THE FINAL PROCLAMATION, PART II (Obad. 17-21) 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. In our previous study we considered the promise of God with particular relation to the Old Testament children of Israel, and how God, - in His sovereign grace and eternal plan, - drew in the Gentile nations, as Paul wrote, Eph. 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 19 ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God. We looked at THE PLACE OF GOD S PROMISE, v.17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. Undoubtedly, the ancient land of Israel and its people throughout the generations have an identity that belongs to no other nation on earth. It has a special place in the heart and on the mind of God. He chose them out of all the other nations, and He sustained them and protected and chastened in a way that was and is unique to them. As Jesus remarked to His disciples outside the temple of Jerusalem, the people had already fallen by the edge of the sword, and He prophesied they would fall by the edge of the sword again, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled (Lk. 21:24). The times of the Gentiles were fulfilled, - many of us believe, - when the Israeli army reoccupied the temple mount in June 1967, after it had been in Gentile hands for 2,553 years, since 586 BC. The land is theirs. On the authority of God s Word, I cannot believe it will ever be taken from them again. God said through Zechariah, 12:2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
2 Does history, - ancient and modern, - not show the country to us as a cup of trembling unto all the people round about? Surely, - to all those who interfere in its business, - it is already a burdensome stone for all people. How shall Israel be protected? Will she be depending upon the US or the UN or the UK or some other league of nations? God says, v. 8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. 9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. It is not their special relationship in history that will be their defence, or their means of salvation Their means of salvation even at this moment must be waiting on the threshold of time, - He is waiting for the Father to send Him into battle. He is the Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11), v.16 he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 15 out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. He is ready to come! He is waiting for the command. The time is getting closer. God says, Zech. 14:2 I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle 3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives was the place from which He ascended into Heaven (Acts 1:9), and to which He will return, v.11 Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. In a more glorious way than any of us could ever imagine or fit into any eschatological doctrine our God will reign, Zech. 14:8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. It is a day fast approaching! What a day that will be when my Jesus is shall see, And I look upon His face, The One Who saved me by His grace; When He takes me by the hand And leads me through the Promised Land, What a day, glorious day that will be. Are you looking for it? Are you longing for it? It is the promise of God, our God Whose word can never be broken! This morning we shall turn our attention to the final aspects of Obadiah s message.
3 THE PROTECTION IN GOD S PROMISE & THE POSSESSIONS FROM GOD S PROMISE v.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. v.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. First of all, the background to this prophecy. The house of Jacob refers to the southern kingdom that remained under Rehoboam (i.e. Judah and Benjamin); the house of Joseph refers to the remaining ten tribes who revolted and made the rebel Jeroboam their king and formed the northern kingdom (I Kings 12f.). Both these houses were divided, but Obadiah prophesied they would eventually be united into one nation again in preparation for the Messianic Kingdom, - the rule of the Messiah. How shall the house of Jacob be a fire? What does the prophet mean when he says the house of Joseph will be a flame? What does he mean by his description of the people of Edom? Of course, fire (vae 'esh {aysh}) can often refer to judgement and punishment as in the fire and brimstone that fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah. However, that is not what is meant here. When Noah built the ark, before he entered into it, he offered burnt offerings on the altar (Gen. 8:20). Abraham offered up a burnt offering in the place of his son on Mount Moriah (Gen. 22:13). In Lev. 6:8-13 God set out how the burnt offering was to be presented One of the most spectacular of all the fires in Scripture is in I Kings 18. Elijah made all the preparations for the fire as he faced up to the prophets of Baal, and Ahab and Jezebel. When the preparation was complete, - as the evening was drawing in, - He prayed, I Kings 18:36 LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell. God came amongst His people again v.39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God. They recognised there were no other gods before or after Him!
4 Paul refers back to this period. Elijah, in despondency, said to the Lord, Rom. 11:3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. You see, fire is purifying. It cleans the dross from the real. The house of Jacob will be a fire, - it will be purified until a remnant according to the election of grace will be wonderfully preserved by God. The house of Jacob refers to the southern kingdom of Judah and Benjamin; the house of Joseph refers to the northern kingdom of the ten remaining tribes. They shall be a flame (hb'h'l, lehabah {leh-aw-baw'} or tb,h,l; lahebeth {lah-eh'-beth}). This particular word is also translated tip of a weapon, the point/head of the spear. It is the word used to translate the spear that belonged to Goliath (I Sam. 17:7). Therefore, it is a word often used in the sense of battle and warfare. In order to achieve the goal, great conflicts must be fought and won. The house of Jacob and the house of Joseph will be reunited, - as they are today, - against the enemy and the promise of God s Word is that they will unite and be victorious over the house of Esau who will be as stubble, and they [the houses of Jacob and Joseph] shall kindle in them [the house of Esau], and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau. Who was the house of Esau? They came from the man who was the brother of Jacob, the father of the Israelite nation. They came down through the generations as the sons of Ishmael, the son of Esau. Ishmael was the son of Hagar, and the grandson of Isaac, and the father of the Arab nations. They were in constant opposition to the children of Israel, and here Obadiah prophesied there shall not be any remaining of them on that Day of the Lord. Today, not exclusively, but in the great majority of the descendants of Edom the religion is that of Islam and God s Word says, 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 mountains of Edom will be possessed by Jacob and Joseph, the plains formerly possessed by the Philistines will return to Israelite authority. The regions of Ephraim, Samaria and Gilead will all belong to the Lord s people. All the land in that whole region will be returned to its rightful owners, under God!
5 When will all this take place? Will it happen in our lifetime? Will it be in some later age or dispensation? All I can say is that God has all the mechanisms in place whereby He is actively working towards fulfilling this prophecy and I believe we can see it taking shape today. The protection in God s promise, and the possessions from God s promise. THE PINNACLE OF GOD S PROMISE v.21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S. Notice the and, - this is a continuation of what has been developing over centuries but now the prophecy is coming to a close. The final chapter has been written. At this point there are only two sets of people, - the saviours on mount Zion, and those being judged on mount Esau, - the inhabitants inside Zion, and those outside Zion the citizens of Zion, and the strangers to Zion. The consequence of the whole scene is that the kingdom shall be the LORD'S Is. 4:3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem. First of all, the mention of saviours. The word Obadiah uses is the Hebrew word [v;y" yasha` {yaw-shah'}. It is the same word the name Jesus comes from (Yeshua). These saviours point to the only Saviour. They witness of Him. He is their breath, their sole reason for life. John similarly describes our position in Christ like this, I Jn. 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. This is the new Jerusalem, inhabited by God s redeemed people, - Jew and Gentile, - all one in Christ Jesus heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:28,29). Paul wrote about this, our privileged standing in Christ, Eph. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ I cannot imagine any more heavenly place than Rev. 21:2 the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
6 The saviours will all be there, because the Saviour is there when he shall appear, we shall be like him! They are in the new Jerusalem because that is where Jesus is. They are safely gathered into the Kingdom. They are its inhabitants through grace, and through grace alone. The enemy has been defeated, and all the citizens of Heaven have taken their place reserved for them from before the foundations of the world. They are there because of the Saviour, the Messiah. Yes, there will be Jews there and there will also be Gentiles but the only gate through which every last one of them will pass into that great city is through Christ the Saviour, Himself. No other way, No other way, No other way to get to Heaven, Jesus is the only way! CONCLUSION Believer, are you looking forward? With your eyes firmly fixed on the road today, are you looking forward? Look round you and you will be disturbed! Keep your eyes focussed on the world and you will be discouraged. Parents are agonising over whether or not, - this past week, - those three evil individuals abused their little children how can people be so depraved?! No, believer, keep looking forward. Keep your eyes focussed on your next step with the Lord, Heb. 12:1 let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. All of God s children look forward to that day when the Name of Christ is upheld in all its wonderful glory, Phil. 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father Rev. 11:15 The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. The world thinks it can ride ripshod over blaspheming the Name of Christ and treating Him with no respect. One day, they will discover what great error deluded them. Unbeliever, you re not saved yet, at the present moment this marvellous experience of seeing the Lord Jesus return in glory fills you with fear because you know you are not ready to meet Him. You have not made the preparations. There is no better time to make them as now. This very moment is the only opportunity you can be sure of. You may think you can leave off from deciding to accept Christ as Saviour and Lord to some other time but what other time can you guarantee? The truth is, you cannot be sure of even the next breath!
7 Look at the house of Esau, - it became stubble. They lost their possessions and their homeland. The Philistines lost their land. The fields of Ephraim and Samaria were taken away from them. Gilead was confiscated and given to God s people. Israel possessed the whole of Canaan all the former inhabitants lost everything they once held dear. Do you want to lose everything? You have the Gospel being offered to you reach out for it You almost have it in the grip of your hand. Oh, to be so close, and yet so far away! I often cringe when I hear someone saying that such-and-such a person is almost saved. I understand what they are saying, but almost saved means that the someone they speak about continues to be lost and dangling over the eternal flames of an everlasting Hell. Almost saved is of no use! Eternity awaits you will you ignore, - will you keep on refusing, - God s wonderful offer of saving grace, or will you reach out and take hold of it while you may? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved! Don t leave it another moment. Wonderful words of this personal faith in Christ: Mine! Mine! Mine! I know Thou art mine; Saviour, dear Saviour, I know Thou art mine. Shackled by a heavy burden, Neath a load of guilt and shame. Then the Hand of Jesus touched me, And now I am no longer the same. He touched me, Oh, He touched me, And oh the joy that floods my soul. Something happened and now I know, He touched me and made me whole. A sinner saved by grace. There is no other way a sinner can be saved other than by the Sovereign Grace of God. That is my testimony, - when I couldn t reach up to Him, He reached down to me. Believer, we are heading to Mount Zion, - that will be our final stop! Unbeliever, come to Christ and have your name on the roll and when that roll is called up yonder, - and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S, - you make sure, by believing in Christ today, you will be there! I trust the Lord has opened up something more of Himself to each of us, - something more we need to learn and to which we must respond, - through our study of this prophecy of Obadiah. Amen.