The Lord's Timing Is Not Our Timing

07/27/2020 The Lord's Timing Is Not Our Timing

Series: Minor Prophets - True Faith

https://vimeo.com/435611654

What Does The Bible Say?

Obadiah

Why do the wicked prosper?

3 For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. 4 They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. 5 They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else. (Psalm 73:3–5 NLT)

Have you ever felt that bad people prosper? 

15 “The day is near when I, the Lord, will judge all godless nations! As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads. (Obadiah 15 NLT)

God warns Edom that He will punish them. 

Three Promises To Israel

17 “But Jerusalem will become a refuge for those who escape; it will be a holy place. And the people of Israel will come back to reclaim their inheritance. 18 The people of Israel will be a raging fire, and Edom a field of dry stubble. The descendants of Joseph will be a flame roaring across the field, devouring everything. There will be no survivors in Edom. I, the Lord, have spoken! (Obadiah 17–18)

God will deliver you.

19 “Then my people living in the Negev will occupy the mountains of Edom. Those living in the foothills of Judah will possess the Philistine plains and take over the fields of Ephraim and Samaria. And the people of Benjamin will occupy the land of Gilead. 20 The exiles of Israel will return to their land and occupy the Phoenician coast as far north as Zarephath. The captives from Jerusalem exiled in the north will return home and resettle the towns of the Negev. (Obadiah 19-20 NLT)

God will defeat your enemies.

21 Those who have been rescued will go up to Mount Zion in Jerusalem to rule over the mountains of Edom. And the Lord himself will be king!” (Obadiah 21 NLT)

God will establish His Kingdom.

How Can You Obey?

14 While Moses was at Kadesh, he sent ambassadors to the king of Edom with this message:“This is what your relatives, the people of Israel, say: You know all the hardships we have been through. 15 Our ancestors went down to Egypt, and we lived there a long time, and we and our ancestors were brutally mistreated by the Egyptians. 16 But when we cried out to the Lord, he heard us and sent an angel who brought us out of Egypt. Now we are camped at Kadesh, a town on the border of your land. 17 Please let us travel through your land. We will be careful not to go through your fields and vineyards. We won’t even drink water from your wells. We will stay on the king’s road and never leave it until we have passed through your territory.” 18 But the king of Edom said, “Stay out of my land, or I will meet you with an army!” (Numbers 20:14–18 NLT)  

We should help others when in need.

12 “You should not have gloated when they exiled your relatives to distant lands. You should not have rejoiced when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune. You should not have spoken arrogantly in that terrible time of trouble. (Obadiah 12 NLT)

Do not be happy when others suffer misfortune.

13 You should not have plundered the land of Israel when they were suffering such calamity. You should not have gloated over their destruction when they were suffering such calamity. You should not have seized their wealth when they were suffering such calamity. 14 You should not have stood at the crossroads, killing those who tried to escape. You should not have captured the survivors and handed them over in their terrible time of trouble. (Obadiah 13–14 NLT)

Do not take advantage of others.

Additional Notes:

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Edom’s history interfaced with Israel’s at several points. Edom is another name for Esau, Jacob’s twin brother born to Isaac and Rebekah (see Genesis 25). Esau means “hairy,” while the name Edom comes from a Hebrew root meaning “red” (Genesis 25:25, 30). Esau was born first with Jacob following, clutching Esau’s heel. Jacob later bargained with Esau for the older son’s birthright, then, with Rebekah’s help, deceived Isaac into giving the blessing to him, the younger son, rather than to Esau. Esau and his descendants became servants to Israel. Blood was shed between the two brothers and their families. The Edomite nation refused the Israelites passage through their land on the way to Canaan (Numbers 20:14-21; Judges 11:17-18). During the monarchy Solomon conquered Edom (1 Kings 9:26; 2 Chronicles 8:17). The Edomites later revolted against King Jehoram and Judah (2 Chronicles 21:8-10), then raided Judah during Ahaz’ reign (2 Chronicles 28:17). Amaziah and Judah invaded Edom, killed 10,000 warriors, and captured Sela, Edom’s capital. From the beginning of their relationship, Esau, Jacob, and their descendants countered each other in an edgy brotherhood. 

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A number of other Old Testament prophetic books contain oracles about Edom. Isaiah 34:1-5 describes the Lord’s vengeance upon Edom. Jeremiah 49:7-22 uses language nearly identical to Obadiah’s words concluding that Edom would become a horror or desolation. Edom would become desolate, says Ezekiel 35:1-15. Joel 3:19 charges that Edom did violence to the people of Israel. Amos 9:12, the prophecy of David’s greater son, Jesus, portrays Him taking control over Edom’s land as part of His worldwide kingdom. Isaiah 63:1-6 pictures the Lord, mighty to save, coming out of Edom in blood- soaked garments depicting the day of the Lord as both a day of vengeance and a day of redemption. See also Amos 1:11-12 and Malachi 1:2-5. 

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Edom’s fall because of her treatment of Judah is an example of the punishment fitting the crime. “An eye for an eye, tooth for tooth” is the familiar phrase defining this law in Exodus 21:23-24. The law’s formal title is lex talionis, the law of retribution. In its Exodus context this principle was not intended for carrying out personal vendettas; instead, authorized judicial officials called for it in formal legal settings, which limited the extent of judgment to fit the offense. See also Leviticus 24:19-20; Deuteronomy 19:21; and Proverbs 26:27. Notice how Jesus re-applies lex talionis for New Testament believers in Matthew 5:38-42. 

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The “day of the Lord” is rooted in both the justice and the mercy of God. It refers to that coming time in history when the Lord, who has offered repentance to sinners, will act in holy justice when they have refused His offer. On that day He will punish the wicked and reward the righteous. See Isaiah 11:10-11; 13:6-9; Joel 1:14-16; 2:1-28; Amos 5:18-20; Zechariah 2:10-12; 14:1-21; Acts 2:17-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2; and 2 Peter 3:8-10. 

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Obadiah’s prophecy about Edom’s doom began to unfold quickly. Just a few years after Jerusalem fell, the Babylonian King Nabonidus destroyed Edom (see Malachi 1:3-4). The nation was resettled under Persian rule in the fifth century B.C. By the fourth century B.C., Edomite territory was overrun by the Nabataeans, a trade-based empire centered in Petra. By the time of Alexander the Great in the fourth century B.C. the area was known as Idumea. Herod the Great was perhaps the most well-known Idumean. The Maccabeans defeated the Idumeans in the second century B.C., and by the first century all trace of Edom had vanished. The area is controlled today by the nation of Jordan. 

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Obadiah

God’s Judgment is Certain

“Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.” (Obadiah 21)

Major Theme

Sure retribution must overtake merciless pride. God will punish those who refuse to live justly and righteously.

Background and Purpose

Obadiah’s prophecy is aimed at the Edomites who are judged by God for their inhumanity to Israel in the day of its suffering. “ ‘Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed for ever’ ” (10). The Edomites refused to allow Israel to travel through their country (Numbers 20:14–21), and they rejoiced when Jerusalem was captured (Psalm 137:7). Edom’s crimes are listed in order of their ascending horror (11–14).

Obadiah has one of the most realistic descriptions of the siege and attack of a city in the whole of the Old Testament.

Author

Nothing is known about Obadiah outside his prophecy. We are not told the name of his father or where he was born. His name means “servant of the Lord” and was a common one in the Old Testament.

Date

If verses 11–14 refer to the Babylonian attacks on Jerusalem in 605–586 bc that would mean that Obadiah was a contemporary of Jeremiah and this gives a sixth century bc date for the writing of Obadiah.

Brief Outline

1. Edom’s fall is prophecied 1–9

2. Edom’s sins exposed 10–14

Christ in Obadiah

• Jesus is the Judge of the nations (15–16), and the Savior of Israel (17–20).

Water, M. (2001). The Books of the Bible made easy (p. 31). Alresford, Hampshire: John Hunt Publishing.

(Side Note) Some Old Testament scholars think that Obadiah’s reference is to an earlier invasion of Jerusalem by the Philistines and Arabians, at which time Edom assisted the invaders and broke free from Judah’s control (2 Chron. 21:8–10, 16–17). This would have been during the reign of weak King Jehoram (853–841), who married King Ahab’s daughter and led Judah into sin. God permitted the invasion of the land and the plundering of Jerusalem as a punishment for the king’s disobedience.

Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be concerned (p. 73). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor.

Question 1 of 5

In what ways are people around us hurting?    

Question 2 of 5

In what way did Edom fail to help Judah?      

Question 3 of 5

In what ways do we sometimes fail to help people who are hurting and in need?   

Question 4 of 5

What are some needs we could help meet in our HotSpot and community?

Question 5 of 5

How does the coming day of the Lord give us hope for the future?