Heavenly Father, we come before You now asking for You to impart to us Godly wisdom. We do not know everything and when it comes to the Holy text we can only know what You reveal to us with Holy Spirit. Please open our spiritual ears and spiritual eyes to hear and see what great mysteries You want to open up to us. Please prepare our hearts to receive this message and the goodness that is only found in Your Word. Help us to apply this wisdom to our lives. God transform us with this message today and help us share it with others.Thank You, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen
Obadiah is the tiny book after Amos and just before Jonah. Sandwiched between these small books is a message for us that we need today. So, as usual, I would like to share what my Bible has to say about the book of Obadiah.
The Book of OBADIAH: A struggle that began in the womb between twin brothers, Esau and Jacob, eventuates in a struggle between their respective descendants, the Edomites and the Israelites. For the Edomites' stubborn refusal to aid Israel, first during the time of wilderness wandering (Numbers 20:14-21) and later during a time of invasion, they are roundly condemned by Obadiah. This little-known prophet describes their crimes, tries their case, and pronounces their judgment: total destruction. The Hebrew name Obadyah means "Worshiper of Yahweh" or "Servant of Yahweh." The Greek title in the Septuagint is Obdiou, and the Latin title in the Vulgate is Abdias.
Obadiah is a prophet we know little about. He has one job: to announce the war God has waged against the Edomite people, the descendants of Esau, because of the wicked way they dealt with the nation of Israel, the descendants of Jacob. Before we discuss the message Obadiah has for the Edomites, let's first get a background on who we are talking about and what has happened to cause God to become so angry.
Jacob and Esau were twin brothers born to Isaac and Rebekah. The sibling rivalry began before they were born. Rebekah felt the struggle within her womb. Let's pick the story up in Genesis 25:22-26.
GENESIS 25:22-26 (22)And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. (23)And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. (24)And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold. there were twins in her womb. (25)And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. (26)And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel: and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.
The boys grew up and Esau was a skilled hunter and the outdoorsy type. Jacob was a quiet type, preferring to stay indoors. As God had said these boys were twins but the brothers were very different with unique personalities. The nations that would come from these two men would be like them. The sibling rivalry began in the womb but continued long after the brothers died.
The birthright was very important because it was a sign of leadership. Once Isaac had passed away, the one who had the birthright would be the head of the house, a spiritual leader. This was a privilege to be prized but Esau did not care about his birthright. He sold his birthright to his younger brother Jacob for red pottage. After he got his strength back from the food his younger brother fixed him, he despised his birthright. He was not sad. He did not mourn it. He was angry that he let Jacob have it, but it meant nothing of importance to him. It was very significant to Jacob. No doubt Rebekah told Jacob, (her favorite son), that God said Esau would serve Jacob.
You may recall Rebekah convinced Jacob to claim Esau's blessing. While Esau was out hunting the game that his father requested Rebekah conspired a plan that would cause the younger to claim the elder's blessing. This blessing was prophetic in that it would dictate their futures. Once Esau and his father learned they had been deceived, Esau threatened to kill Jacob. The whole catastrophe ended with Rebekah sending Jacob to her brother, Laban's house so Esau would not kill him. Years would pass before the brothers reconnected, and although Jacob and Esau forgave one another in time, they never fully buried the hatchet, and the rivalry continued in the two nations of their descendants.
MALACHI 1:1-4 (1)The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. (2)I have love you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein has Thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I have loved Jacob, (3)And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. (4)Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down: and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.
We read in Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament before God is silent for 400 years, that God loved Jacob but hated Esau. We may think that sounds unfair and harsh. Why would God favor Jacob and not love them both? Isn't God loving? Yes, God is loving. He hates Esau, and his descendants, the nation of Edom, because of the way they treated the Israelites. One of many instances was in Numbers 20:14-21. Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom saying, Hey brother, you know the hardships we have had, how our fathers went down to Egypt and we were in slavery a long time, and the vexation was so great we cried to the LORD and He heard us and sent an angel to bring us out of there. Now, we are trying to get past you guys in our travels, but we don't want anything from you. We just want permission to take the King's Highway to go across your property. And Edom said, Absolutely not unless you want to fight! They said, If you just let us go through, we will pay for any water our cattle drink, but we just need to get through on foot. The answer came again, they were not allowed to go through and the king even decided to flex some muscle, and brought out the military they were so proud of. Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border and so Israel turned around and left.
You might wonder why they didn't fight Edom. Why didn't they let God show them who was boss? God would not let them. Let's go to Deuteronomy 2:1-8. Moses recounts that after going around Mount Seir many days, God told him to switch direction and go north. When God leads us in a specific direction He often gives us instructions. This time was no different. He told Moses to command the people to pass through the territory of their family, Esau's children's land. "They live in Seir and they will be afraid of you, so be careful. Don't meddle with them because I gave Esau the land of Mt. Seir to possess it. You will pay money for anything you eat or drink. Because the LORD God has blessed you and in 40 years God has been with you and you didn't want for anything." So they did not quarrel with the king of Edom and they did not fight. God told them not to and they obeyed. The decision of Edom to prevent the children of Israel from passing is not going unnoticed by God. The response of the children of Israel is noted as well. God will pay Edom back for this and much more as we read through Obadiah together. As we can see, something has angered God very much, to the point He is going to destroy the Edomites from off the face of the earth.
JEREMIAH 49:7-10 (7)Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts: Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished? (8)Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him. (9)If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough. (10)But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not.
Verse 1
God declares war on the nation of Esau. Can we just sit here in this verse for a moment? The nation of Edom has the same attitude and characteristics of their forefather, Esau. They are arrogant, self-absorbed, prideful, and haughty. They care not for the things of God or His people. God says, "This means war!" That should put fear in the hearts of anyone on the other end of that statement!
Verse 2
He tells the nation of Edom that He made them small and greatly despised among the nations; just the opposite of how they perceived themselves. This is a huge insult. They had a lofty spirit. They were proud and puffed up.
Verse 3
It is time to pay for what had been done. But why? What would cause God to be so angry with Edom? What was the great sin that stirred God so much He declared war? It was pride. A prideful heart was one strike against this nation that thought nothing was going to bring them down. Their city matched their inflated ego. They built the capitol city up in the clefts of the rocks; up high where eagles fly and nest. They had the audacity to say no one could bring them down! This nation believed defeat was for their opponents because they couldn't lose!
JAMES 4:5-7 (5)Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? (6)But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. (7)Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Verse 4
God says even though they have exalted themselves up with eagles and settled in among the stars, they had a false sense of security. They are arrogant and think they are not vulnerable to attack. The next strike against them is they relied on themselves and their own security instead of leaning on God. He said He would pull them down from the safe perch they were on and bring them down to the ground.
Whoa! That is a scary statement! I want us to really check our hearts here. Are there things in our lives that cause us to have a false sense of security? A new job? Our bank account? Our friendships? Our ministries? We need to check ourselves and make sure we don't start building nests with the eagles and among stars. We shouldn't be so high-minded that we think that we are untouchable. God is the only one to be elevated in our lives! What are we leaning on? Is it the Rock of Jesus Christ?
ROMANS 12:3 "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
MATTHEW 22:36-40 (36)Master, which is the great commandment in the law? (37)Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38)This is the first and great commandment. (39)And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (40)On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
We read that the Edomite nation did not love God with all their heart, all their soul, and all their mind, and they completely disregarded the second commandment to love their neighbors. Israel was their relatives! It was not just a nation they knew about. Jacob and Esau grew up together. They were not just brothers, they were twin brothers, but the animosity that grew between these two men from the womb, continued generations later and the way the Edomites treated God's children set God's anger ablaze!
Verse 5 & 6
Obadiah says that if thieves came to steal, they would plunder until they had all they wanted, but there might be something left. If the ones that gather grapes came, they would not take every single grape. But, the implication here is that the judgment of God would leave them with nothing remaining and to this day there is no remnant of Esau left on the earth. God's judgments are right and true.
In the Contemporary English Version, verse six reads, "Everything you treasure most will be taken from you." This is God ripping out of the hands of Esau everything He ever gave him. Edom trusted in their riches and wealth instead of trusting in God.
What treasures has God promised to give us, and generously blessed us with, that could be snatched out of our grasp when we worship the gift more than the Giver? Friends, let's examine our hearts today. Are we storing up our treasures in heaven like God says to do, or are we idolizing the very blessings God gave us to enjoy?
Verses 7
The Edomites have not only trusted in their own security and their own wealth, but they have trusted more in their allies than they have trusted in God. All the people they trusted, counted on, and thought were at peace with them has deceived them and prevailed against them. The ones they counted on to always have their back in trouble had taken Edom to the edge of their border. Their friends they ate bread with laid a trap beneath them and Edom never saw it coming! God says in one day He would destroy all the wise men of Edom and all the understanding of the mount of Esau. And He kept His promise!
We are told in Proverbs 3:3-6 to keep mercy and truth around our necks, and write them on the tablets of our hearts so we can find good understanding in God's eyes and with men. We are told to trust in the LORD with all our heart and not to lean on our own understanding. We are not to use our own logic or what others perceive things to be. We are to acknowledge God in every thing we do and He will make our paths smooth and straight. Edom did not do any of those things. They used their wealth as a security blanket and their allies as a safety net. Those allies did not care about securing Edom and making sure they were okay all the time. They worried about themselves and securing their own countries and cities. We have to be so careful about who we put our trust in.
Who are we trusting to help us? Who do we think is always going to be there for us? Is it a spouse? A friend? A relative? A neighbor? A co-worker? We must put our trust in God. Yes, He will send us help when we need it, but if we are leaning so heavily on another person to help us, we are replacing God with them in our lives. They become an idol. We must be careful not to do this.
Verse 8
In one day God was going to destroy the wise and understanding men of Esau. Those experts were not consulting God on how to help Edom. They were not looking to the Scriptures for advice and wisdom. This is dangerous to have leaders in government that are not seeking Truth when looking to lead a group of people. Psalm 1:1-6 tells us that we are blessed when we don't walk in the way of the ungodly or participate with sinners and the scornful. When our delight is in the law of the Lord and we are meditating on Scripture day and night, we are like the trees planted by the river, constantly being watered by that stream. We are going to bring forth good fruit when the time is right and whatever we do will prosper. However, it speaks of what happens to those who choose not to obey. They are like chaff blown away with the wind. The way of the ungodly shall perish. This is exactly what happened to Edom. They did not look to the ways of God. Esau's grandfather was Abraham. His father, Isaac was a miracle baby! God was a huge part of Esau's story but he just couldn't be bothered. His entire lineage is gone but Jacob served God and the nation of Israel is still a country to this day!
You know everyone seems to be an expert anymore. When I was growing up we used to question the integrity of a commercial. People would use words like, "False advertisement." They would get upset if they felt like they were being lied to on tv. They felt that if they saw it on television it must be true and so they were skeptical. Now you have gurus on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and any other social media platform giving advice and often it contradicts the Word of God. The reports on the news are not even reliable most of the time. Friends, we have to lean on God's counsel and seek men and women who are asking God and getting their wisdom from Him. If we don't we may find ourselves in Esau's shoes. Let's pray for our leaders to turn to God to lead our country and for the things God values to be important values for the rulers of this nation.
Verse 9
Esau's nation had another nail in their coffin because they trusted in their military power. They had skilled men in battle and often defeated many of their foes. They grew in arrogance as they won battle after battle. Having the advantage of the bird's eye view on the enemies coming at them from the valley, they were no match for many of their opponents. But they forgot to honor God. He was not a part of their victory celebration. They trusted in their weapons and artillery more than in God's powerful hand!
As we self-reflect today, what are some things we have rested in that is the counterfeit of God's power? Are we trusting in our government, our military, our own gun power or strength? Friends, God is all powerful. He told us in Exodus 14:14 He fights for us. We do not need to worry about the status of the world at any point because our hope and security is in Jesus Christ if He has saved us. We have nothing to fear or dread.
Edom treated Israel horrible more than once. They were wicked and violent and God had enough. 1 Thessalonians 1:6 "Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you:" tells us that God is not going to allow His children to be steam-rolled by anyone who tries to stop us from worshiping God and living our lives in a way that pleases Him.
Verses 10-14
These verses share the reasons God is so angry with Edom. The first reason is for the violence against his brother Jacob. Genesis 27:41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. God knew what was in Esau's heart and He saw the hatred grew for Jacob. He did not love his brother. He was greedy and jealous. Ezekiel 25:13-14 (13)Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out Mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword. (14)And I will lay My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.
The second reason is they stood against the children of Israel when the strangers carried away forces in captivity, and foreigners came through the gates and cast lots on Jerusalem. The Edomites were with them! Psalm 83:5-8 (5)For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: (6)The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes'; (7)Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; (8)Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah. God took names! He said yeah you were with your friends and you could have stopped them but you didn't! You pursued after them and participated by standing by watching and doing nothing to stop the attacks. Think of their uncle Ishmael. Of course the descendants from him would want to destroy anything that Isaac was a part of. Another sibling rivalry.
The third reason God is angry with them is for the way Edomites looked down on Israel in the day of their trouble. When they were being destroyed, Esau's descendants rejoiced. They were cheering for the ones destroying Israel. They could have stood in allegiance with Israel but instead they were encouraging the destruction. When they were in great distress, the Edomites started speaking proudly. There is pride again! It is always prevalent in the heart of the arrogant.
PROVERBS 24:17-18 (17)Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: (18)Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him.
PROVERBS 6:16-19 (16)These six things doth the LORD hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto him. (17)A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. (18)An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19)A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
This passage in Proverbs sounds like the resume for the Edomites. Proud, liars, shed innocent blood, thinks up wicked things to do, and quickly run to mischief. Look at the last one, sows discord among brothers. These things are so serious. Lying will take us to hell. Do we want bad things to happen to others? Before we answer that, let's think about the people we are happy to see "get what's coming to them." How about the child molester who gets arrested? What about the police officer that kills an innocent person because they are trigger happy? Friends, we have to be careful. We need to pray for their souls. If the sin they are caught in isn't a big enough sign they need Jesus, what is? We must be quick to hit our knees and pray for the victims, of course, and their families, but also the criminals, the guilty, the ones who are running quickly to do bad things. God draw us all closer to You so we look at and love others the way You do!
MARK 7:20-23 (20)And He said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. (21)For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, (22)Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: (23)All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Obadiah is a book about a heart problem. Esau's heart was far from God and all his children and grandchildren and every generation on was just as wicked as Esau. Emotional, temperamental, quickly angered, violent, quick to kill, it was the thrill of the hunt for him. Friends, we must be checking our hearts daily and asking God to help us do the same thing. If we find something amiss, we must repent and surrender that area of our life to God. He must have full control of every area of our life. He wants our whole heart so we can remain true and faithful to Him, the only true and faithful one!
The next reason God waged war on Edom is because they marched through the gates of the city while Israel was in trouble, and did not to come to their aid. They saw the affliction of the Israelites and began looting their homes. It was bad enough they came to see the disaster and be nosy, but now they were stealing from their own family! But it gets worse!
The last reason God is angry with them is they helped the enemy! Edomites were stationed at the crossway so that when any of the Israelites fled, Edomites told the enemy where they were hiding. Some didn't even tell on the Israelites, they just killed them for fun. Any fugitives escaping for their life were soon caught by the Edomites hiding and lurking in wait to utterly destroy the people of Israel. They said they would help them but they lied and when Israel tried to go another route, Edom prevented that, too. God had enough!
God made Abram a promise that He would bless them that blessed Abram and would curse those who cursed him. He kept that promise generations later when He saw the way Edom had betrayed Israel. As they slaughtered God's children, the descendants of Abraham, God kept the promise He gave in Genesis chapter 12.
GENESIS 12:1-3 (1)Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: (2)And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: (3)And I will bless them that bless thee, and I will curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall families of the earth be blessed.
Verses 15-21
These last few verses are God's response to the sin of Edom. In verse 15 we see that God is going to pay them back using their own wicked measuring stick to judge them. Matthew 7:1-2 (1)Judge not, that ye be not judged. (2)For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. The principle you reap what you sow is played out in this verse. God says what you did to them is coming right back to you! Because they chose to celebrate on God's Holy mountain the demise of the Israelites, God said the Edomites will be poured out like water onto the ground, slowly slipping away and vanishing. But God is going to bless Jacob on Mount Zion. Everything God said was Israel's they will one day get. The house of Jacob is going to be fire and the house of Esau stubble. The house of Joseph will be a flame. The flame and fire is going to burn up the stubble and it will be no more. Obadiah 1:18 says, "And there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it." He kept His Word, like He always does, and to this day there is no remnant of Esau.
The rest of the verses declare the ownership of God's territories and the mountain He gave to Esau will be the LORD's Kingdom. Deliverers will go to Mount Zion to judge Esau's mountain. Israel will get to claim all the things God promised them, the things that they once possessed, but were stolen, will all be back in their hands. God will restore His children.
Friends, I know this is was a lengthy study for such a short book in the Bible. There is much history to consider and the big picture to be viewed before thinking God is unfair or unkind. Many times Edom had the opportunity to bless Israel, to do good to them, offer them protection, but they would not do it. Israel remained peaceable with the Edomites, but God sees all. He knows when we are being abused and mistreated by the world. He will not always strive with man. He hates wickedness. The Bible says God is angry with the wicked every day! Time is ticking and the sand in the hour glass is swiftly funneling to the bottom. We must remain faithful to God and pray for our enemies. Jesus said to pray for those who despitefully use us.
Right now, my fellow Americans and I are in a free country. This is the land of opportunity the say. Home of the free because of the brave. Yet, I have seen in my 42 years of living on this planet, things swiftly changing into something scary and awful. Christian liberties are being taken one by one. The Church has been lulled to sleep by the wicked lullabies of the world. My videos on YouTube have been censored and not shared like some of my older videos were. They are tightening down on what is allowed to be said and what isn't. This is why I encourage everyone to get in their Bibles and study God's Word for yourself. Do not wait on a pastor or a teacher to tell you what the Bible says. They may get it wrong. Search it out for yourself and commit verses to memory. It is our spiritual sword and the only weapon we can use on the enemy. Don't think that just because we have free access to any Bible we want right now, that it will always be like that here. We have brothers and sisters all over the world with no Bibles and no freedom to serve God. Many places just saying the name of Jesus will get you thrown into jail. Let's wake up and stir the gifts within us, so we can go light our world. Let's share about Jesus as much as we can to tell the whole world about His goodness, love, mercy, and forgiveness.
I hope something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!
~Bridgett Owens
