Obadiah 1-21.  Be sure to read the “Intro to Obadiah”.  Obadiah was one of a few prophets who wrote specifically to a nation outside of Israel (the whole nation or one of it’s parts like the northern kingdom of Israel or the southern kingdom of Judah).  Of course there are things for the Israelites to hear too but it seems to be mostly to people who were not Israelites.

Verse 1 starts out by telling us that Obadiah had a “vision” from God about Edom.  Edom was a group of people descended from Esau, Israel’s twin brother (See “Intro to Obadiah”).  The rest of verses 1-2 tell us that God is getting some nations together to wipe out Edom.  The language is kind of interesting we are told that Edom will be “made small” and that they are “vile or icky” (“despised”).  In verses 3-4 we see why theses sorts of word are used for their destruction; they are prideful.  They think no one can destroy them.  According to the end of verse 4 no body is out of God’s reach (or the reach of anyone He sends).  In verse 5 God contrast what he is going to do to Edom with what an average robber might do or a laborer in a vineyard.  Farm workers don’t pick every thing and robbers don’t usually take every thing.  In verse 6 Edom is called Esau (referring to their ancestor) and Obadiah informs them in verses 6-7 that their allies will turn on them.  In verses 8-9 God adds that he will also be in on the destruction, he will take away both the wise men of Edom and wisdom in general, not a good thing when you are being attacked.  Without leadership the warriors will be slaughtered.  (Teman was a major city in Edom, Obadiah uses it as another name for Edom).

Verses 10-14 give us the reason for the destruction that is coming upon Edom.  Verse 10 tells us it is because of some violent act that Edom has done to the Israelite people.  Obadiah uses the name Jacob for the Israelites because that was the name of Israel when he was born along with his twin brother Esau (the ancestor of the Edomites).  So in a sense the Israelites and the Edomites were brothers (really distant cousins).  In verse 11 the charges get a little more specific.  First the Edomites stood back and watched while Israel was invaded, then it seems they joined in with the invaders.  And, notice the attitude in verse 11, they were “aloof”.  That word points to pride again.  In verse 12 they are warned not to “gloat”, not to “be happy about Israel’s trouble”, and not to “boast”.  Again we see pride and hatred for Israel.  In verse 13 the warnings are mixed about attitudes  and actions; they are warned not the join the invasion and not to steal stuff during the invasion.  Again they are told not to gloat.  In verse 14 they are warned about just actions; they are not to ambush refugees from the destruction that is going on in Jerusalem and they are not to take prisoners.

At this point I think it is important to remember what was going on in Judah.  This is early on in the divided kingdom.  The northern kingdom defected from God almost immediately, with their first king.  Judah was not quite as fast to abandon God, after all Jerusalem was their capital and the temple was there.  But their history had it’s spiritual ups and downs.  From 873-848 a guy named Jehoshaphat was king and he was pretty good, he made some dumb mistakes, but he did bring the people back to Yahweh (the one true God.  See 2 Chronicles 19:4).  Just before he died in 848 BC he made his oldest son, Jehoram, the new king.  Almost immediately Jehoram acted to make his power secure by killing all of Jehoshaphat’s other sons along with  some of the leaders in the kingdom (2 Chronicles 21:1-4).  He also encouraged the people to fallow false gods again (2 Chronicles 21:11).  His poor leadership had natural consequences when both Edom and Libnah revolted, and it had spiritual consequences that were proclaimed to him by a prophet named Elijah (2 Chronicles 21).  The invasion in 845 BC  by the Philistines and the Arabs (see 2 Chronicles 21 and also “Intro to Obadiah”) was the spiritual consequence of his actions along with some sort of disease that made his intestines come out of him.

If you read  2 Chronicles 21:12-15 you might have noticed that God’s punishment fit Jehoram’s actions.  Maybe even to the extent of the disease.  In 2 Chronicles 21:4 we learned that he killed his brothers with a sword.  Although we often think of ancient people using a sword to behead others perhaps he used it to disembowel his family members.  In 1 Samuel 31:4-5 both Saul and his armor bearer fell on their swords to kill themselves in the face of certain destruction at the hands of an enemy.  In 2 Samuel 2:16 we see a similar picture of death by sword in a contest between David’s army and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul (the former king who had died at this point).

So the invasion of Jerusalem was a punishment for disobedience to God (sin) and Edom is bien warned in these verses to stay out of it.  Verse 15 tells us why; because Israel isn’t the only nation who will be judged and punished for their rebellion to God.   A “day” is coming for all nations (“Day” used in this way in the Bible often is referring to a time of judgment and punishment for sins).  And look at the rest of the verse; the punishment will fit the crime.  Verse 16 uses the same idea again when it talks about Edom “drinking” in Jerusalem (“my mountain”, Jerusalem was on a mountain and is sometimes referred to using the name of the mountain, “Zion”) and the nations “drinking” continually.  Often in the Bible God’s punishment is called “a cup of wrath” which the nations drink.  The drinking that Edom did in Jerusalem is not  clear, but it probably refers to some actual drinking they did while invading the city.  It is clear form the end of verse 16 that the “drinking” that the nations do (and Edom with them) leads to destruction.

Verses 17-18 tell us that Israel is only being punished or disciplined for their sins and that some will escape and be separated to God (the meaning of holy).  Sometimes fire is used to purify, like when making metals, but other times it destroys, like when burning off a field to get rid of the stalks.  It looks like some in Jerusalem will be purified while all in Edom will be destroyed.  The end of verse 18 tells us that this is assured by Yahweh, the creator God.  And remember it will happen on the “day of the LORD” (v.15).  That term is often used for God’s judgment at the end of our current time of history.  If you read through Isaiah with us you might remember that in prophecy there are in between times of judgment, punishment, and discipline; sort of little “days of the LORD” but there is also a final “Day of the LORD” coming.  The invasion by the Philistines and the Arabs was a little “day of the LORD” but in verse 15 Obadia is talking about the final “Day of the LORD”.

IN verses 19-21 we see a little bit of overlap between the little”day of the LORD” that Jerusalem had experienced and the final “Day of the LORD” at the end of our current history.  The final “Day of the LORD” will be a final time of judgment” but it will also be a time of restoration and fulfilled promises for the people who have been faithful to God (see 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).  In these verses in Obadiah we see the ideas in 2 Thessalonians and also Obadiah 15 working out.  The people of the Negev and the Shephelah refer to the Israelites from the south and the west.  Benjamin would be Israelites from the north-east.  So we see sort of an inclusive group of the Israelite people taking possession of the promised land.  It is interesting that verse 20 describes the exiles of this group who are among the “Canaanites as far as Zarephath” and “in the Sepharad”.  Those places are west and north and the Canaanites were the original inhabitants of the entire region basically west of the Jordan river.  You couldn’t be any different from Babylons which was east, very east.  But those areas were part of the Philistine territory as well as the Canaanites.  So we see this is a description of the invasion of 845 BC.  But the restoration is a picture of the final “Day of the LORD” when the “kingdom will be the LORD’S” (Yahweh’s).

Obadiah shows us that God is interested in the actions of all people not just one small group.  We also see that God is serious about disobedience toward him (sin), by anyone.  We see that there is a possibility of things being fixed (the Israelite’s (at least some of them) are restored).  But there is also a possibility of our punishment being permanent (like with Esau or Edom).  But remember that God warned them and they continued to not listen.  In the Bible God warns from beginning to end. And God is there to fix thing from beginning to end.  Bu over and over again we see god asking us to come back, turn around, “repent”.  God is loving and God is pure.  He will not tolerate disobedience (sin) but he can forgive it, if we take advantage of his solution , Jesus, and turn back to him.

God thank you that you do not play favorites.  I’m not a Jew so I would be out if you did.  Thank you for warning over and over again.  Thank you for showing us there are consequences for walking away from you.  Help us learn, help me learn.  Then help me trust, and turn, and obey.  Thank you for caring.