Family feuds are tough. Unfortunately, it all centers on pride. For many years, my mom’s sister refused to communicate with me or my parents. All over a disagreement my aunt had with my dad. I had nothing to do with it, yet, I was also shunned. Both very prideful, neither would apologize, neither would back down. Even after I moved to Miami, just a few miles away from her, it wasn’t until my dad passed away that she finally reached out to me.
The Old Testament is full of family feuds, but the one highlighted by the prophet Obadiah, stems way back to the twin boys, Jacob and Esau in Genesis 25. For years, Israel (Jacob) was more powerful that Edom (Esau). Interestingly enough, the Edomites were atheists. Where the Israelites were supposed to worship God, and the other area nations had their respective false gods, Edom worshiped no one but themselves. They behaved badly against their own kin and God here is fed up with them. Let’s dig in…
Obadiah
This is the vision that the Sovereign Lord revealed to Obadiah concerning the land of Edom.
Edom’s Judgment Announced
We have heard a message from the Lord
that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say,
“Get ready, everyone!
Let’s assemble our armies and attack Edom!”2 The Lord says to Edom,
“I will cut you down to size among the nations;
you will be greatly despised.
3 You have been deceived by your own pride
because you live in a rock fortress
and make your home high in the mountains.
‘Who can ever reach us way up here?’
you ask boastfully.
4 But even if you soar as high as eagles
and build your nest among the stars,
I will bring you crashing down,”
says the Lord.5 “If thieves came at night and robbed you
(what a disaster awaits you!),
they would not take everything.
Those who harvest grapes
always leave a few for the poor.
But your enemies will wipe you out completely!
6 Every nook and cranny of Edom
will be searched and looted.
Every treasure will be found and taken.7 “All your allies will turn against you.
They will help to chase you from your land.
They will promise you peace
while plotting to deceive and destroy you.
Your trusted friends will set traps for you,
and you won’t even know about it.
8 At that time not a single wise person
will be left in the whole land of Edom,”
says the Lord.
“For on the mountains of Edom
I will destroy everyone who has understanding.
9 The mightiest warriors of Teman
will be terrified,
and everyone on the mountains of Edom
will be cut down in the slaughter.
Reasons for Edom’s Punishment
10 “Because of the violence you did
to your close relatives in Israel,
you will be filled with shame
and destroyed forever.
11 When they were invaded,
you stood aloof, refusing to help them.
Foreign invaders carried off their wealth
and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem,
but you acted like one of Israel’s enemies.12 “You should not have gloated
when they exiled your relatives to distant lands.
You should not have rejoiced
when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune.
You should not have spoken arrogantly
in that terrible time of trouble.
13 You should not have plundered the land of Israel
when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have gloated over their destruction
when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have seized their wealth
when they were suffering such calamity.
14 You should not have stood at the crossroads,
killing those who tried to escape.
You should not have captured the survivors
and handed them over in their terrible time of trouble.
Edom Destroyed, Israel Restored
15 “The day is near when I, the Lord,
will judge all godless nations!
As you have done to Israel,
so it will be done to you.
All your evil deeds
will fall back on your own heads.
16 Just as you swallowed up my people
on my holy mountain,
so you and the surrounding nations
will swallow the punishment I pour out on you.
Yes, all you nations will drink and stagger
and disappear from history.17 “But Jerusalem will become a refuge for those who escape;
it will be a holy place.
And the people of Israel will come back
to reclaim their inheritance.
18 The people of Israel will be a raging fire,
and Edom a field of dry stubble.
The descendants of Joseph will be a flame
roaring across the field, devouring everything.
There will be no survivors in Edom.
I, the Lord, have spoken!19 “Then my people living in the Negev
Obadiah NLT (bold emphasis mine)
will occupy the mountains of Edom.
Those living in the foothills of Judah
will possess the Philistine plains
and take over the fields of Ephraim and Samaria.
And the people of Benjamin
will occupy the land of Gilead.
20 The exiles of Israel will return to their land
and occupy the Phoenician coast as far north as Zarephath.
The captives from Jerusalem exiled in the north
will return home and resettle the towns of the Negev.
21 Those who have been rescued will go up to Mount Zion in Jerusalem
to rule over the mountains of Edom.
And the Lord himself will be king!”
God Wins in the End
- Obadiah’s the shortest book in the Old Testament, yet it packs a powerful punch.
- The Edomites, instead of helping Judah fight the Babylonians, aided in the destruction of Jerusalem.
- When the Babylonians had taken the Jews captive leaving the less desirable people, the Edomites came in and plundered what was left. They even caught some fleeing Jews and turned them into the Babylonians.
- Verse 15 states that when the Day of the Lord comes — that’s World Judgment Day — all the “godless” nations who have hated Israel will be judged. Everything that’s been done to Israel will fall back on them.
- What was Edom is today part in Jordan and part in Israel. The ancient city of Petra is in Jordan.
- Pride, again was the downfall of a nation. God hates pride. Here are some scripture verses that highlight what happens to the prideful…
Paul wrote…
12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.
1 Corinthians 10:12 NLT
John wrote…
16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
1 John 2:16 NLT
From Proverbs:
The Lord detests the proud;
Proverbs 16:5 NLT
they will surely be punished.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
and haughtiness before a fall.19 Better to live humbly with the poor
Proverbs 16:18-19 NLT
than to share plunder with the proud.
Is pride holding you back?
Check out this map of what will be “Greater Israel”. These are the original borders that God literally mapped out as the “Promised Land” — from the Nile to the Euphrates.
When you read, “I, the Lord have spoken,” pay attention! He means business! The Jews are returning to their land and as you can see from the map above, they’ll get some nice chunks of the nations that hate them. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, all of Jordan, all of Lebanon and even a chunk of Turkey!
Related: How did Antisemitism Start?
And the last verse, “The Lord Himself will be King!” That’s the question I have for you…
Are you a citizen of God’s Kingdom?
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
