Obadiah covers gamut on Edom

“For Obadiah to be the only one from the Old Testament, and the largest one of any of the five one-chapter books in the Bible, draws attention to it.

"You take notice right away in Obadiah that it’s about one nation and God just wiping that one nation off the face of the earth.

“It’s Edom, the Edomites, Esau’s descendants.  There are at least 15 major passages in the prophets about God’s destruction of the Edomites. There’s not any one other single group of people that He focuses that much attention on. It’s obviously very important.

“When you read down through the chapter, you notice immediately there are passages in the Book of Jeremiah echoed in Obadiah. When you try to identify where Obadiah shows up in history, it’s no doubt in connection with the Babylonian captivity and the mirroring of things in Jeremiah helps you understand that.

“There’s going to be a judgment on Esau, the Edomites, and the result of that is going to be that Israel expands her territory and eventually sets up a kingdom. The modern-day equivalent of the Edomites are the people we call the Palestinians.

“What Obadiah does is uses historical names for future identities and locations. In his book of prophecy, he’s going to talk about future events and things to take place in the last days. In verses 15-21, you’ll see all of that has to do with the Second Coming of Christ and setting up the kingdom.

“He wouldn’t say ‘Palestinian’ because that term didn’t exist in his day. In 135 A.D., when the Romans finally deported the last of the Israelis out of the land, they actually renamed the land after the Philistines, Israel’s bitter enemies, and so the Philistines lived in what we call the Gaza Strip.

“The book begins: [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.
[2] Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.

“There’s this conspiracy where the heathen are trying to get a group of people to arise up against Israel to war and he says to Edom, ‘I’ve made thee small among those heathen nations building up that conspiracy.’

“If you study the Edomites from Genesis 36 all the way to the time of Christ, they never conquered anybody hardly. They never were a great nation or military power. He says, ‘You’re despised.’

Verse 15: [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.

“God’s foreign policy in dealing with nations (per Genesis 12) is He told Abraham, ‘I will bless them that bless you and curse them that curse you.’ Edom has cursed Israel at every opportunity. They have what the Bible calls ‘a perpetual hatred’ for them.

Amos 1:11: [11] Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever:

“From the time of Esau hating Jacob, saying, ‘I’m going to kill my brother,’ and onward, he passed onto his descendants that hatred of Israel.

“This is not an isolated thing in the Scripture. Look at how Ezekiel 35 begins:[1] Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

[2] Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,
[3] And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.
[4] I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
[5] Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:

“From Genesis 36:8, we know Mount Seir is a part of Edom and it’s populated and taken over by the Edomites.

“For verse 3, in other words, because of this hatred they had for Israel, specifically in these cases in the time of the captivity, God said, ‘I’m going to destroy you,’ and that’s why of all the nations, even though Edom is going to be a small nation, it’s going to be a representative nation that is used to demonstrate the nations (plural) hatred of the nation Israel.

“There’s a verse in Hebrews 12 that tells you what it’s like for them to be despised: [16] Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
[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.

“You read that verse and say, ‘What in the world would make him call him a fornicator and a profane person!?’ in other words, he’s a male prostitute out on the street corner selling himself. Why would He call him that because he sold his birthright?

“When Esau sold his birthright he said, ‘I despise it; it’s of no value to me.’ His birthright was he was the heir to the Abrahamic Covenant. He was despising God’s plan in the earth and wanted no part of it.

“Instead of valuing it—I mean, God promised Abraham a seed, a land, a nation, great substance and that he would be a person of supreme stature in the earth, and these nations didn’t like that.

“Verse 3 in Obadiah is almost comical: [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?

“I mean, here’s a proud dude who thinks he’s invincible. He’s like some smug, self-satisfied, conceited dude who’s been deceived into thinking he’s something that he’s not. Now, he gets deceived by his buddies.

Verse 7: [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.

“Obadiah’s saying, ‘You’ve got a bunch of guys you’re in cahoots with and you think they think you’re something! You think they think you’re the cat’s meow; that you’re the most important person in the confederacy but they’ve deceived you. They’re just using you.’

“How does that happen? Pride. Edom thought, ‘We’re invincible.’

Verse 4: [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.

“God’s saying, ‘From the place you’ve exalted yourself and consider yourself invincible; from that position is where I’m going to bring you down.’

“This is how devastating it’s going to be: [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?
[6] How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up!

“In other words, if a robber came in to rob you, he wouldn’t take everything. Robbers only have so much room in their truck, but when they come after you, dude, there ain’t gonna be nuthin’ left.

“Verse 18 says it will be like stubble; so thorough, so severe, nothing’s going to be left. It’s all going to be gone.

[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.

Verses 7-8:

[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.
[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?

(new article tomorrow)