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The Book of Obadiah, and Edom and Petra: Part 2

The Lord said so shall it be, and so it is 

The Book of Obadiah 

Don Ruhl • Savage Street, Grants Pass, Oregon • August 25, In the year of our Lord Christ, 2019 

Persuasion: 

  1. Obadiah 10–14 • The Charges Against Edom

    10 For violence against your brother Jacob,
    Shame shall cover you,
    And you shall be cut off forever.
    11 In the day that you stood on the other side—
    In the day that strangers carried captive his forces,
    When foreigners entered his gates
    And cast lots for Jerusalem—
    Even you were as one of them.
    12 But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother
    In the day of his captivity;
    Nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah
    In the day of their destruction;
    Nor should you have spoken proudly
    In the day of distress.
    13 You should not have entered the gate of My people
    In the day of their calamity.
    Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction
    In the day of their calamity,
    Nor laid hands on their substance
    In the day of their calamity.
    14 You should not have stood at the crossroads
    To cut off those among them who escaped;
    Nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained
    In the day of distress.
    1. Edom had been violent against his brother Jacob. 
      1. Therefore, shame would cover Edom. 
      2. The Lord would cut off Edom forever. 
        1. Deuteronomy 23.7 forbid the children of Israel 
          1. from abhorring the Edomites because 
          2. they were brethren.

            7 “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother.”

            – Deuteronomy 23.7
        2. However, Edom did not return the favor. 
          1. Instead they used any excuse to hurt Israel. 
          2. Such things do not go unnoticed by the Lord. 
    2. Edom had acted as one of the attackers again Israel. 
      1. Sometimes brothers forget that they are brothers. 
      2. Remember 
        1. Cain toward Abel, and 
        2. the sons of Jacob toward Joseph. 
    3. What they should not have done: 
      1. They should not have gazed on the day of his brother. 
      2. They should not have rejoiced when Judah was destroyed. 
      3. They should not have spoken proudly in the day of distress. 
      4. They should not have entered the gate of God’s people during their calamity. 
      5. They should not have gazed on Judah’s affliction. 
      6. They should not have laid hands on Judah’s substance. 
      7. They should not have cut off those who escaped from Judah. 
      8. They should not have delivered up others who had escaped. 
    4. Proverbs 24.17–18 came to pass for Edom.

      17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
      And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
      18 Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him,
      And He turn away His wrath from him.

      – Proverbs 24.17–18
      1. The Edomites saw Israel as an enemy. 
      2. Therefore, when Israel suffered, 
        1. the Edomites rejoiced, 
        2. they were glad to see Israel stumble and fall. 
      3. However, the Lord saw Edom’s rejoicing and 
        1. eagerness to join in the fight against Israel, and 
        2. it displeased Him. 
          1. Eventually He turned His wrath away from Israel and 
          2. put it on Edom. 
            1. Now they no longer exist 
            2. although the children of Israel do. 
  2. Obadiah 15–16 • Utter Destruction

    15 For the day of the LORD upon all the nations is near;
    As you have done, it shall be done to you;
    Your reprisal shall return upon your own head.
    16 For as you drank on My holy mountain,
    So shall all the nations drink continually;
    Yes, they shall drink, and swallow,
    And they shall be as though they had never been.
    1. We know that the Scriptures teach 
      1. that what we do 
      2. shall be done to us. 
    2. That is true whether we do good or evil:

      7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

      – Galatians 6.7–8

      6 [God] “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.

      – Romans 2.6–11
      1. We read those passages and 
      2. think of them applied to people, but 
        1. the Book of Obadiah shows 
        2. that it applies to a people also! 
    3. Note further that Obadiah prophesied 
      1. that all nations shall have their end, 
      2. so much so that they shall be as though they had never been. 
        1. All the nations will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, 
        2. whether they experience that now or later, 
          1. it will happen. 
          2. Many nations have already fallen and 
            1. some have completely disappeared from the earth, 
            2. others shall remain until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 
              1. At that time, He shall destroy the earth and 
              2. everything on it, including all the nations. 
                1. Only the church shall survive and 
                2. only the church shall make it into heaven.

                  28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 

                  – Hebrews 12.28
  3. Obadiah 17–20 • Israel Shall Take Possession

    17 But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance,
    And there shall be holiness;
    The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
    18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
    And the house of Joseph a flame;
    But the house of Esau shall be stubble;
    They shall kindle them and devour them,
    And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,”
    For the LORD has spoken.
    19 The South shall possess the mountains of Esau,
    And the Lowland shall possess Philistia.
    They shall possess the fields of Ephraim
    And the fields of Samaria.
    Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
    20 And the captives of this host of the children of Israel
    Shall possess the land of the Canaanites
    As far as Zarephath.
    The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
    Shall possess the cities of the South.
    1. Just as Proverbs 24.17–18 declares. 
      1. [Put the slide with this passage up] 
    2. Edom was not better than Israel. 
      1. Therefore, they had no reason to rejoice over Israel’s downfall. 
      2. They had their own sins from which to repent, and 
        1. from which they did not repent, and 
        2. they paid the dearest price. 
    3. Israel did repent and 
      1. the Lord brought them back into the land and 
      2. they continued on as His people, 
        1. later delivering to the world 
        2. the Savior of the world. 
          1. God preserved Israel because 
          2. He had promised Abraham 
            1. that He would bless 
            2. every family and every nation. 
          3. Moreover, Jews are still in the world and 
            1. you can go over there and 
            2. see Israel thriving. 
              1. The difference between Israel and 
              2. Jordan and Egypt surprised us. 
                1. Israel is modern and much like America, but 
                2. Jordan and Egypt…well, it is just very sad. 
  4. Obadiah 21 • The Kingdom Is the Lord’s

    21 Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion
    To judge the mountains of Esau,
    And the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.
    1. That the kingdom and the kingdoms are the Lord’s, 
      1. says it all. 
      2. He can exalt one and He can humble another. 
    2. Revelation 11 continues that theme:

      15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

      – Revelation 11.15
      1. That is why I say only the Lord’s body, the church, 
      2. shall be in heaven. 
    3. The disappearance of nations, but 
      1. the continuation of the kingdom of God, 
      2. fulfills the prophecy of Daniel:

        44 “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”

        – Daniel 2.44

Exhortation: 

  1. The rising and falling of nations shall continue, but 
    1. the church of Jesus Christ shall always be here, because 
    2. it is the bride of Christ. 
  2. Therefore, it saddens me that so many Christians 
    1. have a lackadaisical heart toward the church. 
    2. Jesus died for His bride the church. 
      1. What then does He think of people 
        1. who think church membership is unnecessary or 
        2. who are members but only in a half-hearted way? 
      2. Please give your all for the church because Jesus did.