Obadiah: Obadiah 13-The Sixth and Seventh Indictments Against Edom

Obadiah 13 You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster. (NIV)

Obadiah 13 You should have never penetrated My people’s gate during their disastrous period. You should have also never gloated during this misery, during his disastrous period. Specifically, you should have never plundered his wealth during his disastrous period. (Pastor’s translation)

Obadiah 13 contains two more emphatic declarations of guilt, which are in addition to the ones listed in verses 10-12.

Here in verse 13, we have three more emphatic prohibitions, which form two more emphatic declarations of guilt directed at the kingdom of Edom because of their sinful treatment of the people of Judah when Nebuchadnezzar defeated them.

These serve as two more indictments against the people of Edom.

The first condemns Edom for penetrating the gate of the God of Israel’s people during their disastrous period.

Through the prophet Obadiah, the Lord asserts that Edom should have never penetrated His people’s gate during the period of disaster.

This echoes the last indictment recorded in verse 12.

Then, the Lord states that they also should have never gloated during Judah’s misery, during their disastrous period.

This echoes the first emphatic declaration of guilt in verse 12.

Then, He identifies specifically how they gloated over Judah, namely, He asserts that they should have never plundered His people’s wealth during this disastrous period when they were attacked by Babylon.

In other words, Edom gloated by plundering the wealth of Judah.

To “gloat” refers to looking admiringly or amorously at something and means to observe or think about something with triumphant and often malicious satisfaction, gratification or delight.

Here the Edomites observed the wealth they seized from the people of Judah with satisfaction, gratification and delight.

As was the case with the indictments presented in verses 10-12, these indictments in verse 13 were the result of the sinful behavior of the Edomites during Judah’s destruction by Babylon in 586 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar’s armies attacked Judah and her capital city three times.

The first was in 605 B.C. and the second in 597 B.C. and the third in 586 B.C.

During each of these invasions, a portion of the population of Judah was deported to Babylon.

During the last invasion, the city of Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed. Second Chronicles 36:1-21 records the destruction of Judah and the city of Jerusalem and its temple by Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon.

Obadiah 10-14 is describing the actions of the people of Edom during this final invasion.

This period in which Judah was attacked by Babylon and other nations such as Edom is referred to by the prepositional phrases bĕyôm ʾêdām (בְּי֣וֹם אֵידָ֔ם), “in the day of their disaster,” which appears in the first empathic declaration of guilt and bĕyôm ʾêdōw (בְּי֥וֹם אֵידֹֽו), “in the day of their disaster,” which appears twice in the last declaration of guilt.

Therefore, Obadiah 10-14 is describing the day of the Lord in relation to the southern kingdom of Judah.

The day of the Lord or specifically the period in which the Lord judged the kingdom of Judah for their idolatry and rebellion took place in the sixth century B.C.

The God of Israel employed Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon to destroy the southern kingdom of Judah as well as other Gentiles nations in the Mediterranean region of the world.

As we noted in our study of Obadiah 12, the Psalmist implores the God of Israel to remember Edom’s cruel treatment of the people of Judah when they were destroyed by Babylon.

We also noted that in Ezekiel 35, the God of Israel through the prophet Ezekiel promised to destroy the Edomites for their sinful behavior toward the citizens of Judah during the day of their disaster just as He does through Obadiah.

In this passage, “Mount Seir” is a reference to the Edomites since they lived on this mountain.

Furthermore, we noted that in Ezekiel 36:1-7, the God of Israel through the prophet Ezekiel asserts that He will destroy Edom for their sinful behavior towards Judah when they were destroyed by Babylon.

Lastly, we also noted that the God of Israel used the Babylonian Empire to discipline the kingdom of Judah and the inhabitants of her capital city of Jerusalem.

He also used Babylon to punish Edom as well as many of the nations in the Mediterranean region of the world in the sixth century B.C. according to Jeremiah 27.

The indictments present in Obadiah 13 must be compared with the one’s listed in verse 11.

Obadiah 11 Indeed, you were like one of them during that period of time when you stood aloof, during that period of time, strangers took his army captive. Consequently, foreigners penetrated his gates so that they cast lots for Jerusalem. (Author’s translation)

In this verse, the God of Israel through the prophet Obadiah accuses Edom of standing aloof while other Gentile nations took Judah’s army captive and penetrated her gates of her capital city Jerusalem and cast lots for this city.

In verse 13, God is accusing Edom of penetrating Judah’s gate and plundering her wealth.

There appears to be a contradiction.

However, verse 11 is describing the attack on Jerusalem while on the other hand here in verse 13 there is no mention of an attack on this city since it is not mentioned explicitly in this verse as it was in verse 11.

The indictments in verse 13 only accuse Edom of penetrating the gate of God’s people and gloating over His people’s misery by plundering His people’s wealth.

These indictments indicate Edom plundered the wealth of Judah and not her capital city.

Therefore, more than likely the indictments in verse 13 are describing Edom’s attacking various towns in the kingdom of Judah during Nebuchadnezzar’s attack on her capital city Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Jerusalem fell in the first month of 586 B.C. after a two-year siege (cf. 2 Kgs. 25:1-8).

Therefore, it is not unlikely that during the siege of 588-586, when Babylonian troops were concentrating their attack on Jerusalem, Edomite troops looted unprotected cities and towns in the kingdom of Judah.

The indictments presented in Obadiah 11 are the reason for the God of Israel declaring in Obadiah 5-6 that He would judge Edom by having her wealth plundered by other nations.

Obadiah 5 “If thieves came to you, if robbers came during the night, would they not want to steal only their sufficiency? If crop harvesters came to you, would they not want to leave gleanings? O how you will certainly be destroyed! 6 O how the descendants of Esau will certainly be plundered! Their hidden valuables will certainly be ransacked!” (Pastor’s translation)

Notice in Obadiah 13, that God describes Judah as “My people,” which expresses the covenant relationship that existed between God and the people of Judah who were descendants of Jacob.

These covenants not only speak of the Mosaic covenant which was a conditional covenant, but they also refer to the four unconditional covenants which God established with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David and all the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

These four unconditional covenants guarantee that despite Judah’s destruction at the hands of Babylon and other nations like Edom, the nation of Israel will always exist through a remnant.

This guarantee that a remnant of the descendants of Jacob would always exist and be protected by God.

These four are the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic and New covenants.

The unconditional nature of the promises contained in these covenants guarantees that a believing remnant will always exist in Israel in every generation of human history and thus in every dispensation.

In other words, if a believing remnant does not exist at any point in history, then God has not kept these promises.

There are seven great features that are distinct in each of these four unconditional covenants to Israel: (1) Israel will be a nation forever. (2) Israel will possess a significant portion of land forever. (3) Israel will have a King rule over her forever. (4) Israel will have a throne from which Christ will ruler, forever. (5) Israel will have a kingdom forever. (6) Israel will have a new covenant. (7) Israel will have abiding blessings.

The entire expectation of Old Testament Israel is involved with its earthly kingdom, the glory of Israel and the promised Messiah seated in Jerusalem as ruler of the nations.

Since the Lord Jesus Christ literally fulfilled prophecy during His First Advent, then it follows that He will certainly literally fulfill the prophecies related to the millennium at His Second Advent.