A Pre-Babylonian Exile Prophet Addressing the Nations.
Commentators disagreed, but generally it is believed that Obadiah was the earliest of the “writing prophets” active between 850 BC and 840 BC i.e., after the separation of the land into two kingdoms but before the invasion of the northern kingdom by Assyria. He was probably a contemporary of Elijah, Elisha and the prophet Joel (who addressed the southern kingdom).
Obadiah’s oracle was addressed to Edom. Although it is doubtful if any leader of Edom actually read it. One purpose of the oracle was to comfort and encourage Judah with a message that God will not abandon them. This may relate to the invasion of Jerusalem by the Philistines and Arabians between 848 BC and 841 BC.
Edom had rejoiced in Judah’s misfortune. This, of course, reflected the rivalry between Esau and Jacob. Being a close relative of Judah, Edom should have been supportive.
Obadiah points out that God is sovereign over all nations, whether they acknowledge His sovereignty or not. God’s desire is that we should show mercy and favour to our neighbours. Failure to do so will lead to judgment. A day is coming, “the day of the Lord”, when all wrongs will be righted. The Lord will bring justice to the world, and Edom will receive judgment.
Obadiah 2 – 4.
“Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be greatly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you. You who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, who will bring me down to the ground? Though you ascend as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down.” says the Lord.”
In contrast, Israel will triumph.
Obadiah 17 – 18.
“ “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame. But the house of Esau shall be stubble; they shall kindle them and devour them, and no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,” For the Lord has spoken.”
In the New King James version, the Book of Obadiah is entitled “The Coming Judgment on Edom” and is subtitled “The vision of Obadiah”.
The first thing we note about the matters which Obadiah is writing is that they come from a “vision”. That is, a revelation from God; a message supernaturally transmitted from God. This is not something which just occurred to Obadiah one day. There is strong confirmation that the prophet’s oracle did not originate from there prophet’s own thinking: “Thus says the Lord”. This national oracle is directed against Edom, a kingdom which lies to the east of the Dead Sea and south of Moab.
God informed Obadiah that He has sent an envoy calling for war against Edom. “The nations” in Scripture usually refers to the national entities of western Asia and North Africa. These nations will be used by God, despite their selfish motives, in attacking Edom. There are other prophesies against Edom in Jeremiah 49 and Ezekiel 25 and 35.
Ezekiel 35: 5 explains God’s animosity towards Edom, relating to the conflict between Jacob and Esau.
“Because you have had an ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity … “
And Edom was obstructive to Israel in the desert.
Numbers 20: 18.
“Then Edom said to him (the messenger from Moses) “You shall not pass through my land lest I come out against you with the sword.””
In verse 2, we can clearly see God’s intentions for Edom, “I will make you small among the nations, you shall be greatly despised.” God, through “the nations”, will reduce Edom to a shadow of its former self. This will be a reversal of Edom’s self-pride. False pride is the reason for its downfall, “the pride of your heart has deceived you”.
So, why did Edom have such confidence in its security? The answer is that Edom’s “habitation is high”. This is a very mountainous region. Edom’s leading city, Salo or Petra, was carved into the red cliffs south of the Dead Sea. It was considered to be impregnable against attack. Edom presumed it had physical safety. This led to the Edomites becoming haughty, “who will bring me down to the ground?” This attitude would be their downfall. God would bring them down from the “eagle” height and from their “nest among the stars.”
Verses 5 and 6 demonstrate how complete the destruction of Edom will be. If thieves or robbers had broken in, they would only have stolen what they wanted. Those gathering grapes would leave some for gleaning. But, because of God’s wrath, Edom would be stripped bare – even worse than if robbers had broken in.
“Oh, how Esau shall be searched out! How his hidden treasures shall be sought after!”
The nation will be systematically destroyed and again we can compare lines in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 49: 7 – 10.
“Against Edom. Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished? Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Dedan! For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will punish him. If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? If thieves by night, would they not destroy until they have enough? But I have made Esau bare; I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself. His descendants are plundered, his brethren and his neighbours, and he is no more.”
Note that Jeremiah uses the same images as Obadiah concerning thieves and grape-gatherers.
In verse 7, we see that Edom will be betrayed by previous friends, allies of Edom. “all the men of your confederacy”. The men “at peace with you” will suddenly turn on Edom and “lay a trap” for her. Edom will be decimated, even its “wise men” will disappear. Edom had a reputation for “wise men” among its citizens. And the “mighty men” i.e., the leaders of Edom, will be “cut off by slaughter”.
The name “Teman” came from a son of Eliphaz, who was the firstborn of Esau. The term is used by Obadiah to represent Edom. It is thought that Teman was the name of one of the principal cities of Edom. One of Job’s “comforters” was Eliphaz from Teman.
Verses 10 – 14 outline Edom’s Mistreatment of his “brother Jacob” and for that “shame shall cover you .. and You shall be cut off forever.” Edom’s transgressions are great and are described in relation to the invasion of Judah.
Verse 11 states, “in that day” i.e., the time that Judah was attacked by enemies (“strangers” and “foreigners”) was a time of great distress. Although Edom was not part of hostile forces coming against Judah, not only did they stand by and watch, making them just as bad as the attackers but they “rejoiced” over Judah’s destruction. They gloated and spoke “proudly” over Judah’s distress.
Verse 13. “You should not have entered the gate of My people”. Note that God describes Judah as “My people”. They may have been chastised for a season because of their disobedience, but they remain God’s people.
Presumably, Edom “entered the gate” of Jerusalem to loot the city after the military defeat. Also, Edom deliberately “stood at the crossroads” to capture fleeing Judeans to hand them over to the enemy as well as the people left in distress in the land. This was a cruel, unnecessary and heartless treatment of God’s people; without mercy or a shred of compassion for their “brother Jacob”. Perhaps the betrayal of a family relationship was the reason why Edom’s downfall was so final.
In verse 15, Obadiah warns that the “day of the Lord” is near. That is, the time when God’s judgment will come upon “all the nations” including Edom; all the nations which had participated in Judah’s distress. The nature of God’s punishment would reflect the nature of the sin done (“as you have done”) i.e., retributive punishment for their treatment of Judah.
Verse 16 states that Edom will “drink and swallow” the cup of God’s wrath. Judah experienced God’s wrath for a time, but the Edomites will “drink” continually with irreversible, permanent results: “they shall be as though they had never been”
The final part of Obadiah’s oracle gives comfort to Israel as it predicts the extinction of Edom.
Verses 17 – 18.
“But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame; but the house of Esau shall be stubble; they shall kindle and devour them. And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,” For the Lord has spoken.”
“Mount Zion” of course refers to Jerusalem. The references to “the house of Jacob” and “the house of Joseph” indicates one people united again into a single state. But not only a unified state but one in which there will be righteousness (“there shall be holiness”) and prosperity: “a flame” and “a fire” compared to Edom destroyed by fire and left “stubble” with “no survivors”.
The state of Israel will be great. It will be unified, righteous and prosperous. It will be greatly expanded in territory in part at the expense of Edom: “the south” (Southern Israel) will possess that part of Edom to its east; the “lowland” (the lower hills of Judah) between the central hill country and the central plain to the west, will come into Israel’s possession. Land which Judah and the Philistines had fought over incessantly during the early part of Israel’s history will finally become part of Israel. “Ephraim”, Samaria” and “Gilead” were part of Israel. And Ephraim and Samaria were the heartland of the northern kingdom. But at the time of Obadiah’s prophecy, all this region had passed under foreign domination and had experienced an influx of foreign populations. In “the day of the Lord” which Obadiah is describing these regions will again come into the possession of Israel. And the land will be restored to its rightful inhabitants.
Just to make sure of that the veracity of this message is understood, in verse 18 Obadiah states, “For the Lord has spoken”.
The people will see the restoration of Judah from exile (verse 20), “the captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad” will be brought back. The return of the exiles would be a sign to Judah and all the nations that the Holy One of Israel was not just a local God. That He could allow His people to be carried off into captivity in a foreign land, and be returned, was proof of His sovereign power over all the earth.
In verse 17 onwards, Obadiah is talking about the Lord’s Millennial kingdom; on Mount Zion “there shall be deliverance”. The boundaries of the Davidic and Solomonic kingdoms will expand to include that promised to Jacob in his dream at Bethel (Genesis 28: 14) which reaffirmed God’s promise to Abraham (Genesis 17). We have seen that this would include the South (the mountains of Esau), the West (Philistia), the North (Ephraim) and the East (Gilead).
Verse 21. “Saviours shall come to Zion”. Just as Jehovah raised up judges to deliver the people in ancient times, so He will establish leaders to administer the millennial Kingdom, “the kingdom shall be the Lord’s”. When the nations are judged in “the day of the Lord”, He will set up His millennial kingdom – a theocracy in which the Lord rules the people directly. God will restore all those who put their trust in Him.
That “the kingdom shall be the Lord’s” is Obadiah’s final word against all human arrogance, pride and rebellion. Edom had behaved arrogantly because it believed itself indestructible. But the Lord humbled the nation. It disappeared from human history in AD 70.
All the ancient peoples of that timein the land have disappeared – except one (Israel). And here Obadiah shows that Israel has a glorious future.
In our time, we can see many individuals who are tempted to consider themselves beyond the reach of God. But God will bring them low just as He lifts up those whom humble themselves before Him. And one great day He will establish His rule over all.
Obadiah teaches that God does not abandon His own.
Hallelujah!