Obadiah-King James Version-JUDGMENT AGAINST ISRAEL'S BROTHER
“The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised. The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord. If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes? How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up! All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him. Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter. For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress. Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity; Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress. For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it. And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south. And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.”
-Obadiah 1 (KJV)
“The vision of Obadiah.” The Hebrew name Obadiah means "Worshipper of Yahweh" or "Servant of Yahweh." There are 13 "Obadiahs" in the Old Testament, and one of these may the Obadiah who wrote this book.
- An Obadiah was an officer in King Ahab of Israel's court and hid God's prophets in a cave (1 Kings 18:3)
- An Obadiah was sent out by King Jehoshaphat of Judah to teach the law in the cities of Judah (2 Chronicles 17:7)
- An Obadiah was one of the overseers who helped repair the temple in the days of Josiah, King of Judah (2 Chronicles 34:12)
- An Obadiah was a priest in the days of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:5)
“Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom.” Obadiah's prophecy is unique because he doesn't deal with Judah or Israel much at all. His focus is on the sin of Edom and the judgment coming upon them. Who were the Edomites?
The Edomites are the people descended from Esau, the son of Isaac and Rebekah and the brother of Jacob as we see in The Book of Genesis:
“And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac: And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 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. 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. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. 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. And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
-Genesis 25:19-34 (KJV)
Esau was nicknamed "Edom" (which means, "red") probably because he had red hair.
When Israel came out of Egypt and wanted to pass through the land of the Edomites to enter into the Promised Land, the Edomites wouldn't let them:
“And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers: And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border: Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders. And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing anything else, go through on my feet. And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.
-Numbers 20:14-21 (KJV)
The Edomites opposed Saul and were conquered under David and Solomon:
“So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and whithersoever he turned himself, he vexed them.”
-1 Samuel 14:47 (KJV)
“And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became David's servants. And the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went.”
- 2 Samuel 8:14 (KJV)
“And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom.”
-1 Kings 9:26 (KJV)
In the days of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, Edom joined with Moab and Ammon to attack Judah, but the Lord fought for Judah and defeated them as we see in the Second Book of Chronicles:
“It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation; And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you. And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high. And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much. And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies.”
-2 Chronicles 20:1-27m (KJV)
The Edomites successfully rebelled against King Jehoram of Judah:
“And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Je hoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children. In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents. Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.”
-2 Kings 8:16-22 (KJV)
King Amaziah of Judah brought them back under subjugation in the Second Book of Kings:
“And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle. Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee? But Amaziah would not hear. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Bethshemesh, which belongeth to Judah.”
-2 Kings 14:9-11 (KJV)
“Concerning Edom.” Because of what this book says of Edom and Jerusalem, we can gather a date for Obadiah's ministry. The only time markers we have in the book are the attack against Jerusalem and the fact that this passage also seems to indicate that Edom was not under Judah's rule at the time.
A description of an attack against Jerusalem during the reign of Jehoram (848-841 B.C.) by the Philistines and the Arabians can be found in the Second Book of Chronicles:
“Moreover the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians: And they came up into Judah, and brake into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.”
- 2 Chronicles 21:16-17 (KJV)
“Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.Obadiah receives a "news bulletin" from the LORD. "This just in - God is bringing nations against Edom in battle." As a result of the coming battle, God will make Edom “small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.”
“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee.” This helps explain why God is bringing judgment against Edom. They are filled with pride, and it has deceived them.
Pride is very deceptive. It makes us think things about ourselves and others that simply are not true. The Edomites were not the last people deceived by pride.
“Thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock.” The Edomites didn't have all that much to be proud about. They were a small, relatively poor and insignificant nation. Yet what they could be proud about, they were - they lived in an area of great natural fortifications and strength, so they boasted in the “clefts of the rock” around them.
“Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle.” And boast they did! Pride is so ingrained in fallen human nature that even if we don't have much to be proud about, we'll find something to exalt our self. This also reminds us that we don't have to be rich or powerful or great to be filled will pride. Sometimes those who have the least reason for pride have the most of it.
The Edomites boasted in their natural defenses. The ancient city of Petra, once the capital city of Edom, known as Sela, had amazing defenses. It is a city carved into the rock, accessible by a narrow canyon almost a mile long. At the end of the canyon there is a spectacular city carved in stone, and seemingly incapable of being conquered by any army.
The Edomites boasted in their wisdom. The men of Edom, especially of the city Teman, were noted for their wisdom. The phrase ‘men of the East’ in the Old Testament often refers to men from Edom, and the following passages spoke of their wisdom:
“And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.”
-1 Kings 4:30 (KJV)
“Concerning Edom, thus saith the Lord of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?”
-Jeremiah 49:7 (KJV)
“Thence will I bring thee down.” The sobering truth about our pride is that God can bring us down anytime. He can shatter our proud deception and bring us low.
“Would they not have stolen till they had enough?” Obadiah says that the judgment coming upon Edom will be far worse than what happens when robbers come and steal, because they usually stop when they have enough. The judgment coming against Edom will be far more complete; “every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.”
The Edomites were proud of their great natural defenses, but God would break their pride and bring them low.
“The men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee.” When God brings judgment against Edom, they will know the sting of treachery against them. The alliances they once trusted in would come to nothing, and they would be double-crossed by their former friends.
The Edomites were proud of their political alliances, but God would break their pride and bring them low.
“Destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau.” The Edomites were renowned for their great wisdom, but God would bring such great judgment that even their wise men would be destroyed
The Edomites were proud of their reputation for wisdom, but God would break their pride and bring them low.
“For thy violence against thy brother Jacob: The family lines of both Israel and Edom go back to a common ancestor - Isaac. Esau (Edom) was the brother of Jacob (Israel). This made Edom's sin against Israel all the worse.
Some sins become worse depending on whom we sin against. It is sin to treat someone else badly; it is worse to treat a brother or sister in Jesus badly. It is sin to speak harshly to anyone; it is worse to speak harshly to your husband or wife.
“In the day that thou stoodest on the other side.” What did Edom do when strangers attacked Judah and “foreigners entered his gates?” Nothing. They stood by and cheered for Judah's misery; “neither shouldest thou have rejoiced.”
Sometimes doing nothing is a great sin. Numbers 32:23 speaks of the sin that will find you out, and the sin it speaks of is the sin of doing nothing.
Edom actually did worse than nothing; they rejoiced over another's misfortune and suffering and used it as an occasion to exalt themselves; “neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.”
“Nor have laid hands on their substance.” Edom's sin started with doing nothing, then progressed to pride over Judah's distress. Soon, they took advantage of their brother Judah's misfortune and “laid hands on their substance.”
“Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape.” The final progression of Edom's sin was worst of all - they joined in the attack against vulnerable Judah. When they encountered people from Judah fleeing southward from the attacking army, they killed them (cut off) or gave them over to the enemy as prisoners, “delivered up those of his that did remain.”
"Sin proceeds by degrees; neither is any man at his worst at first."
-V. Trapp
All in all, Edom treated God's people terribly when distress and calamity came upon them. For all this, God's judgment was coming upon them.
- First they did nothing
- Then they rejoiced in their distress and calamity
- Then they took advantage of their vulnerable state
- Then they joined in the violence against God's people
Are we guilty of the same - or worse - when we see others in distress or calamity? If so, God sees it as sin and He must deal with it in our life.
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen.” God wants Edom to know that though distress and calamity came upon Judah, it can and will come upon Edom also. That day is near.
“As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee.” God will give simple justice to the Edomites, no more and no less. What they did to the people of Judah will also be done to them. The same principle is true for us, so if we want mercy from God, we do well to give mercy to others.
There is a sense in which God's judgment against Edom was just the fulfillment of His promise to Abraham:
“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
-Genesis 12:3n(KJV)
“Upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance.” The trials and burdens among God's people are only temporary, because among them “shall be deliverance.” However, the attack coming against Edom will be different - Israel will be the fire and they will be the stubble, and Edom will be completely devoured.
The word of the Lord through Obadiah proved true. The Edomites fought side by side with the Jews the rebellion against Rome in 66-70 A.D. and were crushed by Rome, never to be heard of as a people again. The predictions of Obadiah 1:10 and 1:18 were precisely fulfilled. You just won't meet an Edomite today.
“They of the south shall possess the mount of Esau.” Obadiah looks forward to a coming day when Israel will occupy and possess the land that once belonged to Esau. Though the modern borders of Israel do not encompass the ancient lands of Edom, we can trust that they one day will, either in this age or in the age to come.
‘Saviors shall come up on Mount Zion.’ The idea isn't that there are many saviors in an ultimate sense. Here, the word "saviors" has the sense of "deliverers." The contrast is plain; Edom will be completely destroyed, and no saviors shall help her, but “saviors shall come up on Mount Zion.”
“To judge the mount of Esau.” They will “judge the mount of Esau” in at least three ways:
- The presence of deliverers is a judgment against Edom, because Edom will have no deliverers
- The judges will rule over the territory of Edom
- The judges will actually sit in judgment over Edom and their sins
“And the kingdom shall be the Lord's.” The brief prophecy of Obadiah ends on this high note. The Edomites seemed to have their day against God's people but at the end of it all, “the kingdom shall be the Lord's.” He knows how to take care of God's people and to advance His kingdom in a glorious way.
i. This note of encouragement may be the central purpose for this prophecy of Obadiah. We wonder if it ever had much of a reading in the streets or palaces of Edom; but it certainly was received as welcome encouragement among the suffering people of God. Obadiah tells all God's people: "Don't worry about those who ignore your need, those who rejoice at your problems, those who take advantage of your crises, those who join their hands with others in attacking you. I will take care of them."
-God bless!
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