was the family of King Herod the Great. Herod was from Idumea, which is the Greek name for Edom. In AD 70, the Zealots, deceived 20,000 Idumeans into being their allies in the siege of the Temple in Jerusalem. Once the Romans completed their siege of Jerusalem, they killed many of the Idumeans and the rest fled and they ceased to exist as a separate and identifiable people.
There will also be a future fulfillment of that prophecy. We’ve already seen that in the book of Amos:
“In that day I will raise up
the booth of David that is fallen
and repair its breaches,
and raise up its ruins
and rebuild it as in the days of old,
that they may possess the remnant of Edom
and all the nations who are called by my name,”
declares the Lord who does this.
Amos 9:11, 12 (ESV)
In some places in Scripture, Edom is used figuratively to describe all those who are enemies of Israel and when the “remnant of Edom” is spoken of here, it is used in that context. That would be consistent with the fact that those of Edomite descent were dispersed and spread throughout the world by the end of the first century and thus Edom represents all those who are not part of the commonwealth of Israel and who are enemies of God’s chosen people.
When God restores both houses of Israel and Jesus, the seed of David, establishes His reign, He will reign over both those who have been foes of Israel – Edom – as well as those who have been faithful to Him – the nations who are called by my name.
THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL OF SIN (vv. 11-14)
Read Obadiah 11-14.
In this section, Obadiah describes the downward spiral of sin that ultimately would lead to God’s judgment on Edom. We clearly see three stages of this spiral portrayed for us in this passage:
• Passivity (v. 11)
At first, Edom just stood by and watched as others attacked and plundered Jerusalem. They didn’t necessarily do anything to promote these attacks against Judah, but they didn’t do anything to stop them either.
This really doesn’t seem all that bad, does it? At least not until we evaluate their actions in light of this passage:
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
James 4:17 (ESV)
Remember, the people of Judah are their blood relatives. And when they see them being attacked, rather than come to their aid, the Edomites just sit by and watch.
Many of us are probably familiar with this quote often attributed, probably mistakenly, to Edmund Burke:
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Regardless of the source of that saying, it certainly applies to the actions, or rather lack of any action, on the part of the Edomites. And inevitably, it led to the second step in the progression.
• Promotion (v. 12)
After a while, the Edomites no longer just stood by and watched - they became cheerleaders. They began to gloat over the misfortune of Israel and rejoice in their ruin.
• Participation (vv. 10, 13, 14)
But as this downward spiral progresses, Edom actually becomes involved in the actions against Judah. They take part in the looting, they keep people from being able to flee from the attacks, and even hand over the survivors to the enemies. And ultimately, this results in the violence that Obadiah describes in verse 10.
For those of you that were with us in our Thursday night study, you will recognize that this is the Hebrew word “hamas” which we find connected with God’s judgment repeatedly throughout the Old Testament. As we defined it at that time, it is a certain level of violence against God’s people that causes God to pour out His judgment. Only God knows when that threshold is crossed, but when it is, God’s judgment is assured.
Many of you may have seen a disturbing video of a recent event in which a 16 year old honor student was killed in Chicago when he got caught in a brawl between rival gangs as he walked home from school. If you’ve watched that video, you can see this downward spiral played out in a very short period of time. As the brawl begins, the people not involved in the brawl are just sitting around watching, but they don’t do anything to stop it – not even call the police. Then it’s not long before some of them start to cheer and encourage those involved in the altercation, and then eventually even become involved in the action. And as a result, a 16 year old boy is beaten to death with a 2 x 4.
THE “DAY OF THE LORD” (vv.15-21)
Obadiah’s description of the “Day of the Lord” helps us to further develop the Biblical description of that period of time which we have already begun to describe from our examination of Joel and Amos. Let’s see what Obadiah adds to our understanding:
• It is “near” (v. 15)
We’ve seen the idea that the Day of the Lord is “near” previously in both Joel and Amos and we’ll see it again as we look at other Old Testament prophecies related to the “Day of the Lord”. Since the term “near” is used so often, we need to define what that term conveys.
The word translated “near” is a word that describes something that is “close at hand”. So it certainly conveys the idea of close in time, but we need to keep in mind that the prophets are speaking of an event that is close in time when viewed from God’s perspective.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2 Peter 3:8 (ESV)
From God’s perspective even a few thousand years is very “near” compared to eternity.
But the word “near” also conveys the idea that the “Day of the Lord” is “close at hand” because it is certain. For the prophets it was a present reality in the sense that they could already see these future events being pictured by the events of their day and by the near-term fulfillment of these prophecies.
So the “Day of the Lord” is near for us as well, both in terms of its timing and in terms of it being a present reality in our lives.
• Applies to all nations (v. 15)
This is consistent with what we’ve already discovered in both Joel and Amos. No one is immune from the judgment of God.
• A time of retribution for the ungodly (vv. 15, 16)
The violence that Edom has inflicted against Judah is going to be turned right around and poured back upon them – but not by Judah. Instead, God Himself is going to carry out this great reversal. Not surprisingly, we find this concept of God returning upon us that which we have rendered to others all throughout the Bible. Here are just a few examples:
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Luke 6:37, 38 (ESV)
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
2 Corinthians 9:6 (ESV)
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Galatians 6:7, 8 (ESV)
• A time of restoration for the godly (vv. 17, 19-20)
Consistent with what we’ve found in both Joel and Amos, Obadiah describes a time when those who are truly His children will be restored and planted back in their land where they will rule over the surrounding nations alongside the Messiah.
• Israel and Judah will be reunited (v. 18)
An interesting thing happens in verse 18. You’ll notice that there Obadiah refers to both the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph, where he describes them in synonymous terms – a fire and a flame.
For those of you who were part of our Old Testament class a while back hopefully this will bring to mind the “two sticks of Ezekiel” which are described in Ezekiel 37. Both that passage and this one here in Obadiah picture a time when God is going to rejoin the northern kingdom of Israel, called Joseph here, and the southern kingdom of Judah, called Jacob here.
• Jesus will reign (v. 21)
Obadiah ends his short book with these crucial words that sum up the ultimate fulfillment of the “Day of the Lord” – “the kingdom shall be the Lord’s”. That’s the end result of everything that will occur as part of the Day of the Lord. And that was the message of hope that Obadiah wanted to leave for the people of Judah who were being attacked by their enemies on all sides. There was going to be a day when all that would end because the Lord Jesus Himself will reign. And that is the same message of hope that God has for all of us here this morning.
APPLICATION
As we’ve looked at this passage together here this morning perhaps, like I experienced this week, a number of relevant applications immediately jumped off the page at you. So let me share with you just a couple of the ones that strike me as the most significant:
1. My security must be found in Jesus alone
Before we’re too quick to condemn Edom for their pride, perhaps we need to take a good, long, hard look at our own lives and honestly evaluate where we are trying to find our security.
I know that the current economic situation has been really difficult on a lot of people, including most of us here this morning. But perhaps there is a silver lining in the midst of those difficulties. Certainly for many people, these times have forced them to seriously reconsider those things and people that they have been placing their faith in a depending on for their security.
For those who were trusting in their jobs or their income, they have some to realize that there is no such thing as job security. And even if you have managed to keep your job, it is quite likely that you’ve had to take a cut in pay or do more work for the same pay.
For those who were trusting in their 401-K’s to provide for their future security, they were in for a rude awakening when the value of their portfolios was cut in half.
For those who were trusting in their houses to keep on appreciating in value in order to be able to be able to re-finance so they could afford their payments or sell the house at a profit, they now find themselves facing foreclosure.
For those who were trusting in some politician or some government agency to take care of their needs, they might have experienced some temporary help – maybe they got some cash for their clunker or a job created by the stimulus package. But when the bill comes due for all that spending, they are going to find that their trust is misplaced.
Even for some who have been trusting in some pastor or other spiritual leader for their security, they have been greatly disappointed when those people they hold in high esteem have fallen.
The Psalmist provides us with some helpful insight:
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
Psalm 20:7, 8 (ESV)
The fact is that everything that we might be trusting in for our security other than Jesus is going to collapse and fall some day, whether that is some possession, some person or some institution. But Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and if we trust in Him, we can be assured that no matter what kind of difficulties we experience in this life, we will rise and stand upright.
2. Don’t be complacent about sin
There are two places where we need to apply this principle:
o In my own life
We’ve dealt with this principle recently, so I won’t dwell here. But let me just remind all of us that if we don’t adhere to this principle we’ll find ourselves in the same position as King David, where one glance escalated into adultery and eventually murder.
We all need to make sure that we’re constantly evaluating our own lives against the Word of God so that we can identify sin in our own lives. Then, as that sin is revealed, we need to confess it, repent of it and do everything in our power to prevent us from falling right back into that same sin again.
o In our world
Edom’s example reminds us that we need to make sure that we don’t become complacent to sin in the world around us. We need to make sure that we don’t become like some of those bystanders there in Chicago who went from quickly from passivity to promotion to participation.
We see so much sin and depravity around us that as a culture we’ve become desensitized to much of the ungodly behavior around us. To me the most haunting part of the video of the beating of that student in Chicago was how totally unfazed many of those teenagers were by the fact that a fellow human being lie bleeding and dying right in front of their eyes.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to a much higher standard, one that was modeled by Jesus Himself. Although Jesus certainly demonstrated compassion towards sinners, he was never complacent about the sin that He observed around Him. When there was sin going on His in presence he did not just stand by and allow it to go on unchecked. Although He certainly did it with gentleness and respect in most instances, He was quick to point out that sin. But He didn’t just leave it there. He did whatever He could to help that person deal with that sin in an appropriate manner. But when He needed to, as with the moneychangers in the Temple, He dealt quickly and decisively with the sin He observed.
Let’s face it – this is not an easy thing to do. And when we do act, we are not always going to be the most popular person around. I’m speaking from experience here. Several years ago, when Pete was playing basketball in high school, a number of parents were unhappy with the coach, in some cases for legitimate reasons. But the way they expressed their displeasure was completely wrong.
As I attended a game one evening, a number of those parents began to yell insults at the coach from the stands during a game. And as I sat there and observed that behavior, I knew that I had a choice to make. I could just sit there and do nothing, I could sit there and cheer them on, or I could join in with them and hurl a few of my own insults at the coach. Or I could do whatever I could to put an end to the practice.
As hard as it was, I chose the last option. I contacted all the parents of the players and asked them to address their concerns directly with the coach rather than in the inappropriate manner that they had used during the game. The good news is that for the most part the public comments at the games ceased for the rest of the season. The bad news was that very few of those parents would even talk to me again.
I don’t share that account with you to somehow pat myself on the back, but rather to show just how hard it is sometimes to do the right thing. And when we do, generally the world won’t stand up and applaud us. But God sees what is going on and He is the only audience that really matters.
