Esay

The Day of the Lord Is Near

15 For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations.
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
    your deeds shall return on your own head.
16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain,
    so all the nations shall drink continually;
they shall drink and swallow,
    and shall be as though they had never been.
17 But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape,
    and it shall be holy,
and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.
18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
    and the house of Joseph a flame,
    and the house of Esau stubble;
they shall burn them and consume them,
    and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau,
for the Lord has spoken. – Obadiah 1:15-18 ESV

The text of the prophecy now turns from Edom to Israel, with the author conveying God’s plans to redeem and restore His chosen people. While the descendants of Esau would suffer judgment for their unjust treatment of the Israelites, God would bless the descendants of Jacob. The “day of the Lord” is a common prophetic phrase that refers to God intervening in human affairs to carry out His will and enact justice on Earth.

Declaring His intent to enact the law of lex talionis, God warns all of Israel’s enemies, including the Edomites, “As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads.” (Odadiah 1:15 NLT). No one will escape God’s wrath or avoid His coming judgment.

This coming day of the Lord was a future event but it would have present implications for the people of Edom. Their demise would come soon and swiftly. Because of the violence they had inflicted on Israel, they faced imminent destruction. God’s predictions concerning their fall were graphic and detailed.

“I will bring you crashing down…” – Obadiah 1:4 NLT

“…your enemies will wipe you out completely!” – Obadiah 1:5 NLT

“Every nook and cranny of Edom will be searched and looted.” – Obadiah 1:6 NLT

“Every treasure will be found and taken.” – Obadiah 1:6 NLT

“All your allies will turn against you. They will help to chase you from your land.” – Obadiah 1:7 NLT

“Your trusted friends will set traps for you…” – Obadiah 1:8 NLT

“I will destroy everyone who has understanding.” – Obadiah 1:8 NLT

God’s judgment would be complete and inescapable.

“…everyone on the mountains of Edom will be cut down in the slaughter.” – Obadiah 1:9 NLT

This devastating prediction of Edom’s fall was near rather than far away. Like all biblical prophecies, this one has a now-not-yet dimension. It is impossible to know what future event God had in mind but most biblical scholars generally agree that it has already been fulfilled. One option is the rebellion of the Edomites during the reign of King Jehoram.

During Jehoram’s reign, the Edomites revolted against Judah and crowned their own king. So Jehoram went with all his chariots to attack the town of Zair. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he went out at night and attacked them under cover of darkness. But Jehoram’s army deserted him and fled to their homes. So Edom has been independent from Judah to this day. – 2 Kings 8:20-22

Others believe Obadiah’s prophecy concerns the Babylonian invasion of Judah in 586 B.C. As the people of Judah suffered defeat at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar’s forces, the Edomites took advantage of the confusion by attacking their blood brothers and enriching themselves with the spoils from their towns and villages. The prophet Ezekiel recorded God’s warning of the judgment they would face for their treachery.

“Your eternal hatred for the people of Israel led you to butcher them when they were helpless, when I had already punished them for all their sins. As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, since you show no distaste for blood, I will give you a bloodbath of your own. Your turn has come! I will make Mount Seir utterly desolate, killing off all who try to escape and any who return. I will fill your mountains with the dead. Your hills, your valleys, and your ravines will be filled with people slaughtered by the sword. I will make you desolate forever. Your cities will never be rebuilt. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” – Ezekiel 35:5-9 NLT

Regardless of which event God had in mind, the prophecy contained in Obadiah would take place sooner rather than later. The Edomites were minor players in God’s end-times drama. They would disappear from the scene only to be replaced by other nations that would treat God’s people with the same scorn and disdain. But God warns that these nations will also “drink and stagger and disappear from history” (Obadiah 1:16 NLT).

The hatred for God’s people would continue with successive waves of attack being carried out by a seemingly endless stream of hostile forces aligned against the descendants of Jacob. This prophecy is still being fulfilled today as the nation of Israel and the Jewish people endure a never-ending onslaught of hatred and calls for genocide against them. Yet God informs His people that their elimination is not an option; He will not allow it. In His providence, He will bring about their protection and preservation as a nation. 

“But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape,
    and it shall be holy,
and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.” – Obadiah 1:17 NLT

Mount Zion refers to the mountain range on which Jerusalem sits. Though the capital city of Israel will continue to come under siege and face ongoing opposition, God will spare a remnant of His people and ensure the city’s role as a refuge for the people of God. 

“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.” – Obadiah 1:17 NLT

As the prophecy makes clear, the nation of Edom would eventually meet its demise. To this day, there is no nation of Edom. But their elimination would not end the persecution of God's people. Over the centuries, other nations have appeared on the scene whose goal has been the persecution and eventual eradication of God’s people. But God has promised to sustain His people and maintain His covenant commitments to them. 

“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!” – Obadiah 1:18 NLT

Edom serves as a stand-in for all the other antagonistic and godless nations that will dare to stand opposed to God’s chosen people. Their efforts will be thwarted by God Almighty. Any attempt to destroy Israel will be unsuccessful and, ultimately, futile. God has plans for His people and nothing will prevent Him from fulfilling those plans and carrying out His sovereign will. As He told the Israelites living in exile in Babylon, “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:10-11 ESV).

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

No Match for the Almighty

5 If thieves came to you,
    if plunderers came by night—
    how you have been destroyed!—
    would they not steal only enough for themselves?
If grape gatherers came to you,
    would they not leave gleanings?
6 How Esau has been pillaged,
    his treasures sought out!
7 All your allies have driven you to your border;
    those at peace with you have deceived you;
they have prevailed against you;
    those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you—
    you have no understanding.

8 Will I not on that day, declares the Lord,
    destroy the wise men out of Edom,
    and understanding out of Mount Esau?
9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman,
    so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter. – Obadiah 1:5-9 ESV

This short book is filled with messages of doom and gloom concerning Edom, but it was intended to bring hope to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. Obadiah was likely a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah during the reign of Jehoram (848-841 B.C.). The Book of 2 Kings describes a revolt by the Edomites not long after Jehoram took the throne.

In the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign. He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, since he promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.

In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up a king of their own. Then Joram passed over to Zair with all his chariots and rose by night, and he and his chariot commanders struck the Edomites who had surrounded him, but his army fled home. So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. – 2 Kings 8:16-22 ESV

The Edomites proved to be a problem for the people of God throughout the centuries. These distant relatives of the Israelites were a constant source of irritation and trouble. The ongoing nature of their harassment and God’s decision to punish them for it is reflected by their mention in the writings of four different prophets. Obadiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and Joel all mention God’s plan to deal harshly with the Edomites. There are also glaring similarities between the writings of these four men that seem to indicate that each was familiar with the work of the others.

Jeremiah uses some of the same language as Obadiah in his prophecy concerning Edom.

If grape gatherers came to you,
    would they not leave gleanings?
If thieves came by night,
    would they not destroy only enough for themselves? – Jeremiah 49:9 ESV

The horror you inspire has deceived you,
    and the pride of your heart,
you who live in the clefts of the rock,
    who hold the height of the hill.
Though you make your nest as high as the eagle's,
    I will bring you down from there,
declares the Lord. – Jeremiah 49:16 ESV

It is unclear which prophet borrowed from the other, but the similarity of their language indicates that they were aware of and referenced one another’s writings. Their common message also reflects the divine inspiration of their prophecies. Each man was receiving the same basic message concerning the nation of Edom and its pending judgment by God. 

Both Jeremiah and Obadiah indicate that Edom’s fall was tied to their arrogance and pride.

The horror you inspire has deceived you,
    and the pride of your heart.  – Jeremiah 49:16 ESV

The pride of your heart has deceived you… – Obadiah 1:3 ESV

The Hebrew word translated as “pride” is zāḏôn, and it conveys the idea of insolence and arrogance. It comes from the root word zûḏ, which means “to boil or seeth.” It illustrates the contents of a boiling pot spilling over the edges and onto its surroundings. The pride of the Edomites had gotten the best of them, causing them to exceed their God-given boundaries and “boil over” and onto their neighbors.

The Edomites occupied a virtually impenetrable tract of land near Mount Seir just south of the Dead Sea. This lofty and difficult-to-reach location gave them a false sense of security. They took great pride in their mountain fortress and believed it made them invincible. Located at an elevation of more than 5,700 feet and protected by a series of gorges, their mountain stronghold gave them a false sense of security.

“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.
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. – Obadiah 1:3-4 NLT

“You have been deceived
    by the fear you inspire in others
    and by your own pride.
You live in a rock fortress
    and control the mountain heights.
But even if you make your nest among the peaks with the eagles,
    I will bring you crashing down,”
    says the Lord.”
– Jeremiah 49:16 NLT

The message is clear; the Edomites could not escape the wrath of God. Their “kingdom in the sky” was no match for the God who reigns in heaven. They could hide from men but they could not hide from God. Their actions against the people of Israel and Judah would require justice and judgment. And God makes it clear that His judgment will be swift and complete.

“…your enemies will wipe you out completely!
Every nook and cranny of Edom
    will be searched and looted.
    Every treasure will be found and taken.” – Obadiah 1:5-6 NLT

“Edom will be an object of horror.
    All who pass by will be appalled
    and will gasp at the destruction they see there.” – Jeremiah 49:17 NLT

The epic nature of Edom’s fall will shock their neighbors. The devastation of this once-powerful and seemingly invincible nation will make an impression on the rest of Judah’s enemies. God will make an object lesson of the Edomites and send a powerful message to all those who oppose His chosen people. The Edomites were blood relatives of the Israelites, but their mistreatment of the descendants of Jacob would cost them dearly. Their pride had caused them to overstep their bounds and put them at odds with God Almighty. Now they were going to pay.

Edom was a relatively small nation but they were resourceful. They regularly sent raiding parties from their mountain hideout to plunder the villages and towns in southern Judah. This is why Obadiah mentions thieves who plunder at night. The Edomites were opportunists who took advantage of the weak and defenseless. Lacking in numbers and military strength, they utilized ingenuity and resourcefulness to survive. But they made a huge mistake when they decided to plunder the nation of Judah.

The prophet Amos describes the pending judgment of God against the Edomites.

“The people of Edom have sinned again and again,
    and I will not let them go unpunished!
They chased down their relatives, the Israelites, with swords,
    showing them no mercy.
In their rage, they slashed them continually
    and were unrelenting in their anger.
So I will send down fire on Teman,
    and the fortresses of Bozrah will be destroyed.” – Amos 1:11-12 NLT

According to Obadiah, the Edomites will find themselves all alone with no one to stand by their side. Even their closest allies will abandon them in their time of need.

“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.” – Obadiah 1:7 NLT

Alliances and treaties will be of no use. The promises of neighboring states will prove worthless. When God decides to bring judgment against the people of Edom, nothing will stand in His way, including “the wise” and “the mighty.” Human wisdom and strength are of little consequence to the God of the universe. In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul wrote, “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20 ESV).

The psalmist also speaks of God’s derision and disregard for those who flaunt their power and prestige in His face.

Why are the nations so angry?
    Why do they waste their time with futile plans?
The kings of the earth prepare for battle;
    the rulers plot together
against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.
“Let us break their chains,” they cry,
    “and free ourselves from slavery to God.”

But the one who rules in heaven laughs.
    The Lord scoffs at them.
Then in anger he rebukes them,
    terrifying them with his fierce fury. – Psalm 2:1-5 NLT

The leaders of Edom were too full of themselves and far too confident in their military might. “Professing to be wise, they became fools…” (Romans 1:22 BLB). Their reliance upon human reason and understanding would prove unreliable. Their belief in their invincibility would become their greatest liability. God was about to expose the fallacy of their superiority.

“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.
The mightiest warriors of Teman
    will be terrified,
and everyone on the mountains of Edom
    will be cut down in the slaughter.” – Obadiah 1:8-9 NLT

None of this was good news for the Edomites, but it was meant to encourage the people of Judah. Their God was letting them know He was aware of their circumstances and fully prepared to act. He was sovereign and in full control. The actions of the Edomites had not escaped His attention and the Edomites would not escape His judgment.

God’s message was a not-so-subtle warning to all the enemies of Judah. But, at the same time, it was a powerful word of encouragement to His chosen people. He was on His throne and in full control of world affairs. Nothing escapes His attention. No one operates outside His sovereign will and control. Even the high and lofty Edomites would be brought low by the hand of Almighty God.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson