Obadiah: Bringing Comfort to Israel

Intro.

Growing up, there were a number of books in the Bible that we just never touched. It was almost like these books were viewed as less important, or maybe too difficult, to really preach and study from. I never heard any lessons from them, seldom if any references from them at all, and frankly I barely knew some of them existed.

1-3 John

Philemon

Jude

Revelation

Amos

Obadiah

Malachi

Micah

Joel

Nahum

Habakkuk

Hosea

Zechariah

Zephaniah

Song of Solomon

Daniel

Lamentations

Haggai

Leviticus

Deuteronomy

That’s about 1/3 of the Bible in it’s entirety that I’m not sure I’ve ever heard taught in informal Bible study or from the pulpit. Sad, isn’t it?

Now, I cannot promise that we are going to touch all of these books in coming weeks, but I want to take us through at least the Minor Prophets (Hosea-Malachi) over the next few months. These are books that relate to us much more than we give them credit for, and if they are indeed the Scriptures of God, should we not treat them with the same reverence as we treat the Psalms, Gospels, and Paul’s letters?

Intro. to Obadiah

This evening, we are going to introduce ourselves to the shortest book in all the Old Testament.

Any guesses on what that would be?

We are going to spend the next couple of weeks going through the Prophet Obadiah! I want us to glean from it what Obadiah’s purpose is in prophesying, the finality of Obadiah’s prophecy, and how this prophecy is relevant to the modern world and the Christian worldview.

Firstly, a little about the history and context of the book itself.

Since there are many men in the Old Testament by the name of Obadiah, it is impossible to deduce who the man himself was. There is no way for us to know anything about his personal life.

This prophecy is one against the nation of Edom.

Obadiah’s date of writing is relatively difficult to deduce, but internal evidence (which we will see as we study it) suggests that it was written around or after 587 BC.

Does anyone happen to know why that date is significant?

It is the year that Judah (the southern kingdom) was led to captivity in Babylon. After years of attacks by Babylon, in the year 587, the rest of the nation was taken, and Jerusalem fell.

Obadiah has always been part of the Jewish canon (grouping of Scriptures), and this is one part of its history which aids to its legitimacy. We also see later in Scripture that the prophecy Obadiah gives came true (or, at least, had surely not been forgotten) (Mal. 1.1-5)

The Invasion

Obadiah 1–4 CSB

1 The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Lord God has said about Edom: We have heard a message from the Lord; an envoy has been sent among the nations: “Rise up, and let’s go to war against her.” 2 Look, I will make you insignificant among the nations; you will be deeply despised. 3 Your arrogant heart has deceived you, you who live in clefts of the rock in your home on the heights, who say to yourself, “Who can bring me down to the ground?” 4 Though you seem to soar like an eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down. This is the Lord’s declaration.

Tell me what you see going on here in the first few verses here.

There is an army which has been summoned by God. One which would put to shame all the pride that Edom had about herself as a nation.

One of the reasons for Edom’s judgment is given here in these opening verses, did you see it?

Arrogance.

They were being judged, in part, for their own arrogance! The pridefulness of the nation of Edom was such that God saw fit to bring judgment down upon them, and humble them through the humiliation they would experience at the hands of an invading army.

That it is an invading army itself is significant, because Edom’s arrogance came in part because of their natural defenses and militaristic power. (Obad. 1.3)

They had whole cities built from and inside of giant cliff sides! (Obad. 1.3-4). Perhaps the most famous Edomite site is the one known as Petra. It is a city which is only reachable through a narrow passage way, and its buildings and pathways are all carved right from and into the stone of the cliffs! This was built approx. 1200 BC. They didn’t become so arrogant over night, nor for no reason. They were very nearly impenetrable.

Yet, God knew this was the source of their greatest arrogance and was going to humble them through that very thing, to “make you insignificant among the nations . . . deeply despised.”

Obadiah 5–9 CSB

5 If thieves came to you, if marauders by night— how ravaged you would be!— wouldn’t they steal only what they wanted? If grape harvesters came to you, wouldn’t they leave a few grapes? 6 How Esau will be pillaged, his hidden treasures searched out! 7 Everyone who has a treaty with you will drive you to the border; everyone at peace with you will deceive and conquer you. Those who eat your bread will set a trap for you. He will be unaware of it. 8 In that day— this is the Lord’s declaration— will I not eliminate the wise ones of Edom and those who understand from the hill country of Esau? 9 Teman, your warriors will be terrified so that everyone from the hill country of Esau will be destroyed by slaughter.

Here, we have more declaration of God’s wrath which would come upon them:

God uses the picture that even thieves and harvesters would leave something behind, yet Edom would be completely barren! God’s judgment of them would be total destruction for the nation!

Obadiah 7 CSB

7 Everyone who has a treaty with you will drive you to the border; everyone at peace with you will deceive and conquer you. Those who eat your bread will set a trap for you. He will be unaware of it.

Not only would they be completely ransacked by a foreign army, but God was going to turn Edom’s own allies against her! Those whom she had made covenant and treaty with, nations who sat at her proverbial table, would now turn and take a bite out of her.

Yet another source of her pride was apparently the nations which she made friends with. Her national allies were nations which were also powerful and known to be so, and when you have powerful friends, you usually don’t get too scared of much!

Yet, despite the relationship which Edom had with them all, they would turn on her and sow into her downfall according to God’s judgment.

Obadiah 8–9 CSB

8 In that day— this is the Lord’s declaration— will I not eliminate the wise ones of Edom and those who understand from the hill country of Esau? 9 Teman, your warriors will be terrified so that everyone from the hill country of Esau will be destroyed by slaughter.

Finally, we come to see that God would destroy Edom’s advisors and counsel, as well as make cowards of her own mighty army!

Inventory

We’ve only discovered half of Obadiah thus far! Yet, there is so much to unpack in God’s pronouncement of judgment on them!

Now, I told you that one of the things which I want us to learn from the Minor Prophets, is how they remain relevant to us today in forming our Christian worldview.

How does this first half of Obadiah remain relevant?

Hebrews 13:8 CSB

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Our God does not change! If He so saw fit to judge nations in the past for their arrogance and puffed out chests, He will still do so in the 21st Century!

We don’t really think about that all too much in our modern world, though. For some reason, we think God has given up His control of raising up nations and tearing down nations.

Now, while we cannot now say for certain when a national downfall is for certain a judgment from God, we can be assured that God does still judge the nations.

How does that make you feel?

Looking at our passages this evening, does any of it strike a little too close for us? It certainly does for me. I love the country I live in, but I have to be honest with myself that we are a very, very arrogant and prideful nation. One of the great many reasons we need to steward the Gospel to our neighbors is because arrogance breeds the downfall of nations. America will not be any exception, brethren — God will come in judgment on this nation one day unless Jesus returns for the saints first.

So what do we personally do about Obadiah 1-9?

We check our own pride.

Are we more boastful in our national identity and strength of might than we are of Christ?

We make sure we are telling the Gospel to all.

Judgment comes on us all — nationally or individually. None escape going before the holy throne in heaven. Our stewardship of the Gospel of Christ is one of eternal significance for all who hear it! We must not shrink back from the truth, and speaking that truth in love! Eternity hinges on acceptance of the Gospel through faith and repentance, and none will believe if they never hear.