Edom’s Pervasive Destruction

PRAYER

INTRO

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Please open with me in your Bibles to Obadiah, today we’ll cover verses 5 – 9. Last week, we began our study of this little book by briefly covering the background and potential date and purpose of the book before we dove into the first four verses. Some commentaries include verses 1-9 as one unit, but we’ve broken the larger section into two overlapping parts. In our study, we found the prophet Obadiah introducing the vision he received from the Lord wherein the sinful pride of the Edomites has brought about the promise of their destruction.

In our passage for today, we will continue addressing the vision of Obadiah by looking a little closer at the pervasive nature of this destruction the Lord promised to bring upon Edom. The descendants of Esau, the Edomites, found false sense of security in their prestigious possessions, promised allies, perceptive leaders, and powerful warriors. The Lord, in judgment over these relatives of His Chosen People, would utterly destroy these enemies, and He would do it by systematically removing everything the Edomites thought gave them security and worth.

Although this message was directed at Edom, it was delivered to Israel. Such a message, however, does a few things. First, serves as an encouragement to the Israelites that God remembers His promises for His people. It serves as a reminder that God of justice, and He will punish those who are or do evil. It also serves as a warning that finding security in things and people other than the Lord always ends in disaster.

So, let’s look at the opening verses of out passage as we jump into the text this morning.

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Obadiah 1–4 (ESV)

5 If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night— how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings?

6 How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out!

Possessions are Totally Lost (5-6)

One of the many ways Edom showed its pride was by boasting in their treasures. With the first four verses, we find that God has spoken a word of judgment against the descendants of Esau. Other nations had been stirring against Edom, but the Lord showed Obadiah a vision of His sovereign working through the plans and choices of people to bring about His perfect plans.

Edom took pride in their strongholds high up in the mountains, with their nearly impenetrable defenses, but the Lord said that it was from above that He would drag them down and make them of no consequence among other nations. When we get into verses 5 and 6, the Lord references thieves and robbers who come in the night.

Typically, thieves take or plunder just enough for themselves. Rarely do you hear of someone breaking into a house and removing everything. That’s the Lord’s point here. Unless we’re talking about the grinch and how he stole Christmas decorations, thieves usually break in, grab what they can, and leave the rest as they make their getaway.

Edom would have been better off if God allowed thieves and robbers to ransack their homes; because, when the Lord levies His judgment against them, He will ensure that their possessions are totally lost. If they were facing others who would break in and steal, at least they’d have something left.

This is further emphasized in the question about the grape gatherers. In that society, harvesters would leave at least a little left over for the poor or homeless to glean from as they collected the harvest. The picture, again, is that when the Lord comes against Edom, no stone will be left unturned, and every possession or piece of treasure would be removed from among the Edomites.

Obadiah exclaims, How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out! Something interesting here, is that in the questions, and throughout the passage, our English translations have used a lot of past-tense verbs. Obadiah said to Edom, things like, “How you have been destroyed! If the thieves or grape gatherers came to you. How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out!” None of these events had taken place yet. As we learned last week, Obadiah is describing things that have not happened as if they have already come to pass.

In His vision, Obadiah is recounting what God showed him and the destruction to come, the removal of every last possession, it’s not a question of if this might happen, rather, as a certainty, it’s simply a question of when. God’s anger is coming against Edom, and there’s no stopping it.

In addition to their possessions being totally lost, the Edomites would experience their Allies turning on them.

Look to verse 7.

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7All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you— you have no understanding.

Allies Turn (7)

Another consequence of Edom’s treachery toward their not-so-distant cousins was that the security they found in strong alliances was going to be proven just as false as the security they found in their possessions. Their treasures couldn’t bribe or dissuade the Lord’s judgment from falling on them.

Verses 10 and 11, which we will get to next week, Lord willing, tell us how the nation acted violently toward Israel, and while they stood by during in the invasion and assault against them, they acted in every other way as cruel and vicious as the foreigners who rose against God’s people.

Edom gambled in thinking that if they acted like these foreign nations, they might be accepted among them. It was a bad bet, however. In verse one, when we were told that a messenger had gone out among the nations rallying them to rise against Edom. Evidentially, these are the same nations here in verse 7. The wicked nations they had wined and dined, no longer saw any benefit to keeping Edom around. Those they thought were friends had been deceiving them, goading them into whatever wicked behavior appealed to them at the time, and now have set a trap for them.

The worst part is that Edom has no idea this has been going on. They will be completely caught off guard when their supposed friends turn out to be snakes in the grass instead of true sources of security. Edom had a real relationship with Israel, but in their time of need, saw an opportunity and betrayed the Israelites for what would amount to nothing. They earned nothing and lost everything by buying into the false security the world offers.

Edom’s story resonates throughout history, where nations consider themselves secure because they have strong allies. Yet, time and again, those perceived allies shift allegiances, leading to undoing catastrophic for those who depended on them. This historical pattern warns us against misplaced trust and the fleeting nature of human relationships. Rather than leaning on the false hope of worldly alliances, we are called to anchor ourselves in the unwavering promise of God’s faithfulness, which provides true security. It's crucial to place our ultimate trust in God, who never betrays us, unlike human relationships.

The Lord was not finished, though. His judgement would lead to Edom’s evaporation of their treasures, and their trusted alliances. In verse 8, we find they will lose their wise men as well. Look with me as we continue our study.

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8 Will I not on that day, declares the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau?

Wisdom is Taken Away (8)

The words, “On that Day” refer to the coming Day of the Lord. Scholars explain that it’s not a day in the historical sense of time which we typically mean; rather, it’s a reference to the end times day when God unmistakably intervenes in the affairs of men to establish his undeniable sovereignty over all things.[1]It’s in that sense that Obadiah describes the coming judgment over Edom.

The Lord asks a rhetorical question, and the terrifying expected answer is, yes, on that day, He truly will destroy not just the wise men of Edom, but wisdom itself will be removed.

Edom took pride in their strongholds and protected position high in the mountains. They took pride in their possessions and alliances. They also took pride in their so-called “wisemen.” Living high up in the mountains, the people had to be pretty resourceful, and somewhat ingenious if they were to survive without the benefit of traditional farming, hunting, or fishing opportunities. They were quite self-sufficient and took pride in that.

They mistakenly believed their wisdom was better than the wisdom of God. We know that, in Proverbs 3:7, God said, ‘Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.’ They foolishly trusted in human wisdom, and would learn, the hard way, the truth of Proverbs 11:2, which tells us, ‘When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.’

This is the why we have Obadiah’s prophecy.[2]The people of Judah had been humiliated by the Edomites time and time again, and had recently suffered through, what many scholars suggest was Jerusalem being ransacked by the Babylonians, while the Edomites stood by pridefully cheering on the downfall of their neighbors. The Lord heard His people’s prayers and would vindicate them. He was not unaware of the wickedness in the hearts of the Edomites, and they would pay a terrible price.

Look at verse 9 with me.

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9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.

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Strength is Trampled (9)

Their strongholds, possessions, allies, and wisdom would be taken from them. Their downfall would culminate in the trampling of their mighty men. Obadiah says that Edom’s mighty men, the warriors, the strongest and bravest among them would be dismayed. The Hebrew word which most of our English translations render as “dismayed,” means to be in a state of being struck with dread, fear, or consternation.[3]

Obadiah is saying the warriors in whom Edom has such pride, those in whom they’ve looked to for strength, and protection, will be utterly terrified. They’ll be useless in resisting the Lord. In fact, they will cut down the same as all the others.

The mention of Teman could be a reference to a great chief of Edom who was a descendant of Esau. It could also be the city of Teman which was an important city in Edom as well. Jeremiah 49 talks about the downfall of Edom, and references Teman as a city where wisdom could no longer be found, and at one point even the youngest of the city would be taken away. The removal of the strong men from the current generation, as well as the young men of the next generation is a death sentence for any people group.

In the next passage, we’ll dig into what exactly Edom was accused of, more than we have to this point at least. As we close, however, we need to answer the question, “what can we learn from the pervasive destruction bringing about the complete dismantling of Edom?”

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Obadiah revealed that there would be nothing of value left once divine judgment fell upon Edom. This makes it clear that no one, whether an individual or a nation can buy absolute security. There are so many commercials and advertisements for systems and programs which guarantee to keep your data secure, your finances safe, your future bright. As Edom would learn, however, no program, no possession, no earthly protection could prevent them from facing judgment.

What are you trusting in for security, though? We would all like to say we have placed our faith in Christ and Him alone, but ask yourself, where do you naturally go when your security is threatened? Do you embrace humility and acknowledge the Lord as our ultimate source of security, or do you double down on your efforts to pull yourself up by your bootstraps? We must live wise and prudent lives, but we must trust in His ability to hold us fast. There is nothing else that can secure us like He can.

This prophetic book makes us aware of the lack of stability that comes with any human agreements. We can sign papers and secure commitments but without humility and integrity, we’re always at risk of being betrayed. Edom was turned on by allies, and that betrayal led to a rapid decline as the nation was dismantled from within.

We want to think the best of everyone, but we must trust that God alone has truly unwavering faithfulness, and closeness with Him will always serve you better than any truce, treaty, or transaction aimed at securing peace of mind and protection in this life.

Finally, we learn from the downfall of Edom’s warriors and wise men, that wisdom and strength apart from God leads to destruction. As Christians, we must replace pride with humility, exchange the wisdom of this world and embrace godly wisdom and strength that reflect Christ’s humility and righteousness.

We must be willing to confront our own tendencies towards pride and encourage a commitment to humility and compassion. Recognizing the destructive power of pride and arrogance should motivate us to humbly keep our eyes on Christ alone.

It’s not wrong to have things, make friends, deepening understanding, and strength, but we must be careful that we don’t find our identity or security in such things. God wants us to enjoy life, but we cannot begin to worship or trust in the benefits of having Christ as savior more than we trust in Christ Himself.

Ultimate security can be found in the victory of Christ over pride and sin, as through His humility and sacrificial love, He redeems those who recognize their need for salvation. Christ embodies the true nature of victory that comes through meekness and service, clearly contrasting Edom's destructive pride.

Pride will lead to a pervasive destruction that promises to ruin every aspect of who we are. Humility and faith in Christ, however, lead to a powerful love that cannot be lost, a relationship that cannot be revoked, and an identity that is not irrelevant.

Let’s pray

[1] Iwan Rhys Jones, Joel and Obadiah: Disaster and Deliverance, Focus on the Bible Commentary (Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2015), 107. [2] Michael Bentley, Turning Back to God: Hosea and Obadiah Simply Explained, Welwyn Commentary Series (Darlington, England: Evangelical Press, 2000), 231. [3] Rick Brannan, ed., Lexham Research Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible, Lexham Research Lexicons (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020).