Obadiah Pt. 2

Intro.

Last Sunday night, we began out trek through the Minor Prophets. We started by looking at the book of Obadiah, the shortest book of the Old Testament.

We only made it through the first half of the book, verses 1-9.

What do you remember us talking about in regard to Obadiah and his prophesy?

Who is it against? (Edom)

Who is Edom (Nation of Esau)

We talked about one of the sins which led to their judgement — what was it? (Pride)

How was God going to judge them? (Invading nations, allies turning on them, making cowards of their army)

This week we are going to cover the final half of the book. We are going to see another sin of Edom which led to their destruction, we see coming judgment on other places, and we see God restoring Israel back to her homeland!

More of Edom’s Sin

Obadiah 10–14 CSB

10 You will be covered with shame and destroyed forever because of violence done to your brother Jacob. 11 On the day you stood aloof, on the day strangers captured his wealth, while foreigners entered his city gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them. 12 Do not gloat over your brother in the day of his calamity; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction; do not boastfully mock in the day of distress. 13 Do not enter my people’s city gate in the day of their disaster. Yes, you—do not gloat over their misery in the day of their disaster, and do not appropriate their possessions in the day of their disaster. 14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off their fugitives, and do not hand over their survivors in the day of distress.

We left off with God speaking with such finality, that He said there was going to be nothing left of Edom after the judgment! Here, it continues, as He says of Edom that they would be destroyed forever!

Why would they be destroyed forever?

For their violence toward Judah in the day of their own trouble. Remember, Judah was currently in captivity in Babylon — instead of helping Jerusalem in the days of her trouble and being attacked, Edom was part of the problem! They just stood afar off while Jerusalem was attacked, then they apparently too, some of the left over treasures out of the city wen there was none to stop them.

The following is a series of “do nots” — These seem to be here because they are things which Edom actually did against Jerusalem and the people of Judah:

Gloating

Rejoicing in their destruction

mocking

entering the city

taking their possessions

Judgment for All

God says through Obadiah that judgment did not just come against the people of God, but it also would be near to all nations!

Obadiah 15–18 CSB

15 For the day of the Lord is near, against all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; what you deserve will return on your own head. 16 As you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations will drink continually. They will drink and gulp down and be as though they had never been. 17 But there will be a deliverance on Mount Zion, and it will be holy; the house of Jacob will dispossess those who dispossessed them. 18 Then the house of Jacob will be a blazing fire, and the house of Joseph, a burning flame, but the house of Esau will be stubble; Jacob will set them on fire and consume Edom. Therefore no survivor will remain of the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken.

What do you think God is saying in verse 16 about drinking and gulping down?

It seems to be a turning of circumstances. As they had drunk in celebration of Judah’s downfall, they would drink full from the cup of God’s wrath.

This metaphor of God’s cup of wrath is seen a few times in the Old Testament and can also be found in the book of Revelation.

Jeremiah 25:15 CSB

15 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand and make all the nations to whom I am sending you drink from it.

Revelation 14:9–10 CSB

9 And another, a third angel, followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is poured full strength into the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb,

In the same paragraph as God pouring out His wrath onto the nations, what else do we see here? (Restoration of Israel)

Obadiah 17–21 CSB

17 But there will be a deliverance on Mount Zion, and it will be holy; the house of Jacob will dispossess those who dispossessed them. 18 Then the house of Jacob will be a blazing fire, and the house of Joseph, a burning flame, but the house of Esau will be stubble; Jacob will set them on fire and consume Edom. Therefore no survivor will remain of the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken. 19 People from the Negev will possess the hill country of Esau; those from the Judean foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will possess the territories of Ephraim and Samaria, while Benjamin will possess Gilead. 20 The exiles of the Israelites who are in Halah and who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath as well as the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negev. 21 Saviors will ascend Mount Zion to rule over the hill country of Esau, and the kingdom will be the Lord’s.

The ending of this book brings hope to the mind of Israel, to whom this prophecy came.

You see, the prophecy was not for Edom though it was about Edom. This prophecy is letting Israel know that what happened to her would not go unchecked — God knew about it, and He would remain faithful to captive Israel even as they were being punished!

Soon, not only would their oppressors receive what was due them for their sins, but what else? (They retake the promised land)

Inventory

After going through these 21 verses, there are perhaps many different things which the Spirit of God could show us individually. I want to draw out three particular things for us as we close out this book:

God’s judgment is very real against sins.

God’s judgment against the nations is very real — He has not changed in His sovereignty, and every nation has its own cup of wrath which will be poured out in judgment unless Jesus comes back.

God is faithful to His people and His covenant — even in Judgment He remembers His children, and He is a God of comfort to those who love Him! A big reason why Israel was given this oracle against Edom was to comfort her that Edom was not going to get away with that they did.

I don’t have a specific “to do” for this lesson, but I pray that our perspectives and our concepts of God are becoming fuller and we see God clearer through faith and love as He reveals Himself through His Holy revelation in Scripture!