INTRODUCTION
Obadiah received a vision concerning God's judgment against "Edom." The Edomites were descendents of Essau, and had constantly given Israel problems.

In Numbers 20:14-20, they refused Moses' request to pass through their land.
In 1Samuel 14:47, they fought against King Saul.
In 1Kings 11:14-17, they fought against David.
In 1Kings 11:18-25, they opposed Solomon.

The Edomites had settled in an area surrounding Mt. Seir a little South of The Dead Sea. One part of their land was a narrow valley with high hills. In this valley, their capitol (Petra) was located. With pride they boasted of their power to defend their land.

Through Obadiah, God prophesies that they will be destroyed because of their pride and constant aggressiveness toward Israel.

In Ezekiel 35:15, God said the Edomites rejoiced when Israel was broken. And God said in the same verse that He would make them desolate.
In the fifth century B.C., the Edomites were chased from their territory by the Nabataeans. The majority of them then moved to Idumea in southern Palestine.

AUTHOR
Little is known of this "Obadiah." There are several other men named as Obadiah in the Bible, but none are attributed with this prophecy. The name Obadiah means "servant of the Lord," and that's about all we know of him. As Christians, we may be known for many things. But the MAIN this is to be known as a "servant of the Lord!"

THEME In this little book of only one chapter, I have always sensed God's admonishment against pride. Haughty arrogance against God's people reflects an attitude of rebelliousness against God Himself. Rebelliousness against God is THE sin of which man cannot be redeemed, because man (in his pride) will not repent and ask forgiveness.

Herod the Great was a descendent of the Edomites. He was a slave to his power and pride.

CHAPTER 1

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. 2 Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.

The "vision" is received from God and sent by an "ambassador" (Obadiah?) to proclaim judgment against the Edomites before it happens. Even in judgment, God acts in mercy allowing time for people to repent.

The Edomites had been around a long time. But compared to other nations, they were "small" in number.

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? 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.

Pride deceives! Pride inflates the estimation of one's self. These people felt they had a fortress which could easily be defended against all enemies. But even though they might set their "nest among the stars" they could not defend against GOD!

It is wrong to live life thinking we can do it on our own. The end result is a grave! And BEYOND that grave is eternal judgment of damnation!

I Did It All Myself

A young woman who won a coveted award smiled when her mother said, "I was praying you would get it." "Well, thank you," she replied, "but I earned this by my own hard work." Some people feel so sure of their self-sufficiency that they resent any implication that they owe God a word of thanks for the good things that come their way. Such an attitude could be justified only if a person were able to say, "I brought myself into the world, I endowed myself with all my talents and abilities, I raised myself, taught myself all I know, and control my present and future." (from Illustrations of Bible Truths Copyright © 1995, 1998 by AMG International, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)

We are not our own! We are God's creation. All we have and all we are belongs to HIM!

The only cure for the sin of pride is surrender to Christ as LORD of our lives!

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! 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.

Thieves only take things that are valuable. Grapegatherers only pluck ripe grapes. But these who joined together against Edom would take ALL!! The nation would literally be turned upside down, and ALL "his hidden things sought up!"

It is interesting that God would say those whom the Edomites had fed "bread" would be the very ones who would deceive and destroy them. And God says there is "no understanding" in the Edomites. Understanding, here, refers to reason, discretion, wisdom.

When men feed themselves on pride, it is self-worship and vain. In the end, it is self-deception. See how pride BLOCKS "understanding!"

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? 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.

The statement in verse 8 refers to worldly wisdom, and not spiritual wisdom. It does no good to have all the education in the world, if at the end, one faces God without having surrendered to Christ as Lord. The only REAL way to obtain wisdom is through surrender to Jesus as Lord.
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Prov 3:5-6)

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Prov 14:12)

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom : and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." (Prov 9:10)

10 For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. 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. 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. 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; 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. 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. 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.

Some of those Edomites stood by and laughed in derision when Israel was led away captive. Some of them blocked the lanes of escape. Some of them went in and stole valuables that were left behind. For these things, they were counted as part of the OFFENSE!

Notice that God counts people in "violence" when they stand "on the other side," and do nothing to help. By only standing there, they become "as one of them" who actually DO the violence! When people do things to others (harm, hurt, offend, destroy) no one can stand on the "sidelines" and be an "innocent bystander."

"He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." (Matt 12:30)

Now take a close look at verse 15. The time of eternal judgment is "near"! It is "near" because we all die soon. It is "near" because Christ may return before we die.

Listen! Hell is a place of ETERNAL VIOLENCE and torment! If one has not JOINED God in His redemptive work toward mankind, then one has OPPOSED God's work for man's redemption!! Instead of being a "fence-rider," he will find that he has been working AGAINST God!

17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. 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. 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. 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. 21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.

God's plan for the world is going to happen! He plans on coming again, in the Person of Jesus, to rule the world for 1,000 years (See Revelation 20:1-6). When that happens "Jacob" will be delivered, holiness will be conferred, and the land will be possessed by God's people.

Perhaps I should qualify that statement somewhat, lest someone get the wrong idea. ALL of the physical Israelites born to Jacob will NOT be redeemed and have the righteousness of God conferred upon them. This benefit is ONLY to spiritual children of God.

Therefore, a person born under the blood of Jacob's descendency is ONLY given redemption, righteousness and promise of the land IF that person surrenders in obedience to the Lordship of God through the Messiah.

BUT, ANY person can be born under the blood of JESUS'S descendency by the Holy Spirit of God. And all who do become part of the "Israel of God." When a person surrenders to the Lordship of Jesus, redemption, righteousness and possession of the land is CONFERRED!

"6 For they are not all Israel , which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed." (Rom 9:6-8)

My friends, one day, one blessed day, our Lord Jesus will come to physically take hold upon that which is rightfully His spiritually AND physically! He is spiritually the One and ONLY Son of God. He is physically the ONLY righteous heir to God's throne on earth. He IS the Jehovah of the Old Testament, and He IS the Jesus of the New Testament.

And all those who have come to Him by grace through faith will become a part of that "Israel" which is of GOD! FOr they have ALREADY been REDEEMED! They have ALREADY received the "righteousness of Christ" (2Corinthians 5:21)! And they ALREADY have the "promise of the possession!" They shall be given the right of possession of the earthly "promised land." And even MORE, they are ALREADY given the right of possession of the heavenly "promised land!"

When Jesus comes again, where will you be?
Will you be "in Essau;" proud of yourself, and unrepentant toward God?
Or will you be "in Jacob;" surrendered to His Lordship and looking up the ladder for Christ?

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.