Obadiah God's Prophet Of Doom
Book of Obadiah
We know of Major prophets of the Bible and the Minor prophets of the Bible.
The words Major and Minor have only one meaning and that is the size of these great books of the Bible.
No prophet's message was more important than any other of the prophets!
The Book of Obadiah is a book of only one chapter but the content of the Book of Obadiah is just as important as all the Bible, because all scripture is given to us to profit from it's content!
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
If we did not need these words of Obadiah then they would not be available to us!
Much of this book is about the "pride" of the old nation of Edom.
And much of this book is about God's "judgment" of that nation.
Any time God's judgment is involved then that is a place we need to pay particular attention to!
To understand the Book of Obadiah we need to be familiar with the twin sons of Isaac which were Jacob and Esau.
The Bible says that Esau was a profane man:
Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
The word "profane" has the meaning of, "anyone who is irreverent to the things of God".
A man is profane when he takes the name of God in vain!
In other words the things of God held no special meaning for Esau.
What had God promised to Abraham?
Gen 17:21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
The covenant to Abraham of the Messiah and the nation of Israel would pass down through Isaac and on through one of his own sons and would continue until the day Jesus Christ would be born.
Since Christ Jesus can never die, He would fulfill the covenant made to Abraham!
What was the truth of the family of the Jew in those days?
The birthright of Esau who was the first born son of Isaac would be "by law" the one that the covenant of Abraham would continue on through.
BUT, Esau did not care for the things of God!
Esau lived for the moment as most of the world still does today!
Therefore, Esau represents a "type" of all those of humanistic beliefs!
Esau gave up this special birthright and Esau despised his birthright because he could not see any profit in that birthrite in his days!
Gen 25:31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
Gen 25:32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
Gen 25:33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
Gen 25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
Later on in his life Esau realized that he had given up a part of his inheritance but he still had no concern for the things of God and he regretted that decision he had made that day.
Esau felt that his brother Jacob had deceived him, therefore the name Jacob came to mean a deceiver.
Gen 27:36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
God uses the word hate when he describes his small love for Esau for what he had done.
Rom 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
God uses the word hate because Esau refused to repent for his rejection of the things of God!
Heb 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
What does God say of these things?
2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
Esau only felt sorry because he received half as much of the inheritance of Abraham as did Jacob.
Esau became enraged with Jacob because he missed out on his worldly blessing and not because he missed out on fulfilling the covenant promises of God.
Esau never wanted any part of the covenant promises of God to his father Isaac!
You see by Jewish law Esau would have gotten two times as much of his fathers possessions as the first born child.
SO, From Esau began the nation of Edom and that hatred like spirit that came from Esau which also included the descendants of Ishmael have kept that hatred stirred up for more than 3800 years and we see this hatred still dominates the Middle East today.
The Book of Obadiah describes the judgment of God on Edom and it would pay for those nations surrounding Israel with hatred to observe the words of Obadiah even today!
It would be beneficial for all Muslim to discard the Koran and take up the Bible, the true Word of God!
*****Oba 1:1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.
Of all the men named Obadiah mentioned in the Bible, the Obadiah that wrote the Book of Obadiah was probably not any of those.
Somewhat like Elijah, Obadiah just appeared on the scene when God had directed him to do so!
Obadiah's age, his country, his parents, his birth, his grave and any other historical fact are unknown or at least not mentioned because they held no importance to his message which came from Jehovah God!
Much like John the Baptist, Obadiah was a voice for the Lord, crying in the wilderness.
The Book of Obadiah is very short, just one chapter, and it's message is a message of doom and judgment!
The first recorded words of Obadiah were: Thus saith Adonay Jehovah.(Thus Saith The Lord God)
That word "Adonay" declares the sovereign God of the Cosmos and that God is Jehovah!
There is no other being in Heaven or on Earth that is worthy of that title except the Lord Jesus Christ!
SO, The words of Obadiah, which were Holy Ghost inspired, concern Edom and many would say they are irrelevent today and they would be wrong!
Edom and Idumea are one and the same and mean, red; earthy; or bloody!
This fact remains, God hates bloody men!
Psa 5:6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the "bloody and deceitful man".
Psa 26:9 Gather not my soul with sinners, "nor my life with bloody men":
Psa 26:10 In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
Psa 59:2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, "and save me from bloody men".
Psa 59:3 For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.
The Book of Obadiah is then not only a book of prophesy but spiritually speaking, then the Book of Obadiah is also a message concerning our own personal battle that takes place in the heart of every believer!
We all live in a battle withen our own selves, much like Rebekah the mother of Esau and Jacob:
Gen 25:22 And "the children struggled together within her"; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
Gen 25:23 And the LORD said unto her, "Two nations are in thy womb", and "two manner of people" shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and "the elder shall serve the younger".
Esau had seen this prophesy fulfilled with his own eyes and this brought him his great anger!
The truth is, We have to pick up our own cross daily because we are also in a battle with our own flesh on a daily basis!
The name Obadiah means a servant or a worshiper of Jehovah and if you are a born again child of God then your name can also be Obadiah!
Obadiah also describes God's punishment of Edom, (bloody men) for the cruel unbrotherly conduct toward Judah, (those that praise the Lord).
We must consider all these things as we go through the Book of Obadiah!
What is hatred?
Hatred may be the dislike of one toward another but hatred is also an aversion to do evil!
Hatred is a work of the flesh and a work of the mind and the works of the flesh will keep us out of God's Heaven!
Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Hatred can cause the child of God not to witness to some lost soul and if that soul ends up in Hell because of that then we have also become murderers!
1Jn 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
1Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
1Jn 3:15 "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer": and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
1Jn 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
BUT, if you belong to the Lord, then you are already and ambassador for Christ Jesus!
2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
In this age it is the Church who are the ambassadors sent among the heathen!
*****Oba 1:2 Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.
Who are the heathen?
Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
It is all those that remain "heathen" who are without hope and without God today!
The heathen in the sense of this verse are, all the nations that are without God because they have rejected the Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ.
Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, "being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them", because of the blindness of their heart:
It is these that make up the nations that are alienated from the life of God!
God explained to Edom that they were the most small and the most despised, even among those who were just like them!
In verse one we read that God has summoned even the other heathen nations to rise up in battle against Edom.
This prophesy will also be fulfilled in the future!
God is saying that those who alienate themselves from the things of God will become so insignificant in this world, that even the others who are godless will despise them.
What was God's promise to the nation of Edom?
Jer 49:13 For I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and "all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes".
That word "perpetual" means without ceasing, continuing forever!
The capitol city of Edom which is Petra is nothing more that a tourist attraction today!
The truth is that these Edomites had a problem with pride!
Wise King Solomon wrote these words:
Pro 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Pride becomes a problem when we think of our own selves more highly than we ought to think!
*****Oba 1:3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
The city of Petra was considered almost impregnable because of the very narrow gorges which were its only access routes.
AND, Edom saw it's greatest power in the days this nation controlled the chief trade routes between Asia and Egypt.
BUT, the Edomites became irreligious, proud and self-centered!
They were destitute of of the laws of God and actually condemned those that followed the things of Jehovah.
We would be foolish if we did not see this same thing happening in America today!
America's politicians, it's leaders, it's judges, and many of the Church are destitute of the "Laws of God"!
The homes of the Edomites were among cliffs and the mountains, in many natural and some man-made caves.
They considered themselves to be like the eagles and inaccessible to any enemy!
We should remember that pride is a trait of Satan and it is pride that led to his downfall and pride begins within the hearts of individuals!
Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
What is God's answer for pride?
*****Oba 1:4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.
Satan was cast out of Heaven because of his pride, how are we to believe that we can get into God's Heaven if we allow pride to dominate our own lives?
If we remember that God never breaks a promise then we know He will also keep His promise of judgment!
What is certain about every sin? Sin is deceiving.
Some man once said, Sin will take you farther than you want to go, Keep you longer than you want to stay and Cost you more than you want to pay!
**Pride can be the most deceiving of all sin!
The facts are that all attempts to avoid the punishment for sin will fail on the day of judgment!
For the wages of sin are death and you will become alienated from the God, you have hated and despised all your years!
God is rejected when His Word has no effect on your life!
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
**Pride causes over confidence.
When we presume we can save ourselves by our own power or by our own riches or even by our own reputation, we are gambling our lives on things we do not actually possess!
Everything we have mentally and physically belong to God!
1Ti 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
These things are certain because these things are the truth and the truth cannot be denied in the end!
**Pride is also a most destructive force.
Amo 9:2 Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:
There is no one who can hide from the judgment of God!
When evil men judge other evil men, they will most always leave something behind but the judgment of God means a complete and a total devastation!
*****Oba 1:5 If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes?
God explains that the destruction of Edom would be a complete destruction!
God says if a thief came while you were away, he would only take what he could sell.
God says if a robber came by night and over powered you, they would only destroy till they had enough and they would leave the rest behind.
God adds, why aren't these things clear to you!
God said that the Jew were commanded to leave the gleanings behind for the poor but the judgment of God would not leave anything behind.
God's judgment will end in a complete and total devastation!
Obadiah prophesied that you cannot hide anything from the wrath of God!
*****Oba 1:6 How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up!
When we see things happen and that cannot be explained by the things of this world, then we need to look up!
It is our holy God who sits on His throne in Heaven and controls our world!
AND, God says the destruction of Edom was His doing:
Jer 49:10 But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not.
The truth is that Edom became politically extinct in the time of the Romans!
Jer 49:8 Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him.
And God says to all those that reject the Scriptures, to keep in mind that it is the God of Israel that has done all these things!
Isa 45:3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
The pure fact is, that when we as a nation reject the little nation of Israel as our friend and choose to be friends with the enemies of Israel instead, "we are stepping straight into the judgment of God"!
We have many such foolish leaders who strive to be an enemy of Israel.
America will be asking the same question! How were we cut off from the blessings of God?
In fact we can see this truth taday!
We must never forget God's promise!
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
*****Oba 1:7 All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.
A confederacy is a league or covenant between two or more persons or two or more political states.
What is the truth of a confederacy?
The friendships of the world are often a confederacy in deceit and deception!
In our world today, enemies are joining hands in deception while true friends are being cast aside!
God says there is coming a day when those you trust the most are the very ones that will set a trap for you to your destruction!
God says you will be at a loss in trying to understand how these things could happen.
What are the facts of Scripture?
Edom was indeed driven out of their own nation with most of them forsaken or destroyed and left to stand alone when the Nabateans conquered Edom.
These Nabateans are also referred to as the Arabians and they were also removed from Edom by the Romans.
Mal 1:3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
The truth is that God will have His way with all nations and with all peoples on this planet we call Earth!
*****Oba 1:8 Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?
One visit to the city of Petra will show that these were not an ignorant people in their construction ability.
They truly built a beautiful and magnificent city.
History boasts of their intellectual and their physical accomplishments!
They prospered many years by controlling the trade routes through their nation.
But what is God's answer to these things?
1Co 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
1Co 3:20 And again, "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain".
It takes a foolish world to ignore the truth of God!
No matter what the world says, the Word of God has never been proven to be wrong!
These things fuel pride and we already know with pride comes downfall!
Pro 26:12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
How does God describe the fool?
All those that trust in their own power and ignore the truth of God!
*****Oba 1:9 And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.
Foolish men sometimes trust in their heroes.
We sometimes forget that our own history shows that America gained independence by defeating, the then most powerful army and navy in the world.
This was also considered to be an impossible thing in that day but it still happened!
America is not so powerful that she can never be defeated!
The King of England and his greedy government trusted in his mighty men and he was certainly dismayed!
It was the city of Teman, named after Esau's grandson that protected the entrance into Petra the capitol city of Edom.
God said even these that were once wise had become fools!
That word slaughter means by violent death.
That "mount of Esau" was sometimes called Mount Seir.
In other words the people of Edom would die a violent death rather than death of old age and their own military would be unable to stop this from happening!
By the way this is part of the land that is now called the nation of Jordan.
SO, Why was Edom being singled out at this time?
*****Oba 1:10 For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.
The same hatred that Esau had for his own brother Jacob, has remained throughout more than 38 centuries!
Gen 27:41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
AND, This is still the theme of most all Arab nations today as they still seek the destruction of Israel.
Their plan remains to slay their brother Jacob!
Those that think the Lord has forgotten these things do not know the Lord!
Psa 137:7 Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
One day the punishment of Israel will be over and the children of Esau will be no more!
Lam 4:22 The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins.
And what were the sins of Edom that could not be forgiven!
*****Oba 1:11 In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.
That family feud that continues through this day, never seems to cease because the descendants of Esau simply will not allow peace to happen and so they have become a part of those that seek the destruction of their own family heritage.
When King Nebuchadnezzar and his armies laid siege on Judah, Edom stood by offering no help to their own family by blood.
When Judah was carried off by Nebuchadnezzar, Edom took part in the pillaging of Jerusalem even drawing lots to see who would get the best of the leftovers from what Nebuchadnezzar's armies had already carried away, when they should have offered help to those that were to poor and to miserable for even Nebuchadnezzar.
In fact the armies of Edom attempted to destroy all those that remained in order to annihilate all the Jews.
Esau still despises the Covenant Promises Of God!
But God will never allow these things to happen and the Lord Jesus will settle all these things when He returns!
The family, is the most precious thing in the eyes of God, beyond that individual believer.
Esau and Jacob were twin brothers of their father Isaac and their mother Rebekah.
One of the purposes of the prophet Elijah at his return will be to restore the family.
Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
There are many things that these descendants of Esau should not have done!
These are also some of the things that we should also not do today!
*****Oba 1:12 But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.
We should never celebrate the death or the destruction of anyone, especially not our family and not even our enemies!
We are all one people created in the same image of God!
God says:
Luk 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
Gods also says these words:
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The Jews of Judah had been carried away from the land that God had given to them and at the least their own blood relatives should have been in mourning and distressed about these things instead of being so jubilant and saying it was good enough for them.
God does not ever forget that these things happened!
But there is more.
*****Oba 1:13 Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity;
We already know that it was only the poor and uneducated that had been left behind in a city that had already been destroy by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans.
Instead of showing pity and compassion for God's people, Edom had pleasure and delight at the sight of these things.
The world needs to remember these things, but certainly all those that call themselves Christians need to remember these things when other Christians are being persecuted throughout this world.
AND, We should also be in great mourning for all those in our own family that reject the Word of God!
And they certainly should have never stolen from those poor who had already been robbed of most all their possessions!
God says:
Psa 12:5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
What had God expected of Edom?
Psa 82:3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
And even worst than these other things these Edomites had actually aided the enemy!
*****Oba 1:14 Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress.
Who is all our true enemy?
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary "the devil", as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Jesus said it is Satan who is the original murderer and also the father of all liars!
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. "He was a murderer from the beginning", and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
We aid the enemy when we become a stumbling block to those seeking the Lord!
We just as well have delivered them into Hell ourselves!
This is exactly what these of Edom did to the Jews who had tried to escape from the destruction of the Chaldeans.
We see that God had His eyes on these Edomites!
We can be sure that all sin, and all the operations of sin, are under the watchful eyes of the Lord and the Bible proves that these things will certainly bring the judgment of God!
*****Oba 1:15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.
Who are these heathen?
Today in modern times heathen usually denotes all nations that are strangers to revealed religion.
The revealed faith in our world is Christianity!
But what is the truth?
**In many cases the word heathen means all the nations of the world and not the Jews.
But God has said that even the heathen can be saved!
**In many cases the word heathen means those that worship idolatry rather than Jehovah God.
But God has said that if these repented they could also be saved!
**In the end the word "heathen" means all the people of this earth that do not know God and reject the truth of God!
These are they that reject the Word of God till the day they die and end up in the "Burning Lake Of Fire"!
These "heathen" are the ones that this warning of Obadiah is meant for!
We must all make the decision of who we are going to serve, because the one thing that is certain is that we lill day die!
Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
God says the wages of sin are death and all those that reject the Word of God "as it is written", will meet their already determined doom, but that's not all.
Isaiah says it best:
Isa 3:9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! "for they have rewarded evil unto themselves".
Isa 3:10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
Isa 3:11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Isa 3:12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. "O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths".
Isa 3:13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
The truth of those that reject the Word of God is that they will have rewarded evil unto themselves!
*****Oba 1:16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.
God has this warning for all nations.
It is a fact that the Jews, God's covenant people, have been persecuted and have drunk of the wrath of God since the days of Solomon.
We are reminded many times how the Jewish people have suffered and continue to be ridiculed and persecuted even today.
God says to the heathen, let this be in your mind, if God has allowed these things to happen to the Jewish people then even more will God allow His judgment on the heathen nations!
Isa 49:25 But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: "for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children".
Isa 49:26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
And what is the warning to the Church?
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
As we set on the world's stage, in full view of the things that are happening, we are foolish to think that Israel should ever give up any of the land that was promised to them by Jehovah God!
*****Oba 1:17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and "the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
It does not much matter what the Muslim say about the Temple Mount, God says the house of Jacob "shall" possess their possessions"!
The truth is, that Israel became a nation once again on May 14, 1948 since that time the prophesy clocks have been winding down at a faster pace!
Because there will one day soon be holiness upon Mount Zion and this world can do nothing to stop it!
Amo 9:8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.
Amo 9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
Amo 9:11 "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old":
Amo 9:12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.
All those that truly seek peace with Israel will always find a willing partner for peace, but the land itself is non-negotiable and should never be part of any peace process!
Mount Zion can only be in holiness when there is no longer anything common or unclean on it!
Holiness means it belongs to God to do as He pleases!
Personal holiness happens as we grow in our walk with the Lord!
2Co 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, "perfecting holiness" in the fear of God.
*****Oba 1:18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it.
The phrase house of Jacob and the house of Joseph has the real meaning of a united kingdom.
There are no lost tribes of Israel!
And, Many nations have risen and fallen but the people of God will remain the same, Because the Word of God never changes!
There is coming a day that Israel will have the power to conquer and destroy all her enemies.
Is that today, it has proven to be true so far since 1948!
AND, It is very foolish for anyone or any nation to test the strength of God!
Our God is a consuming fire and Edom and all those in "type" who are like Edom, will be the fuel for that fire!
Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
*****Oba 1:19 And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
What is the truth of Israel?
The Jews, in a coming time in the near future that occupy the south which is the land of Judah will also possess the old land of Edom, which is now in the hands of Jordan.
The Jews, who occupy the low country along the Mediterranean Sea shall possess not only the land given to them of God but also all the land that once belonged to the Philistines and that includes Gaza.
The rightful owners of Ephraim will be restored to the possession of their land, and Samaria which includes all the West Bank.
The tribe of Benjamin will possess Gilead the land east of the river Jordan.
And that's not all:
*****Oba 1:20 And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.
Israel will one day regain all the land that was called the Promised Land in the covenant to Abraham!
In the time of Joshua, there were some of those people who were not actually over come but on this future date Israel would over come all her foes and spread in all directions!
What day will all these things be put in place?
Psa 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Psa 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Psa 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Psa 2:10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psa 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
*****Oba 1:21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S.
In the time of the "Judges" there was no king of Israel, it was the Judges that were the temporary saviors.
Neh 9:26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
Neh 9:27 Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
Neh 9:28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;
Neh 9:29 And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
In the time of those temporary saviors, Israel always returned to their wicked ways, but that will not be the case when the kingdom is the Lords!
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev 2:28 And I will give him the morning star.
Rev 2:29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
The fulfilling of these words of Obadiah will be complete when the Lord Jesus returns to sit on the throne of His father David!
To Israel, He is known as Yahwey!
To the Church, He is known as Jesus!
Luk 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
Luk 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luk 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luk 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Questions?
Let's Pray!
Book of Obadiah
We know of Major prophets of the Bible and the Minor prophets of the Bible.
The words Major and Minor have only one meaning and that is the size of these great books of the Bible.
No prophet's message was more important than any other of the prophets!
The Book of Obadiah is a book of only one chapter but the content of the Book of Obadiah is just as important as all the Bible, because all scripture is given to us to profit from it's content!
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
If we did not need these words of Obadiah then they would not be available to us!
Much of this book is about the "pride" of the old nation of Edom.
And much of this book is about God's "judgment" of that nation.
Any time God's judgment is involved then that is a place we need to pay particular attention to!
To understand the Book of Obadiah we need to be familiar with the twin sons of Isaac which were Jacob and Esau.
The Bible says that Esau was a profane man:
Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
The word "profane" has the meaning of, "anyone who is irreverent to the things of God".
A man is profane when he takes the name of God in vain!
In other words the things of God held no special meaning for Esau.
What had God promised to Abraham?
Gen 17:21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
The covenant to Abraham of the Messiah and the nation of Israel would pass down through Isaac and on through one of his own sons and would continue until the day Jesus Christ would be born.
Since Christ Jesus can never die, He would fulfill the covenant made to Abraham!
What was the truth of the family of the Jew in those days?
The birthright of Esau who was the first born son of Isaac would be "by law" the one that the covenant of Abraham would continue on through.
BUT, Esau did not care for the things of God!
Esau lived for the moment as most of the world still does today!
Therefore, Esau represents a "type" of all those of humanistic beliefs!
Esau gave up this special birthright and Esau despised his birthright because he could not see any profit in that birthrite in his days!
Gen 25:31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
Gen 25:32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
Gen 25:33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
Gen 25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
Later on in his life Esau realized that he had given up a part of his inheritance but he still had no concern for the things of God and he regretted that decision he had made that day.
Esau felt that his brother Jacob had deceived him, therefore the name Jacob came to mean a deceiver.
Gen 27:36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
God uses the word hate when he describes his small love for Esau for what he had done.
Rom 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
God uses the word hate because Esau refused to repent for his rejection of the things of God!
Heb 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
What does God say of these things?
2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
Esau only felt sorry because he received half as much of the inheritance of Abraham as did Jacob.
Esau became enraged with Jacob because he missed out on his worldly blessing and not because he missed out on fulfilling the covenant promises of God.
Esau never wanted any part of the covenant promises of God to his father Isaac!
You see by Jewish law Esau would have gotten two times as much of his fathers possessions as the first born child.
SO, From Esau began the nation of Edom and that hatred like spirit that came from Esau which also included the descendants of Ishmael have kept that hatred stirred up for more than 3800 years and we see this hatred still dominates the Middle East today.
The Book of Obadiah describes the judgment of God on Edom and it would pay for those nations surrounding Israel with hatred to observe the words of Obadiah even today!
It would be beneficial for all Muslim to discard the Koran and take up the Bible, the true Word of God!
*****Oba 1:1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.
Of all the men named Obadiah mentioned in the Bible, the Obadiah that wrote the Book of Obadiah was probably not any of those.
Somewhat like Elijah, Obadiah just appeared on the scene when God had directed him to do so!
Obadiah's age, his country, his parents, his birth, his grave and any other historical fact are unknown or at least not mentioned because they held no importance to his message which came from Jehovah God!
Much like John the Baptist, Obadiah was a voice for the Lord, crying in the wilderness.
The Book of Obadiah is very short, just one chapter, and it's message is a message of doom and judgment!
The first recorded words of Obadiah were: Thus saith Adonay Jehovah.(Thus Saith The Lord God)
That word "Adonay" declares the sovereign God of the Cosmos and that God is Jehovah!
There is no other being in Heaven or on Earth that is worthy of that title except the Lord Jesus Christ!
SO, The words of Obadiah, which were Holy Ghost inspired, concern Edom and many would say they are irrelevent today and they would be wrong!
Edom and Idumea are one and the same and mean, red; earthy; or bloody!
This fact remains, God hates bloody men!
Psa 5:6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the "bloody and deceitful man".
Psa 26:9 Gather not my soul with sinners, "nor my life with bloody men":
Psa 26:10 In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
Psa 59:2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, "and save me from bloody men".
Psa 59:3 For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.
The Book of Obadiah is then not only a book of prophesy but spiritually speaking, then the Book of Obadiah is also a message concerning our own personal battle that takes place in the heart of every believer!
We all live in a battle withen our own selves, much like Rebekah the mother of Esau and Jacob:
Gen 25:22 And "the children struggled together within her"; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
Gen 25:23 And the LORD said unto her, "Two nations are in thy womb", and "two manner of people" shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and "the elder shall serve the younger".
Esau had seen this prophesy fulfilled with his own eyes and this brought him his great anger!
The truth is, We have to pick up our own cross daily because we are also in a battle with our own flesh on a daily basis!
The name Obadiah means a servant or a worshiper of Jehovah and if you are a born again child of God then your name can also be Obadiah!
Obadiah also describes God's punishment of Edom, (bloody men) for the cruel unbrotherly conduct toward Judah, (those that praise the Lord).
We must consider all these things as we go through the Book of Obadiah!
What is hatred?
Hatred may be the dislike of one toward another but hatred is also an aversion to do evil!
Hatred is a work of the flesh and a work of the mind and the works of the flesh will keep us out of God's Heaven!
Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Hatred can cause the child of God not to witness to some lost soul and if that soul ends up in Hell because of that then we have also become murderers!
1Jn 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
1Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
1Jn 3:15 "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer": and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
1Jn 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
BUT, if you belong to the Lord, then you are already and ambassador for Christ Jesus!
2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
In this age it is the Church who are the ambassadors sent among the heathen!
*****Oba 1:2 Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.
Who are the heathen?
Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
It is all those that remain "heathen" who are without hope and without God today!
The heathen in the sense of this verse are, all the nations that are without God because they have rejected the Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ.
Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, "being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them", because of the blindness of their heart:
It is these that make up the nations that are alienated from the life of God!
God explained to Edom that they were the most small and the most despised, even among those who were just like them!
In verse one we read that God has summoned even the other heathen nations to rise up in battle against Edom.
This prophesy will also be fulfilled in the future!
God is saying that those who alienate themselves from the things of God will become so insignificant in this world, that even the others who are godless will despise them.
What was God's promise to the nation of Edom?
Jer 49:13 For I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and "all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes".
That word "perpetual" means without ceasing, continuing forever!
The capitol city of Edom which is Petra is nothing more that a tourist attraction today!
The truth is that these Edomites had a problem with pride!
Wise King Solomon wrote these words:
Pro 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Pride becomes a problem when we think of our own selves more highly than we ought to think!
*****Oba 1:3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
The city of Petra was considered almost impregnable because of the very narrow gorges which were its only access routes.
AND, Edom saw it's greatest power in the days this nation controlled the chief trade routes between Asia and Egypt.
BUT, the Edomites became irreligious, proud and self-centered!
They were destitute of of the laws of God and actually condemned those that followed the things of Jehovah.
We would be foolish if we did not see this same thing happening in America today!
America's politicians, it's leaders, it's judges, and many of the Church are destitute of the "Laws of God"!
The homes of the Edomites were among cliffs and the mountains, in many natural and some man-made caves.
They considered themselves to be like the eagles and inaccessible to any enemy!
We should remember that pride is a trait of Satan and it is pride that led to his downfall and pride begins within the hearts of individuals!
Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
What is God's answer for pride?
*****Oba 1:4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.
Satan was cast out of Heaven because of his pride, how are we to believe that we can get into God's Heaven if we allow pride to dominate our own lives?
If we remember that God never breaks a promise then we know He will also keep His promise of judgment!
What is certain about every sin? Sin is deceiving.
Some man once said, Sin will take you farther than you want to go, Keep you longer than you want to stay and Cost you more than you want to pay!
**Pride can be the most deceiving of all sin!
The facts are that all attempts to avoid the punishment for sin will fail on the day of judgment!
For the wages of sin are death and you will become alienated from the God, you have hated and despised all your years!
God is rejected when His Word has no effect on your life!
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
**Pride causes over confidence.
When we presume we can save ourselves by our own power or by our own riches or even by our own reputation, we are gambling our lives on things we do not actually possess!
Everything we have mentally and physically belong to God!
1Ti 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
These things are certain because these things are the truth and the truth cannot be denied in the end!
**Pride is also a most destructive force.
Amo 9:2 Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:
There is no one who can hide from the judgment of God!
When evil men judge other evil men, they will most always leave something behind but the judgment of God means a complete and a total devastation!
*****Oba 1:5 If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes?
God explains that the destruction of Edom would be a complete destruction!
God says if a thief came while you were away, he would only take what he could sell.
God says if a robber came by night and over powered you, they would only destroy till they had enough and they would leave the rest behind.
God adds, why aren't these things clear to you!
God said that the Jew were commanded to leave the gleanings behind for the poor but the judgment of God would not leave anything behind.
God's judgment will end in a complete and total devastation!
Obadiah prophesied that you cannot hide anything from the wrath of God!
*****Oba 1:6 How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up!
When we see things happen and that cannot be explained by the things of this world, then we need to look up!
It is our holy God who sits on His throne in Heaven and controls our world!
AND, God says the destruction of Edom was His doing:
Jer 49:10 But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not.
The truth is that Edom became politically extinct in the time of the Romans!
Jer 49:8 Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him.
And God says to all those that reject the Scriptures, to keep in mind that it is the God of Israel that has done all these things!
Isa 45:3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
The pure fact is, that when we as a nation reject the little nation of Israel as our friend and choose to be friends with the enemies of Israel instead, "we are stepping straight into the judgment of God"!
We have many such foolish leaders who strive to be an enemy of Israel.
America will be asking the same question! How were we cut off from the blessings of God?
In fact we can see this truth taday!
We must never forget God's promise!
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
*****Oba 1:7 All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.
A confederacy is a league or covenant between two or more persons or two or more political states.
What is the truth of a confederacy?
The friendships of the world are often a confederacy in deceit and deception!
In our world today, enemies are joining hands in deception while true friends are being cast aside!
God says there is coming a day when those you trust the most are the very ones that will set a trap for you to your destruction!
God says you will be at a loss in trying to understand how these things could happen.
What are the facts of Scripture?
Edom was indeed driven out of their own nation with most of them forsaken or destroyed and left to stand alone when the Nabateans conquered Edom.
These Nabateans are also referred to as the Arabians and they were also removed from Edom by the Romans.
Mal 1:3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
The truth is that God will have His way with all nations and with all peoples on this planet we call Earth!
*****Oba 1:8 Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?
One visit to the city of Petra will show that these were not an ignorant people in their construction ability.
They truly built a beautiful and magnificent city.
History boasts of their intellectual and their physical accomplishments!
They prospered many years by controlling the trade routes through their nation.
But what is God's answer to these things?
1Co 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
1Co 3:20 And again, "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain".
It takes a foolish world to ignore the truth of God!
No matter what the world says, the Word of God has never been proven to be wrong!
These things fuel pride and we already know with pride comes downfall!
Pro 26:12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
How does God describe the fool?
All those that trust in their own power and ignore the truth of God!
*****Oba 1:9 And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.
Foolish men sometimes trust in their heroes.
We sometimes forget that our own history shows that America gained independence by defeating, the then most powerful army and navy in the world.
This was also considered to be an impossible thing in that day but it still happened!
America is not so powerful that she can never be defeated!
The King of England and his greedy government trusted in his mighty men and he was certainly dismayed!
It was the city of Teman, named after Esau's grandson that protected the entrance into Petra the capitol city of Edom.
God said even these that were once wise had become fools!
That word slaughter means by violent death.
That "mount of Esau" was sometimes called Mount Seir.
In other words the people of Edom would die a violent death rather than death of old age and their own military would be unable to stop this from happening!
By the way this is part of the land that is now called the nation of Jordan.
SO, Why was Edom being singled out at this time?
*****Oba 1:10 For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.
The same hatred that Esau had for his own brother Jacob, has remained throughout more than 38 centuries!
Gen 27:41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
AND, This is still the theme of most all Arab nations today as they still seek the destruction of Israel.
Their plan remains to slay their brother Jacob!
Those that think the Lord has forgotten these things do not know the Lord!
Psa 137:7 Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
One day the punishment of Israel will be over and the children of Esau will be no more!
Lam 4:22 The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins.
And what were the sins of Edom that could not be forgiven!
*****Oba 1:11 In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.
That family feud that continues through this day, never seems to cease because the descendants of Esau simply will not allow peace to happen and so they have become a part of those that seek the destruction of their own family heritage.
When King Nebuchadnezzar and his armies laid siege on Judah, Edom stood by offering no help to their own family by blood.
When Judah was carried off by Nebuchadnezzar, Edom took part in the pillaging of Jerusalem even drawing lots to see who would get the best of the leftovers from what Nebuchadnezzar's armies had already carried away, when they should have offered help to those that were to poor and to miserable for even Nebuchadnezzar.
In fact the armies of Edom attempted to destroy all those that remained in order to annihilate all the Jews.
Esau still despises the Covenant Promises Of God!
But God will never allow these things to happen and the Lord Jesus will settle all these things when He returns!
The family, is the most precious thing in the eyes of God, beyond that individual believer.
Esau and Jacob were twin brothers of their father Isaac and their mother Rebekah.
One of the purposes of the prophet Elijah at his return will be to restore the family.
Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
There are many things that these descendants of Esau should not have done!
These are also some of the things that we should also not do today!
*****Oba 1:12 But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.
We should never celebrate the death or the destruction of anyone, especially not our family and not even our enemies!
We are all one people created in the same image of God!
God says:
Luk 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
Gods also says these words:
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The Jews of Judah had been carried away from the land that God had given to them and at the least their own blood relatives should have been in mourning and distressed about these things instead of being so jubilant and saying it was good enough for them.
God does not ever forget that these things happened!
But there is more.
*****Oba 1:13 Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity;
We already know that it was only the poor and uneducated that had been left behind in a city that had already been destroy by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans.
Instead of showing pity and compassion for God's people, Edom had pleasure and delight at the sight of these things.
The world needs to remember these things, but certainly all those that call themselves Christians need to remember these things when other Christians are being persecuted throughout this world.
AND, We should also be in great mourning for all those in our own family that reject the Word of God!
And they certainly should have never stolen from those poor who had already been robbed of most all their possessions!
God says:
Psa 12:5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
What had God expected of Edom?
Psa 82:3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
And even worst than these other things these Edomites had actually aided the enemy!
*****Oba 1:14 Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress.
Who is all our true enemy?
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary "the devil", as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Jesus said it is Satan who is the original murderer and also the father of all liars!
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. "He was a murderer from the beginning", and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
We aid the enemy when we become a stumbling block to those seeking the Lord!
We just as well have delivered them into Hell ourselves!
This is exactly what these of Edom did to the Jews who had tried to escape from the destruction of the Chaldeans.
We see that God had His eyes on these Edomites!
We can be sure that all sin, and all the operations of sin, are under the watchful eyes of the Lord and the Bible proves that these things will certainly bring the judgment of God!
*****Oba 1:15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.
Who are these heathen?
Today in modern times heathen usually denotes all nations that are strangers to revealed religion.
The revealed faith in our world is Christianity!
But what is the truth?
**In many cases the word heathen means all the nations of the world and not the Jews.
But God has said that even the heathen can be saved!
**In many cases the word heathen means those that worship idolatry rather than Jehovah God.
But God has said that if these repented they could also be saved!
**In the end the word "heathen" means all the people of this earth that do not know God and reject the truth of God!
These are they that reject the Word of God till the day they die and end up in the "Burning Lake Of Fire"!
These "heathen" are the ones that this warning of Obadiah is meant for!
We must all make the decision of who we are going to serve, because the one thing that is certain is that we lill day die!
Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
God says the wages of sin are death and all those that reject the Word of God "as it is written", will meet their already determined doom, but that's not all.
Isaiah says it best:
Isa 3:9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! "for they have rewarded evil unto themselves".
Isa 3:10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
Isa 3:11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Isa 3:12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. "O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths".
Isa 3:13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
The truth of those that reject the Word of God is that they will have rewarded evil unto themselves!
*****Oba 1:16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.
God has this warning for all nations.
It is a fact that the Jews, God's covenant people, have been persecuted and have drunk of the wrath of God since the days of Solomon.
We are reminded many times how the Jewish people have suffered and continue to be ridiculed and persecuted even today.
God says to the heathen, let this be in your mind, if God has allowed these things to happen to the Jewish people then even more will God allow His judgment on the heathen nations!
Isa 49:25 But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: "for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children".
Isa 49:26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
And what is the warning to the Church?
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
As we set on the world's stage, in full view of the things that are happening, we are foolish to think that Israel should ever give up any of the land that was promised to them by Jehovah God!
*****Oba 1:17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and "the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
It does not much matter what the Muslim say about the Temple Mount, God says the house of Jacob "shall" possess their possessions"!
The truth is, that Israel became a nation once again on May 14, 1948 since that time the prophesy clocks have been winding down at a faster pace!
Because there will one day soon be holiness upon Mount Zion and this world can do nothing to stop it!
Amo 9:8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.
Amo 9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
Amo 9:11 "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old":
Amo 9:12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.
All those that truly seek peace with Israel will always find a willing partner for peace, but the land itself is non-negotiable and should never be part of any peace process!
Mount Zion can only be in holiness when there is no longer anything common or unclean on it!
Holiness means it belongs to God to do as He pleases!
Personal holiness happens as we grow in our walk with the Lord!
2Co 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, "perfecting holiness" in the fear of God.
*****Oba 1:18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it.
The phrase house of Jacob and the house of Joseph has the real meaning of a united kingdom.
There are no lost tribes of Israel!
And, Many nations have risen and fallen but the people of God will remain the same, Because the Word of God never changes!
There is coming a day that Israel will have the power to conquer and destroy all her enemies.
Is that today, it has proven to be true so far since 1948!
AND, It is very foolish for anyone or any nation to test the strength of God!
Our God is a consuming fire and Edom and all those in "type" who are like Edom, will be the fuel for that fire!
Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
*****Oba 1:19 And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
What is the truth of Israel?
The Jews, in a coming time in the near future that occupy the south which is the land of Judah will also possess the old land of Edom, which is now in the hands of Jordan.
The Jews, who occupy the low country along the Mediterranean Sea shall possess not only the land given to them of God but also all the land that once belonged to the Philistines and that includes Gaza.
The rightful owners of Ephraim will be restored to the possession of their land, and Samaria which includes all the West Bank.
The tribe of Benjamin will possess Gilead the land east of the river Jordan.
And that's not all:
*****Oba 1:20 And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.
Israel will one day regain all the land that was called the Promised Land in the covenant to Abraham!
In the time of Joshua, there were some of those people who were not actually over come but on this future date Israel would over come all her foes and spread in all directions!
What day will all these things be put in place?
Psa 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Psa 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Psa 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Psa 2:10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psa 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
*****Oba 1:21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S.
In the time of the "Judges" there was no king of Israel, it was the Judges that were the temporary saviors.
Neh 9:26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
Neh 9:27 Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
Neh 9:28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;
Neh 9:29 And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
In the time of those temporary saviors, Israel always returned to their wicked ways, but that will not be the case when the kingdom is the Lords!
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev 2:28 And I will give him the morning star.
Rev 2:29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
The fulfilling of these words of Obadiah will be complete when the Lord Jesus returns to sit on the throne of His father David!
To Israel, He is known as Yahwey!
To the Church, He is known as Jesus!
Luk 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
Luk 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luk 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luk 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Questions?
Let's Pray!
