Sermon Tone Analysis

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Sunday January 8, 2023

Obadiah: Obadiah 3-4-The Lord Condemns the Pride of the Edomites

Lesson # 4

Obadiah 3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’

(NIV)

Obadiah 3 Your presumptuous heart has caused you to enter the state of self-deception, you who live in the rock-cliffs, your lofty dwelling place, who say within your heart, “Who will cause me to be brought down to the ground?”

(My translation)

“The pride of your heart has deceived you” describes the citizens of Edom as presumptuous which is the direct result of being arrogant, proud and opposed to God.

The pride of the Edomite people in Obadiah’s day caused them to deceive themselves into thinking that their natural and man-made defenses would protect them from a military invasion.

“You who live in the clefts of the rock” refers to the Edomite people living in the clefts of the rocks.

“Rock” is the noun sě·lǎʿ pertains to a place where one resides as a hiding or defensive position.

This word is a wordplay on Sela, which is the name of a prominent Edomite city in Obadiah’s day in the sixth century B.C.

Its impregnability was a cause for arrogance on the part of its ancient inhabitants.

“In your lofty dwelling” refers to an elevated area of land, often with the associative meaning of an advantaged, desirable area.

“Who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’”

refers to the Edomite people in Obadiah’s day speaking in their hearts to themselves or in other words, it refers to them talking to themselves.

Obadiah 3-4 condemns the great national pride of the nation of Edom.

Specifically, it condemns this nation’s pride in their military security, which Obadiah says will not save them from God’s wrath and their enemies.

In fact, this pride will result in their downfall as a nation.

This great national pride expressed itself in presumptuously assuming that their lofty geographical location and man-made defenses protected them from being attacked and defeated militarily by an invading army.

The Edomites in Obadiah’s day in the sixth century B.C. resided in a lofty geographical region, namely, they lived on Mount Seir or the hill country of Seir.

This mountainous region was located between the Dead Sea and Gulf of Aqabah.

In Obadiah’s day and age, it marked the border between Judah and Edom.

Seir’s rock is mentioned here in Obadiah 3 and was composed of granite and sandstone.

The Edomites presumptuously thought that they were secure because they occupied this military advantageous location.

They had excessive self-confidence in both their natural and man-made defenses, which were in fact imposing and thought by many including of course the Edomites, to be impregnable.

They were situated in a narrow ridge of mountainous land southeast of the Dead Sea, which was more than 4,000 feet throughout its northern sector and it rose in places to 5,700 feet in the south.

Thus, its height was considered to be inaccessible by the gorges coming from it toward the Arabah on the west and the desert on its eastern border.

Not only were their natural fortifications imposing but they were strongly defended by a series of Iron Age fortresses which were primarily on the eastern border where the land descended more gradually to the desert.

Interestingly, to make your way into Edom, it was necessary to enter through a narrow rocky terrain at an area called Petra.

In fact, a million-man army would have to enter one man at a time.

No wonder the Edomites were over confident.

The reference to the rocky cliffs here in Obadiah 3 could very well be a reference to Petra, which was a city carved out of cliffs, and defended by very narrow passes.

The entrance into this city of Petra is a narrow passage about 4,500 feet long, and is flanked by very high cliffs.

In fact, a dozen men could hold off an army in this location.

Obadiah 3 describes the Edomite people as a corporate unit in Obadiah’s day in the sixth century B.C. as having a presumptuous heart which has caused them to enter into the state of self-deception.

Their presumptuousness is expressed by the rhetorical question in verse 3, “Who will cause me to be brought down to the ground?”

From the perspective of the Edomites, this rhetorical question demands an emphatic negative response.

The Edomites believed their natural and man-made defenses made them impregnable.

Thus, their “presumptuousness” manifested itself in that they possessed excessive self-confidence in their strategic military position which they erroneously thought protected them from their enemies and was impregnable.

B.K. Smith writes “Edom affords an excellent illustration of Prov 16:18: ‘Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.’”

Pride is often emphasized as the cardinal sin of the nations, resting in their own power and opposing Yahweh (e.g., Isa 14:13–15; Jer 48:29; Ezek 28:1; compare note on Isa 2:12–18).

Obadiah 4 Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.

(NIV)

Obadiah 4 Even if you were to soar high like the eagle, indeed, even if you were to make your nest among the stars, from there, I could cause you to be brought down!” declares the Lord.

(My translation)

Obadiah 4 contains two concessive clauses followed by an emphatic declaration.

A concessive clause indicates something that might be expected to cause or prevent something but in fact does not.

These two concessive clauses contain two metaphors which describe the nationalistic pride of the Edomite people in Obadiah’s day in the sixth century B.C. with that of the pride of an eagle, which was often used in the ancient Near East as a symbol of strength and swiftness.

The first concessive clause speaks of the Edomite people soaring high in the earth’s atmosphere like an eagle.

The second advances upon the first and intensifies it speaking of the Edomite people making their nest among the stars of the stellar universe.

This is hyperbole, which is an overstatement for the sake of emphasis.

However, this metaphor serves to emphasize that the Edomite people cannot escape God’s presence since He is omnipresent (cf.

Ps. 139:7-9) and their Judge.

The Lord emphatically declares to the Edomite people that even if they could soar high like the eagle or could make their nest among the stars of the universe, He can bring them down to the ground.

The Lord answers the arrogant Edomite rhetorical question by guaranteeing that He will bring them down to the earth (cf.

Amos 9:2-4; Ps. 139:8).

Thomas Constable writes “Malachi, who wrote some 400 years later, mentioned that the Edomites were still in existence then (Mal.

1:3-4).

By 312 B.C. the capital of Edom was in Nabatean hands, and Edom had ceased to exist as a nation, though Edomites continued to live.

They became known as Idumeans.

Herod the Great was an Idumean.”

Douglas Stuart writes “Since Yahweh’s power is unlimited, it does not matter how high-set and well defended Edom might be.

It will fall.

In addition to Sela, Edom’s main cities of Teman and Bozrah, as well as the nascent fortress city of Petra nearby Sela, were located in nearly impenetrable high rock formations reached only by narrow, vulnerable gorges in each instance.

Nevertheless, Yahweh had already shown Sela vulnerable in the successful campaign of Amaziah against the Edomites ca.

775 B.C. (2 Kgs 14:7).

Sela may well have remained in Judahite control until either the Egyptian attack of 605 on Jerusalem, or the Babylonian attack of 598 B.C. On the metaphorical portrayal of strength and freedom by mention of the eagle, cf.

Exod 19:4; 2 Sam 1:23; Ps 103:5; Isa 40:31; Lam 4:19; Hos 8:1; etc.”

When the Lord promises to bring the Edomites down to the earth, He is saying of course, that He will surely judge them because of their great pride and arrogance.

He is asserting He will judge Edom.

Also, when the Lord promises to bring the Edomites down to the earth in Obadiah 4, He is expressing His wrath, which is His righteous indignation, which refers to His legitimate anger towards evil and sin since both are contrary to His holiness or perfect character and nature.