http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 Commentary by Charles Box Questions by John C. Sewell EDOM WILL BY HUMBLED Obadiah 1:1-21
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 Edom Will Be Humbled Commentary By Charles Box Text: Obadiah 1:1-21, 1. The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Sovereign LORD says about Edom We have heard a message from the LORD: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, "Rise, and let us go against her for battle"- 2. "See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised. 3. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?' 4. Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares the LORD. 5. "If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night Oh, what a disaster awaits you would they not steal only as much as they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes? 6. But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged! 7. All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it. 8. "In that day," declares the LORD, "will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, men of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 9. Your warriors, O Teman, will be terrified, and everyone in Esau's mountains will be cut down in the slaughter. 10. Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever. 11. On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. 12. You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. 13. You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor look down on them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster. 14. You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble. 15. "The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. 16. Just as you drank on my holy hill, so all the nations will drink continually; they will drink and drink and be as if they had never been. 17. But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance. 18. The house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame; the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will set it on fire and consume it. There will be no survivors from the house of Esau." The LORD has spoken. 19. People from the Negev will occupy the mountains of Esau, and people from the foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead. 20. This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan will possess the land as far as Zarephath; the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the towns of the Negev. 21. Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the LORD's. (NIV)
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 Introduction: I. The Book of Obadiah is the shortest book among the minor prophets. A. Obadiah is, in fact, the shortest book in the Old Testament. 1. It contains only twenty-one (21) verses. II. Obadiah was written after the Jews had returned from their exile in Babylon. A. The name Obadiah means servant of the Lord. III. God announced through His prophet Obadiah that the Edomites would be destroyed because of: A. Their pride, B. Their sins against God, and C. Their sins against Israel. IV. The Edomites descended from Esau and the Israelites from his twin brother, Jacob. A. Their quarrels of a thousand years before had continued to affect their descendants. V. The pride of Edom had brought them to the point where they would face judgment from the Almighty. A. The kingdom of Edom would be destroyed completely.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 5 1. God said, 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. (Obadiah 1:4) (NIV) 2. God also told them, But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of they 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. (Obadiah 1:12) (NIV) 3. They were filled with pride and had failed to help Israel in her time of misfortune. 4. God promised, 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. (Obadiah 1:15) (NIV) VI. The chapter closes with the promise concerning the Savior for spiritual Israel and concerning His kingdom. A. Pride is a very destructive sin. B. Our pride must be only in Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Commentary: Edom s Pride and Punishment Obadiah 1:1-9, The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Sovereign LORD says about Edom We have heard a message from the LORD: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, "Rise, and let us go
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 6 against her for battle"- "See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?' Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares the LORD. "If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night Oh, what a disaster awaits you would they not steal only as much as they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes? But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged! All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it. "In that day," declares the LORD, "will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, men of understanding in the mountains of Esau? Your warriors, O Teman, will be terrified, and everyone in Esau's mountains will be cut down in the slaughter. (NIV) I. God gave Obadiah a message about Edom. A. The King James Version uses the word rumor to describe the vision and message of Obadiah. 1. The word means an authentic message from the Lord. a. It is not just some speculation as the word is usually used today. b. The message is certain, Edom will be humbled, Thus says the Lord God. (NIV) B. God s messenger had been sent out and the nations would rise against Edom in battle.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 7 1. The people of Edom were a doomed people because of their pride. 2. They would become one of the smaller nations and would be looked down upon by the heathen nations. II. The Edomites felt safe living in Mount Seir. A. They said in their heart, Who will bring me down to the ground? (NIV) 1. They thought no one could attack them there, but they were mistaken. 2. The Lord said, I will still bring you down, even if you fly higher than an eagle or nest among the stars. (NIV) B. God wants individuals and nations to be strong and selfsupporting, but He will not tolerate sinful pride. 1. The ruin that God would bring upon Edom would be total. a. Edom was doomed! b. Everything they valued would be taken from them. 2. Those that Edom looked upon as friends and allies would turn against her and drive her from her own land. a. The destruction would be total. b. And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter. (Obadiah 1:9) (NIV)
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 8 The LORD Condemns Edom s Cruelty Obadiah 1:10-14, Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever. On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor look down on them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster. You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble. (NIV) I. God condemned Edom for violence done to Jacob. A. While a physical relationship existed, there was a great deal of hostility, especially from Edom toward Jacob. 1. This is one of the reasons that motivated God to cut off Edom. a. Edom did nothing to help when strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem. (NIV) b. Edom took pleasure in the misfortunes of Jacob. c. When the inhabitants of Judah were carried into Babylon, Edom celebrated the disaster. (2 Kings 25) i. 2 Kings 25:1-30, So in the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 9 Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it. The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king's garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah, but the Babylonian army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him. They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 10 the rest of the populace and those who had gone over to the king of Babylon. But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields. The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the LORD and they carried the bronze to Babylon. They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service. The commander of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls all that were made of pure gold or silver. The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the movable stands, which Solomon had made for the temple of the LORD, was more than could be weighed. Each pillar was twenty-seven feet high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was four and a half feet high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its network, was similar. The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers. Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men and five royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land and sixty of his men who were found in the city. Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed. So
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 11 Judah went into captivity, away from her land. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to be over the people he had left behind in Judah. When all the army officers and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, and their men. Gedaliah took an oath to reassure them and their men. "Do not be afraid of the Babylonian officials," he said. "Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you." In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood, came with ten men and assassinated Gedaliah and also the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah. At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt for fear of the Babylonians. In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Evil-Merodach became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin from prison on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king's table. Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived. (NIV)
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 12 ii. God asked Edom, Why did you celebrate when such a dreadful disaster struck your relatives? Why were you so pleased when everyone in Judah was suffering? (NIV) II. Edom did not stop with taking delight in the misfortune of Judah. A. God reminded them that they had personally been cruel to His people. 1. Edom went through the cities of Judah gloating and sneering at the tragedy that had befallen them. 2. Not only that, they also looted and stole from them in the day of their calamity. a. It is a low down person that takes advantage of a situation like Judah was in to steal their valuables. b. Edom even blocked those that were trying to escape. c. After having ambushed these refugees they handed them over to their attackers. d. How cruel! The Day of the LORD is Near Obadiah 1:15-18, "The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. Just as you drank on my holy hill, so all the nations will drink continually; they will drink and drink and be as if they had never been. But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance. The house
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 13 of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame; the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will set it on fire and consume it. There will be no survivors from the house of Esau." The LORD has spoken. (NIV) I. God reminded Edom of His law that you reap what you sow. A. The day of the Lord was near for all nations. 1. It was time for Edom to pay in full for what she had done! 2. God said, As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head. (NIV) 3. Other nations, in addition to Edom, would feel the wrath of God. 4. Especially Edom, but other nations also, would drink the cup of God s anger and wrath. 5. Concerning those nations the Divine message was, it shall be as though they had never been. II. God promised that His people would return from Babylonian captivity and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions. A. It was prophesied that Judah would retake some of their lost territory. 1. The Edomites were to be completely overthrown as a ruling power. 2. Israel will be a fire, and Edom will be straw going up in flames. The LORD has spoken. (NIV)
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 14 The Kingdom of the LORD Obadiah 1:19-21, People from the Negev will occupy the mountains of Esau, and people from the foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead. This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan will possess the land as far as Zarephath; the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the towns of the Negev. Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the LORD's. (NIV) I. The destruction that was to come upon the nations was described in the words, 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. (Obadiah 1:19) (NIV) A. This was to take place when Judah repossessed the land of Palestine after the return from exile. B. The prophet wrote, 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. II. It is not unusual for the prophets to move from discussing physical Israel to discuss salvation in the spiritual kingdom of God. A. That is the case here. 1. Those the LORD has saved will live on Mount Zion and rule over Edom. Then the kingdom will belong to the LORD. (NIV)
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 15 Conclusion: a. The kingdom that would stand forever belongs to the Lord. b. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. (NIV) i. The kingdom what would stand forever is the Lord s spiritual kingdom or His church. ii. Daniel predicted, And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. (Daniel 2:44) (NIV) I. Do not allow pride to keep you from your salvation. II. The NIV Introduction to Obadiah reads, The name Obadiah means servant of Jehovah. Nothing more is known about this prophet than this short book containing his prophecy.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 16 Questions Obadiah 1:1-21 1. The of. This is what the says about. 2. Who was Edom? 3. We have heard a from the : An was sent to the to say,, and let us her for battle - 4. In the present age, how can we hear a message from the Lord? Who is God s envoy in our time? 5. The nations would and go against for. 6. Edom would be made among the and. 7. Edom s great sin was.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 17 8. Edom felt secure because they lived in the of the and made their home on the heights of Mount. 9. Edom thought no one could defeat the, that no one could bring them to the. 10. However God said, though you like the and make your among the, from there I will you. 11. How would God s ransacking, pillaging of Edom be worse that the pillaging by thieves, robbers and grape pickers? 12. What would Edom s allies, friends and those who ate with Edom do? Would Edom be aware of their deceitfulness? 13. The Lord declared that he would their, their and those in the. 14. Define Esau, Edom, Teman and Seir. How are they related?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 18 15. Because of Edom s against Jacob, Edom would be covered with,. 16. How can it be said that Edom and Jacob were brothers? 17. Of what sin of omission was Edom guilty? (see verse 11.) 18. You should not on your in the of his, nor over the of in the of their, nor so much in the of their. 19. You should not through the of my in the of their, nor on them in their in the of their in the of their.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 19 20. You should not at the to their, nor their in the of their. 21. Exactly what was the day of the Lord mentioned in verse 15? 22. As you, it will be to ; your will upon your. 23. What does verse 16 mean? 24. While Israel s enemies would be as if they had never existed, and the of will prosper, be, and possess its. 25. The houses of Jacob and Joseph will be a flaming while will be. Jacob and Joseph will Edom. 26. There will be no from the of. The has.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 20 27. What is the Negev? Where is it? Who were the people of the Negev? What would they do? 28. Who were the people from the foothills and what were they to do? _ 29. What would the tribe of Benjamin do? 30. This company of who are in will the as far as ; the from who are in will possess the of the. 31. will go up on to the of. And the will be the s. 32. When would the kingdom be the Lord s? Was this Kingdom a physical Kingdom, a spiritual Kingdom or both?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 21 33. Who was Obadiah? Give all the information you can about this prophet. 34. The NIV Introduction reads, The are heard of no more after the of in A.D.. 35. When was the book of Obadiah written? What was the purpose of Obadiah s prophecy? 36. Locate Zarephath and Sepharad. Why are they mentioned in the book of Obadiah?