Obadiah: Obadiah 19-The Future Remnant of Israel Will Possess Territories Taken By the Enemies of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms Lesson # 20

Obadiah 19 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. (ESV)

Obadiah 19 “In fact, they will indeed take possession of the Negev from the nation of Edom. Furthermore, they will in fact take possession of the Shephelah from the Philistines. Also, they will surely take possession of Ephraim’s territory as well as Samaria’s territory. In addition, Benjamin will certainly take possession of Gilead.” (My translation)

Verse 19 contains four more prophetic declarations, which advance upon and intensify the previous six, which appear in verse 18.

These prophetic declarations in verse 18 make clear that Jacob and Joseph’s descendants will be reunited in the future in order to be God’s instrument to destroy the nation of Edom as a national entity and will leave Esau’s descendants no remnant whatsoever.

They make clear that the ten tribes which formed the northern kingdom of Israel will in the future be reunited with those tribes which formed the southern kingdom of Judah, which were Judah and Benjamin.

Never in Israel’s history have these two kingdoms been reunited and wiped out the Edomite people.

Furthermore, Obadiah 20-21, which advances upon Obadiah 18-19 reveal that Israel’s borders will be extended because of this destruction of the Edomites and other nations.

These borders are described in Obadiah 20-21.

We know that Israel will inherit a large area of real estate during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ, which includes the lands mentioned in Obadiah 20-21.

Each of these prophecies contained in Obadiah 18 will find their fulfillment in the future during the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

The first prophetic declaration in verse 19 predicts the future remnant of Israel which will exist during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ will surely take possession of the Negev from the nation of Edom.

The Negev was a dry, hot, arid region located in the southern portion of Judah.

It was an arid region of Israel south of the Judean hills and the Shephelah and east of the lower reaches of the Philistine plain.

Therefore, this first prophetic declaration in verse 19 advances upon and intensifies the six in verse 18 since Obadiah is predicting that not only will this future remnant destroy Edom militarily at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ but will also occupy their territory during His subsequent millennial reign.

This future remnant is referred to by the phrases “Jacob’s descendants” and “Joseph’s descendants.”

The former we noted is a designation in Obadiah’s day and age for the southern kingdom of Judah which was in exile when Obadiah penned this prophecy.

The latter was a designation for the northern kingdom of Israel which was in exile since the Assyrian invasion in 722 B.C.

Obadiah 18 makes clear that both kingdoms would one day be reunited which will of course take place at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ and His subsequent millennial reign.

Consequently, each of these prophecies in Obadiah 19 will be fulfilled through this future remnant of Israel since the prophecies of verse 19 are advancing upon and intensifying the ones recorded in verse 18, which speak of this future remnant of Israel.

After Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon destroyed the southern kingdom of Judah as a national entity in 586 B.C. and deported the majority of her citizens to Babylon, the Edomites occupied the Negev.

Now, in Obadiah 19, the prophet Obadiah is asserting the future remnant of Israel will reclaim this territory at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ and His subsequent millennial reign.

When this event takes place, it will fulfill the prophecies in Numbers 24:18, Isaiah 11:14, and Amos 9:11–12.

The second prophetic declaration recorded in verse 19 predicts that this future remnant of Israel will indeed take possession of the Shephelah from the Philistines.

The Shephelah was a major north-south strip of elevated foothills between the Philistine coastal plain and the highlands of Judah.

It was located to the west of the kingdom of Judah and alongside the Mediterranean Sea.

After Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon destroyed the southern kingdom of Judah as a national entity in 586 B.C. and deported the majority of her citizens to Babylon, the Philistines occupied the Shephelah.

Now, the prophet Obadiah is asserting the future remnant of Israel will reclaim this territory at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ and occupy it during His subsequent millennial reign.

The third prophetic declaration recorded in Obadiah 19 asserts that this future remnant will as a certainty take possession of Ephraim’s territory as well as Samaria’s territory.

Ephraim was one of the twelve tribes of Israel and descended from Joseph.

This tribe was located in a rugged hill country which was located south of the tribe of Manasseh and north of the tribe of Benjamin.

The territory of Ephraim was later conquered by the Assyrians, and the tribe was exiled

Samaria was under the jurisdiction of the capital city of the northern kingdom before its destruction.

In other words, it pertains to both a city and a geographical region within the Central Highlands.

The city was located 400 feet above sea level and offered easy access to major travel routes and the Jezreel Valley, and in particular the Via Maris, which connected Egypt and Syria and other highways that stretched through the middle of Israel.

The territories of Ephraim and Samaria belonged to the northern kingdom of Israel and in fact, Ephraim was often used in the Old Testament to refer to the northern kingdom because it was the dominant tribe.

The northern kingdom no longer existed as a national entity after the Assyrian invasion in 722 B.C.

Now, here in Obadiah 19, the prophet Obadiah is predicting that the future remnant of Israel, which will exist during the Second Advent of Jesus Christ and His subsequent millennial reign, will occupy these territories.

The fourth and final prophetic declaration which appears in Obadiah 19 also predicts that the tribe of Benjamin, which will help to compose this future remnant of Israel, will certainly take possession of Gilead.

This was a mountainous region located on the eastern side of the Jordan River in what is today the country of Jordan.

Gilead was located northeast of the Dead Sea and of the territory inhabited by the tribe of Benjamin whose tribal territory lies just north of Jerusalem and south of Ephraim’s territory (cf. Josh. 18:11-28).

The tribe of Benjamin was dispossessed by Judah when the nation of Israel was divided into northern and southern kingdoms.

Now, the prophet Obadiah is asserting the tribe of Benjamin will reclaim their territory at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ and occupy this area during His subsequent millennial reign.

Therefore, each of these four prophecies predict that the future remnant of Israel, which was mentioned in verses 17-18, which will exist during the Second Advent of Jesus Christ and His subsequent millennial reign will fulfill the Palestinian covenant which is a part of the Abrahamic covenant.

It will also fulfill a basic sort of restoration promise (type 7; cf. Deut 30:3–5).[1]

These four prophetic declarations recorded in Obadiah 19 speak of retribution against the enemies of the southern kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom and thus the nation of Israel as a whole.

This is indicated by the fact that each of the territories mentioned in this verse were occupied by the enemies of the southern kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel.

The Negev was occupied by the Edomites, the Philistines moved into the Shephelah after the destruction of the southern kingdom of Judah.

After the Babylonian invasion of Judah, the Ammonites, Moabites and Arameans moved into Gilead.

The territories of Ephraim and Samaria were occupied by Assyria when she destroyed the northern kingdom and deported its population in 722 B.C.

Babylon gain this territory in the sixth century B.C.

Therefore, Obadiah 19 predicts that the future remnant of Israel will once again occupy the territories lost by the destruction of the northern and southern kingdoms in the sixth and eighth centuries B.C.

[1] Stuart, D. (2002). Hosea–Jonah (Vol. 31, p. 420). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.