OBADIAH
THIS short book is wholly concerned with the judgment of the nation which sprang from Esau, Jacob’s elder brother. They had taken possession of the territory of the Horites between the Dead Sea and the arm of the Red Sea called the Gulf of Akaba (Genesis 36:6-8,6And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob. 7For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle. 8Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom. (Genesis 36:6‑8) Deuteronomy 2:4-8, 124And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore: 5Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession. 6Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink. 7For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing. 8And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Ezion-gaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab. (Deuteronomy 2:4‑8)
12The Horims also dwelt in Seir beforetime; but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the Lord gave unto them. (Deuteronomy 2:12)), and thus it became the land of Edom. The Horites had made their dwellings in caves cut high up in the sides of the sandstone hummocks which abound in that country, and the Edomites made these caves their homes.
A jealous hatred of Jacob’s children early possessed the children of Esau; this first appears in the Scriptures in Numbers 20:14-2114And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: 15How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers: 16And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border: 17Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders. 18And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. 19And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet. 20And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. 21Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him. (Numbers 20:14‑21). The people of Israel were forbidden in the law to abhor an Edomite (Deuteronomy 23:77Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land. (Deuteronomy 23:7)), but they were numbered among their enemies (1 Samuel 14:4747So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and whithersoever he turned himself, he vexed them. (1 Samuel 14:47)). David subdued them (2 Samuel 8:1414And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became David's servants. And the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went. (2 Samuel 8:14)), but they revolted in the reign of Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat (2 Kings 8:20, 2220In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. (2 Kings 8:20)
22Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time. (2 Kings 8:22)), and more than once attacked Judah now grown weak because of turning from God (2 Chronicles 28:1717For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives. (2 Chronicles 28:17)).
Obadiah’s prophecy looks forward to a day still future, when the Jews will be settled in Palestine in much greater numbers than at present; the time will be just before the Lord, having already come for His heavenly saints, raising the dead and changing the living ones, will descend to the earth to set up His kingdom. There will be an alliance among nations north and east of Palestine, and with these Edom will be associated at first; their object will be to seize the Holy Land for themselves. References, to this alliance under the “king of the north” or “Assyrian” have occupied us in our studies of the Psalms, and Isaiah and other prophets.
In verse 1 “rumor” is better translated “report”. The ambassador’s purpose will be to arouse the nations with which Edom will be in league to light against the little kingdom. God had made the descendants of Esau a small nation, but their pride knew no bounds. “Wound”, in verse 7, is rightly “snare”. Teman (verse 9) was the principal place in Edom.
Verses 10-14, with other Scriptures, tell the cause of God’s anger against the nation. Hatred toward the children of Israel led the Edomites to seek the favor of Nebuchadnezzar and his conquering host of Babylonians when Jerusalem was besieged and Judah was carried away captive, as in the future day in the same way they will seek association with the stranger against Jacob their kinsman.
They will be recompensed according to their deeds (verses 15, 16), and there shall not be any left of the house of Esau when the judgments at the Lord’s appearing are completed, and all the earth is in quietness. Their land will be uninhabited, a monument to the righteous judgment of God, throughout the Millennium.
Other scriptures dealing with the future punishment of Edom are numerous. Psalms 83 and 137, Isaiah 31, Jeremiah 49 (which repeats part of Obadiah’s prophetic language), Ezekiel 25:12-11 and chapter 35, and Malachi 1:2-52I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob, 3And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. 4Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever. 5And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel. (Malachi 1:2‑5) are the principal ones.
The land of Edom is today almost uninhabited; the Edomites were dispossessed many centuries ago, and they, like the lost 10 tribes of Israel, and the Moabites, Ammonites and other former neighbors of God’s earthly people are not now recognized, but they will reappear for the closing scenes.
ML 02/21/1937