Obadiah - The Kingdom of God

Big Idea: The Kingdom of God is near and it comes in a Day of Judgment for the nations (in particular Edom) and restoration for Jacob

Let me start by asking who here has ever heard a sermon on Obadiah?

How long a go was that?

Right well for the rest of you – mark this day in history – It could be the only sermon on Obadiah you hear in all you days on earth. By my reckoning a church like ours gets through around six books of the Bible a year and given there are 66 books, if our church does extremely well, and doesn’t overdo some books like the gospel’s you are due for another Obadiah sermon in about 2020. So don’t forget to remind the new Rector then.

As we read the book of Obadiah – we meet five major characters, so our first stop today is seeing how - what we learn about the characters informs our understanding of the message of the book of Obadiah.
Introduction – People and Places

Obadiah – We actually know very little about Obadiah. He is something of a mystery man. Other than what we can glean from this chapter of his book, which is in fact the shortest book in the Old Testament. He doesn’t seem to appear anywhere else in the Bible. We do however know that his name – Obadiah – means servant of Yahweh. And It seems most likely given the content of this letter - that he lived in the 6th Century BC. Which is after the fall of Jerusalem in 586BC but before Edom was essentially destroyed in the 553BC.

We know Obadiah had a vision – we aren’t sure whether he actually saw God before him, or whether he had some ecstatic experience – but we do know that the vision was from GOD. And visions from God were a rare thing and were to be considered with utmost attention and respect. Visions are what were given to God’s prophet’s – God’s Prophets were his mouth pieces in the world, as we see from the most famous of prophets from that period Isaiah where we read;

Isaiah 1:1 The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of the kings of Judah.

Obadiah has a vision because he also is one of God’s prophets. When Obadiah speaks, God speaks to his world. Obadiah’s announcement of his vision - rings from the rooftops the authority of his message – his message has authority because it’s source is God. And just in case you haven’t been convinced yet, he begins the account of his vision with, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’.

Now you only need to be a casual reader of the Old Testament to know two things about this phrase. A more direct translation of it would be, ‘Thus says the Lord.’ The two things you could know for certain when you hear this phrase is that, One, the person saying it is the prophet of God and two, nine times out of ten, what he has to say to you is not pleasant and it doesn’t bode well for your future. Most times it means judgment is coming.

So we only know a little about Obadiah – but we know his message is important.

The Lord or Yahweh – We learn a lot about God the Lord including things of both his purposes and nature in Obadiah. From the start of the book in V1 he is the Sovereign Lord - to the end of the book in V21 God is the ruler of the earth and he has established his kingdom in Mt Zion.

What is striking is that God’s rule is exercised over the whole world - and it is done through his word, God declares and it is. God is the sovereign king, when he speaks his decrees happen without exception. So when Obadiah announces what God has said, V1 This is what the sovereign Lord says, or V4 and V8 we have the phrase - Declares the Lord or the emphatic resolution of the matter in V18 with the phrase - The Lord has spoken. It reinforces the reality that God speaks - and it is.

God rules his world as King through his word – but this is hardly surprising for the creator God who said in Genesis, let there be light – and there was..

Now, The perspective of the book of Obadiah is one thing that seems to separate it from some of the other books of the prophets. In Obadiah, God has the whole world in view, and not just Israel – in fact Israel seems to be something of a side character. The focus of God’s attention in the book is on our third character - Edom.

Edom – Are the centerpiece of God’s message as we see from v1, The sovereign Lord speaks about Edom. And the message isn’t positive; It is a message of judgment without hope. In V2 Edom will be made a small nation and despised. In V18, there will be no survivors.

Now there are a couple different names used for Edom, Edom is the nation that came from Esau the ‘other’ son of Isaac. Edom are a son of Abraham and Isaac as Genesis reminds us,’ Genesis 25 Rebecca is told by the Lord

23 The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." 24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob.

But more about Jacob in a moment

Nations – The next character we meet in the book is the nations. It seems the nations are the recipients of the message, in that they are to be the instrument of the Lord’s judgment on Edom. In V1 the nations are told to rise up in battle and to go against Edom.

It’s quite amazing really that the Lord uses the nations (not his chosen people) to achieve his goal of justice upon Edom. And yet - (in total contrast to their role as God’s instrument), the nations themselves will later on be judged on account of their own actions, V15 The day of the Lord is near for ALL nations. The nations deeds will be upon their own heads as well.

The nations will not escape God’s judgment, because the sphere of God’s kingly rule is the whole earth. Yahweh the God of Israel is alos the Lord of all creation.

Jacob – The fifth and final major character we meet in the book is of course Jacob. The chosen children of God. The one’s who have been judged by God and are in exile in Babylon as we see in V20. And yet these are the ones who will be vindicated and renewed in the sight of all the nations V17.

ASIDE - where are we in OT?

But as we saw earlier, Jacob is in some ways a side character in this book, the direct address of God is focused upon Edom. And yet - it seems that the address to Edom is really for Jacob’s benefit.

It reminds me a little of the indirect way my mum communicates, I can always tell If my mum is upset with me, because I get a phone call from my Dad. He doesn’t even need to say anything, because by virtue of the fact he takes the initiative to call, I know what it means, without even a word.
But I suppose you can’t leave post it notes on the bedroom door anymore when your son lives 50 km away. I have to admit it a phone call from my dad gets my attention.

Obadiah is a book where God gets the attention of Edom and the nations, but most particularly he gets the attention of Jacob – by focusing his message on Edom and his fate. Jacob is reminded what their God is like, by how he deals with the nations.

And so to the message of Obadiah itself; Edom has a bunch of problems when it comes to God, and the first of these is in verses 3.

Point: 1 – Edom had a false confidence

Obadiah 1:3 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?'

Edom had a false trust in their physical strength, they trusted that their high geographical position would protect them from the kind of military defeat that Jacob suffered, some 1500m above sea level. Their false confidence was in fact idolatry. Their false confidence was at the same time a denial, a refusal to acknowledge the reality of God’s Sovereign rule.

They asked the question, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'. They trusted in their physical high places for security, when they should have responded like the Psalm of David, Psalm 27.

Psalm 27:1-5 The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. .. 5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

The Lord is the one who sets people safe in times of distress – is not the physical strength of a secure military position.

Or maybe these days it’s the physical strength of a land girt by sea!
Or a little closer to home, maybe the security of - a good salary, a un-mortgaged home, a big superannuation fund, a flourishing marriage or family, an inheritance or even just good health, a sound education or even an unfailing mind. All of these things are but idols if we trust in them.

Idolatry is THE sin of the OT, because idoloatry is THE sin of all humanity - THE sin of having another god, other than the Lord
The message of Obadiah is a warning about the false security of Idols, the pride of false worship, a false security like - I don;t know an overheated economy.

Because; Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there - I will bring you down," declares the LORD. Obadiah 1:4

Now that’s a scary thought isn’t it? God will make it his business and purpose to bring you down!

Edom had a false confidence - the question is - Do You?

The second section of Obadiah is framed by the two phrases – declares the Lord in verses 4 & 8
Obadiah 1:5-8 "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?

Point 2 – Edom deceived themselves with their false confidence – they were not ready for the Day of Judgment that was to come

There is lots of imagery in this section that is familiar to us, thieves in the night, treasure that is taken - and of course a close friend who shares your bread – he is the one who betrays you – They are familiar images because they are images that Jesus used in his teaching, or in the case of betrayal – the bread was eaten by Judas Jesus’ disciple.

These images are used by Obadiah, to convey that Edom’s confidence is misplaced, even their physical riches are not safe from their physical enemies. They aren’t prepared for this disaster that awaits them. How much less so are they prepared for the Day of the Lord, the day they cannot withstand and their fortress can not protect them from - as God’s declaration of destruction ensures in V8. The very thing that they have put their trust in – the high places that they reside in – they are the very things that God destroys - Edom will be cut down. And Edom will not just be rebuked – but the destruction will be total – there will be no grapes left on the vine V5 – everything will be taken.

Why would anyone be deceived into trusting in people and things – that well – can’t be trusted, that are unreliable when you need them most? Why do people do it? – well because of sin and Sin’s nature deceptive. Sin doesn’t turn light immediately into dark – it more subtly tends to slowly disorientate.

We used to play youth group game called ‘dizzy stick’ – where you place a broom handle on your chin – look at the point and spin in circles as long as you can – then you throw the stick on the ground and try to jump over it. This spinning had the desired results and people inevitably staggered and fell to the ground. The longer they span for – the harder and more spectacular the stagger and then the fall.

Sin is a lot like dizzy stick – the longer you entertain it for – the greater the impact and the worse the disorientation from reality. At some point in time the dizziness takes over you and you are out of control – whether you can see it or not.

I think sometimes we might suspect sin is more like a heavy weight - that burdens us until we put it down. While this is true – it is also a bit limited – Because It seems Sin actually attacks us and rules in an active way that we a foolish to entertain – we are out of our minds to entertain sin as a guest. Sin disorientates us from reality.

So, back to story in Obadiah and Edom’s day in court before the King and Judge of the world was to come on them like a thief in the night – they weren’t ready. So let me ask you this; Will you be ready, are you ready? Or are you deceiving yourself by having false confidence in things of this world?

Jesus reminds us where you treasure is – there your heart is also.
Matthew 13:44-46 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Edom deceived themselves with their false confidence – they were not ready for the Day of Judgment that was to come. Where is your confidence placed?

The third section of Obadiah is from verses 9 to 16 – It is best summarized by verse 15
Obadiah 1:15 "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.

Point 3 – The Day of Judgment is to come on all nations

The day of judgment is to come on all nations – because the Lord is King of all the nations. Every person, every nation, will reap the reward of their wrong doing. Every piece of injustice carried out in God’s world will be brought to justice - On ‘The Day of the Lord’. In fact the phrase – ‘that day’ or ‘the day’ appears 10 times in just 8 verses.

It is interesting that the last use of ‘the day’ image in Verse 15 relates to the great end time judgment of God. Now in contrast the 8 times the expression ‘the day’ is used in relation to Jacob in V11-14, ‘the Day’ relates to a particular day in history, the day that has passed – the day that came to Jacob in 586 BC at the hands of the Babylonians.

The different ‘days’ of Jacob, Edom and the nations are intrinsically linked - As surely as God’s judgment came on Jacob in ‘the day’ – His judgment will come on Edom - and then his judgment will come on all nations in end of time event of ‘the day of the Lord’.

Now why this judgment on Edom? Obadiah answers this question for us. Edom’s sin towards God, was shown - and in fact highlighted, in their response to the nations sacking of Jacob. Edom – Esau – rejoiced in the destruction of his own brother – more than that they may have helped themselves to the goods, in their brother’s time of weakness. The showed themselves to be more like the nations than a child of Abraham.

Romans 132 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

In Contrast to how the children of Abraham should have acted.
Matthew 25: When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

God will bring justice upon Edom – and in doing so God exposes Edom’s ignorance about the real reasons behind the events that happened to Jacob. Jacob didn’t just suffer some military defeat – their military defeat by the nations was ultimately the hand of God against them for their sin. In an ironic turn of events God will use the same ‘nations’ that decimated Jacob, to judge Edom. Edom should have seen the justice on Jacob as a warning and repented, instead they foolishly rejoiced in Jacob’s military defeat, not realizing it was in fact judgment at God’s hands. Edom’s response ensured that they would suffer the same fate.

God judges all people fairly and justly, because God is the King of all creation. What happened to Edom does make you realize, that when you pray - your kingdom come – that is no small thing to say… because it will mean judgment for many people..

Now as a slight aside and yet related, Have you ever wondered in a situation - should I tell a non-Christian person, that what they are proposing is wrong? Or should I just expect them as non-Christians to act like that - and say nothing?

What do I say to a friend who asks tough moral questions about life? should he move in with his girlfriend? Or is it ok to have an abortion for an unwanted child?

I’ve often found it hard to resolve in my own mind – should I say something, should I really expect God’s standards from them? – But it’s even harder to actually approach in practice, isn’t it? I think Obadiah helps us in this issue. Because God calls to account all sin. God is not pleased by any sin and God cares for - and sees - all his creation.

We can see from the example of Edom – that as Christian’s we certainly should not feel superior to those caught in their sin. Edom failed to see their own sin and failed to see their need for grace and they were judged as a consequence. As Christian’s we have received grace and should be gracious to others as God is to us.

But, The Christian life makes sense of God’s created world. The non-Christian life runs at odds with both the worlds intention and it’s goal. The goal, of knowing and serving God, in good relation with God, each other, and the world. The non-Christian life is destined for frustration and it is ultimately futile.

Obadiah helps us to see that God is not pleased with sin. And by implication, if we remain silent about sin – how does it further God’s kingdom – or benefit the person we should have told?

In every situation I think we are to be encouraged to graciously commend the Christian life in both deed and word. I think we need to underline the word graciously. We should commend to all people God’s intention for life - and of course, the most foundational part of the Christian life is a right relationship with God. A relationship that only comes through faith in his Son Jesus.

So It seems we should be encouraged to graciously share about this world what we know to be true – in a way that reflects our God’s good intention as creator, and our role as his people here on earth.

Point 4 – The Kingdom of the Lord will be judgment for the nations and restoration for Jacob.

In the final section of the book Obadiah we have predictions about the fate of nations and also we have a view of the end of time. The Kingdom of the Lord will be judgment for the nations and restoration for Jacob. This final section is framed in v17 and v21 by ‘Mt Zion’.
Obadiah 1:17-21 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. ... 21 Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the LORD's.

Mt Zion is where God will be enthroned as King. Mt Zion is where Jacob will receive his inheritance.

In contrast V18 tells us there will be no survivors from the house of Esau. So hear the warning that Obadiah and Edom provides, and turn to God in his mercy. And warn others to do likewise. Obadiah is a call to have no other god’s before the Lord.

SO have the predictions of Obadiah – and by implication have the promises of God happened. Well yes – Edom was effectively destroyed as a nation in the 553 BC. And well No – or should I say - not yet. We still await the coming of Kingdom of God in full. But these things are certain – for v18 The Lord has spoken.

In the mean time we live in light of two great truths, firstly – because Christ has taken our punishment upon himself at the cross – we need not fear the Judgment of God on ‘that Day’. If you like our declaration of innocent from that day because of Christ’s death has been brought forward to now. There is NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

And the second truth, is in light of this declaration now and the day that is to come, we live in hope now as obedient servants – ready for the return. And not just being ready ourselves, but getting ready as many others as we can – by telling of the coming Kingdom of God and the Great compassionate Lord who is the King, who will also judge every man’s work impartially.