The Shame of Edom - Obadiah

1:10Any of the descendants of Esau, right? And who's Esau? Son of. Yes, Isaac. I just drew a blank. Yeah, son of Isaac. And from the womb had conflict in the womb. With his twin brother, Jacob. So Jacob and Esau from the very beginning have this struggle in the womb. And Jacob even comes out holding his brother's heel, if you remember that story, as they come out of the womb. So they have conflict from the very beginning. That's in Genesis 25. You can find that story. In Genesis 36, we find all of Esau's descendants. We find some of the early cities that they dwelled in and the name of the sons and the grandsons of Esau that these different parts of Edom were named after. And in Genesis 36, he says back and forth over and over, every time he says Esau, he says, that is Edom. And every time he says Edom, he says, that is Esau. He keeps saying that back and forth. So you really get the picture.

2:20The nation of Edom, it comes from Esau. And they're the same thing. They do have conflict throughout their history. One of the earliest times of conflict is when the people of Israel are coming back and they're wandering in the wilderness. Do you remember this story? They want to pass through Edom. And the descendants of Esau don't let them pass through. And so just another time where there's conflict, and even though Jacob, Israel, and Esau are brothers, they always are fighting. With each other. And these two nations are always fighting against each other. And we're going to see that in our letter today. But in 2 or in our prophecy today, in 2 Corinthians, 2 Chronicles 21, I'm sorry. 2 Chronicles 21, we're going to see another time where there's some conflict between Edom and Israel. And it might be the scene for what we're about to read in Obadiah. So let me pray, and then we'll jump into 2 Chronicles 21 and try and follow along in that story. Let's pray. Father, we pray that you'd help us as we study this book of Obadiah, as we study the relationship of Edom with God's people.

3:43We pray that you would help us apply what we learn about you, that you'd help us pay attention to the things we can learn about your character and about how you relate to your people. Help us grow and be made more like you, even tonight. In Jesus' name, amen. So, just to run through some fuzzy dates, if you remember those, who's around the year 2000 BC? Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that cluster of fathers. So, around 2,000 is Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And then when you come down to 1500, who's around 1,500? Moses and Aaron, right?

4:30Come to a thousand, who's around a thousand? David, right? Saul and David and Solomon are around a thousand. When you come to five hundred, who's around five hundred? What? Yeah, that big cluster that we were in for a long time. The Ezra, Nehemiah, Zerubbabel, Haggai, even Malachi, all of those are around the year 500. And then, of course, around the year one. Who shows up on the scene? Jesus, right? Okay, so we have some big chunks there. Well, the story that we're about to read is about 100 or 150 years after King David. So this is in about 850 BC.

5:16And about 80 or 100 years before this happens, about 80 years before this happens, is when the kingdom splits. So if you remember, hey, James. Oh, I have to turn it on. All right. There we go. Can you guys see that? A little bit. All right, so here's a big map. We'll zoom in little by little, but here's a big map of the whole area. You see the Mediterranean Sea off to the left. You see the big, giant desert.

5:47You see Egypt, the top at the bottom left of your screen, but that's the top right of, I guess you say, the northeast of Africa, Egypt in the corner there. And then you have tiny Israeli. Israel. Oh. Oh, I found it. All right. You have tiny little Israel right here. Okay. So Egypt is big over here. You're going to have the Assyrian kingdom and the Babylonian kingdom later on. But for now, we're focused on tiny little Israel. And then if we zoom in a little bit more, oh, James, I've messed it up.

6:29I've clicked off it, I think. I don't know. I somehow right-clicked. Okay. So this is zooming in on the land of Israel. You remember that the land was divided into two sections: the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. Both of those, at the time that we're reading this story in 850 BC, both of those are still there. So about 80 years before is when they split into the kingdom, and about 100 years later is when the northern kingdom is going to be taken away. So the northern kingdom has a pretty short history, only 200 years. And we're right in the middle of that 200-year history.

7:16But look at 2 Chronicles 21, verse 1. Jehoshaphat, who was a good king for the most part, Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Jehoram, his king, Son reigned in his place. He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel. Their father gave them great gifts of silver, gold, and valuable possessions, together with fortified cities in Judah. But he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn. Okay, so Jehoshaphat is a good king, he has some reforms, and he loves all his sons, and he gives them all treasures. But his inheritor is Jehoram. He gives the kingdom to Jehoram. In verse 4, Jehoram is not as kind as his father. Verse 4, when Jehoram had ascended the throne of his father and was established, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel. Jehoram was 32 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. So he married the daughter of another wicked king. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant he had made with David, and since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever. Okay, so as we're reading this story, sometimes we can think back on the kings and think back on the people of Israel. And one thing we often say, because it's true, is that all their history, they were making these bad decisions. They were sinning over and over. They couldn't keep the law. Even the kings were sinning. Many bad kings and things like that. But I want you to think about how the first time this is happening, it's kind of all new.

9:09Each king is getting worse. They're doing more astonishing things. And I think if you were there, you would be remembering the stories. If you were a righteous person, you'd be remembering the stories of David and these good kings. And you've got this good king Jehoshaphat that makes some reforms, and then his son comes on the throne. And you're there in that kingdom, and you see this man kill all of his brothers. You see him do all of these horrible things, take a daughter of a wicked king.

9:38And yet, the Lord is still sparing the kingdom in the line of David because of his promises to David. Let's keep following the story. Verse 8: In his days, Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up a king of their own. So David had subdued the kingdom of Edom and was kind of reigning over that kingdom. And in Jehoram's days, because of his wickedness, I think we're meant to assume that the Lord is allowing these things to happen to his kingdom. Verse 9, Then Jehoram passed over with his commanders and all his chariots, and he rose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders. So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. At that time, Libna also revolted from his rule because he had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers. So since Jehoram had forsaken the Lord, These other nations around them are revolting against Judah. Verse 11. Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray. And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet. So Elijah's still alive at this time, saying, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father, because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa, king of Judah, but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom, as the house of Ahab led Israel into whoredom, and also you have killed your brothers of your father's house who were better than yourself. Behold, the Lord will bring a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions. And you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease of your bowels until your bowels come out because of the disease day by day. It's a terrible sentence, right?

11:30And I think you get the picture that this is really only, I think, maybe five kings from King Solomon. And he lists two of them in that line that were good kings, Jehoshaphat and Esa. And so this is really, and when we're talking about the kingdom of Judah, this is really only the second or third or maybe fourth king that was wicked like this. And he seems to be maybe the most wicked so far. And so I think the people would be astonished. And Elijah sends this message from the Lord that since he's killed his brothers, since he's done, Done all of these things that he's going to have this terrible curse upon him. Verse 16, and the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabians who are near the Ethiopians, and they came up against Judah and invaded it and carried away all the possessions they found that belonged to the king's house, and also his sons and his wife, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest son. And after all this, the Lord struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease, just like he said. In the course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his fathers. He was 32 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem, and he departed with no one's regret. And they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. Okay, so even the people were just not happy with this king. When he died, nobody was sad about it.

13:00It was a blessing when he passed away. So you have this king of Israel who goes astray. And during this time, you have these nations that are revolting against the people. So Edom would be down here, even a little further south, we'll see on the next map. You have Moab and Ammon, but over here, you have the Philistines, which is one of the ones that revolted against them. You have these nations that are attacking Judah, and they're successful in these revolts. Because of the wickedness of Jehoram. God is letting these things come upon the people. Okay?

13:36Now turn over to Obadiah. A tiny book. After Amos, before Jonah, if that helps you. Obadiah. And before we go there, let's go through a little bit more of the history of Edom. So you have around the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so that would be around the year, around 2000-ish, you have Jacob and Esau being born. And then around the 1500, the time of Moses and Aaron, you have them trying to pass through the land, and Edom won't let them pass through. And there's more curses upon them. You have David around the year 1,000 subduing Edom, but then 100 years later, you have Edom revolting and being an enemy again and watching these other nations come and attack Judah.

14:43We learn in Psalm 137 that when the Babylonian exile happens around the year 600 BC, that Edom even then is boasting. And they're happy about the fact that Babylon has come and taken Judah captive. 100 years after that, a group, a nomadic group called the Nabataeans, they come and conquer Edom and subdue them. And most of Edom has to flee over to the Negev desert over here. But the Nabataeans come and conquer this kingdom over here of Edom. And they live there. And when the Greek Empire begins to rule the world, they kind of renamed the Edomites the Idumeans, or at least it's just a little bit different word, the Idumeans. And the Idumeans later are conquered by the Jews in 100 BC, by the Maccabeans, who force all of the Edomites to become circumcised. They kind of integrate the people. And one of the people that was an Idomean who was like this, that was a generation later from these Idumeans that got conquered by the Jews, maybe forced to be circumcised, was Herod the Great, the one who built the temple that would have been around whenever Jesus was alive. So all of that is a lot of history. The end of their history, as far as we know it, until maybe they come back at the end of times. But the end of their history is when the Romans come and destroy Jerusalem, the Edomites, or the Idumeans at that time, they had joined with Israel to try and rebel against Rome. And of course, Rome wins, and the Jews are oppressed, but also the Edomites after that kind of fade from history. Some escape and then. We don't hear anything from them again in history. So that's their story. The trouble with Obadiah is that it doesn't tell us when it's written.

16:42And for all of that 2,000 years of history that we just went over, Edom is always against the people of Judah. And so, really, if you're just reading this book and you're just looking at it and saying, okay, when could be a time that Edom is making fun and rejoicing over the fact that Judah has just been destroyed or just been hurt or something like that, when could that be? Well, it could be pretty much any time in that whole history because they're always enemies. And they're always, the Edomites are always the enemies of Judah. And so it's hard to nail down exactly when the book of Obadiah is written. A lot of people think that maybe it's talking about what we read about in Psalm 137: how when the Babylonians came and took the southern kingdom captive, that that's when the Edomites are making fun of them and rejoicing over their captivity and things like that, because it'll talk about exiles or something like that. But I think it's more around the time of Jehoram, which is why we read that story, that time when Edom has just revolted against Judah, and now these other nations have come and revolted against Judah. And I think Edom is looking on to that and rejoicing and feeling prideful that it's not them. They just want. One, they're excited. They're not paying attention to the fact that God is disciplining his own people, right? They just want to fight. They're excited. And these other people come and win against Judah. And I think they're boasting and bragging and having a great time because their enemy just got sacked. Okay? So I think that's the setting of what's happening in Obadiah. And if that's true, Obadiah and Joel are together our two earliest minor prophets. It's probably way more than you wanted to know. But that's okay. But let's jump right into the book of Obadiah. Obadiah, verse 1: The vision of Obadiah, thus says the Lord God concerning Edom. We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations. Rise, let us rise against her for battle. Behold, I will make you small among the nations. You shall be utterly despised. Let's stop there. So already he's saying, This word has gone out from the Lord to the nations that they're going to come and get Edom.

19:06I will make you small among the nations. You shall be utterly despised. Verse 3: The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, who will bring me down to the ground? All right, so here's our last map. So, so. Zooming out one more time. So we have the kingdom of Israel over here, and Edom would have been down here by this desert, in this desert.

19:39So then we zoom in. There's all of Israel, Israel and Judah, and Edom would be down here. And now we're going to kind of zoom in on that section. So do you know what sea that is? The Dead Sea, right? So back to this picture. So here's the Sea of Galilee up here. Here's the Dead Sea, that salty sea where nothing can live. And we're kind of zooming in on that picture. So there's the Dead Sea. You can see the bottom part of Judah here. Here's the Negev Desert, which is south. It means south, south of Israel. And then here is Edom down here below the Dead Sea, Mount Seir. You have Basra there, which has been a capital at different times in their history. But there is Edom out in the wilderness in the mountains. And one thing that was special about them is they're surrounded by those deserts, right? So not a lot of armies can just cross these huge deserts because all their soldiers would die, right? So they already have this kind of shelter around them of the desert. If they live in the middle of this desert, it's going to be hard for armies to get there. Not only that, but inside of this area, there's a lot of cliffs and caves and rock formations and all of that. And so they can hide in the caves. They can build these little cities around the cliffs. And since they've done that, they feel like they are unconquerable.

21:09Maybe they can be subdued by a nation like they were subdued by Israel, but they just, by Judah, but they just threw off the rule of Judah. And now they just feel like, even though they're small, they're unconquerable. They're filled with pride because they have these caves, these cliffs that they live in, and they feel unconquerable. So in verse 3, he says, The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, who will bring me down to the ground? So you see what they're saying in their heart? And God is telling them, it's not too hard for me, right? Your heart has deceived you. Verse 4, though you soar aloft like an eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord.

21:55If 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? How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out. So I think he's saying, even if it was a thief or something that came, I think they would only, or God's saying they would only take enough what they need, but I think he's implying like it's going to be way worse for Edom. It's not even gleanings are going to be left.

22:28They're going to be totally. Pillaged, how Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out. They're not just taking the stuff that's easy to find, they're looking for every treasure and they're taking everything from Edom. This is a total destruction. Verse 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, you have no wisdom.

23:01So, what does he say in verse 7? What's something else he adds to their judgment? It's a betrayal, right? That even their own allies, they're prideful because of their position, they're prideful because of their allies. But God's saying, I'm going to bring you down from your position, and even your allies are going to turn against you. It's not going to be good for you. You're going to be totally wiped out in the future. You have no understanding.

23:35Let's see what he means about that in verse 8 and 9. Will I not on that day, declares the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom and understanding out of Mount Esau? Can you think of a famous Edomite that was a wise man? I only know because I looked it up. But does anybody happen to remember? I don't remember whatever the Edomite did or not talking about. I don't remember what he did. Actually, one of Job's friends, Eliphaz the Timanite. Timan is one of the big cities in Edom. So I think the Edomites were known for their wisdom. Maybe in these cliffs, as they have these cities, they prize their elders. They have this wisdom. And God is saying that's something that, though you think you're safe up in those cliffs, I'm even going to take that away. You're not going to have that understanding and that wisdom. You're not going to have those wise men anymore because of how complete your destruction is. So verse 8, will I not on that day, declares the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom and understanding out of Mount Esau? And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Timan. That's the city I just said, that Eliphaz was from. Your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Timan, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter. So this nation is wiped out because of the Lord's judgment on them. The wise men are gone. The soldiers are gone. They're brought down from their cliffs. Even their allies have turned against them. They're not leaving any gleanings and the crops. Total wiped out.

25:28And he hasn't told us why quite yet. He's talked about their pride. He's talked about how they think they're untouchable. But he's about to get to the reason why they're going to be wiped out. But before we go there, does anyone have any questions? All right, let's find out why. Look at verse 10. Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. That's their sentence. They've been violent against Jacob, against Israel. And since they've done that, they are going to be cut off forever. That's what the Lord says about them. You know, God doesn't say that about every one of Israel's enemies. If you read the Old Testament and the prophets, the minor prophets, even Isaiah and Ezekiel, you'll read about some of these nations that are going to be judged, but then they're going to still be revived or be part of the Lord's kingdom or something like that. But not Edom. He's saying Edom is going to be cut off forever.

26:39It's a big deal. Verse 11. On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. Okay, so these nations that are coming and attacking Jerusalem from all sides. And subduing it. Edom, since they stood aloof and just watched instead of coming to defend their brother nation, they stood aloof and mocked. And since that was the case, they were just like one of them. Verse 12, but do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune. Do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin. Do not boast in the day of distress.

27:29Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their calamity. Do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity. Do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity. Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives. Do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress. Okay, so you have this really repetitive section where he keeps saying, the day of their distress, the day of their calamity.

27:56The day. Somebody's. Was that my phone? Oh, I'm sorry. It heard my voice. Yeah. It's embarrassing. I'll take it. Yeah. I'm going to turn it all the way off. It heard my voice and thought I was talking to it. So in the day of his calamity, in the day of their distress, God. Is telling them, yes, it's a day of distress for my people, but do not gloat over them. Do not enter the gate. Do not gloat over his disaster. Do not loot his wealth. Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives. Don't join in with these other nations as they're subduing my people. Don't be like one of them. But they have. In the day of Judah's distress, Edom has stood by and watched. Edom has revolted themselves.

29:04And God is warning them, do not do this. So in the first section of this book, we have that God is giving a sentence to them, that they are going to be cut off forever. They're going to be totally wiped out. The wise men, the soldiers, they're not safe. Nobody's safe. And the reason why is because they have gloated over the people in their distress, the people of Judah. This nation that should be their brother, that they should be coming to the aid of and allying with, like they'll do later in their history. Instead, they're gloating over them and being excited about the fact that they're being destroyed. Okay?

29:42Let's hear what else the Lord has to say to them. Verse 15. For this is why they aren't supposed to do all these things. 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. So God is saying, Look, any of the enemies of my people, the day of the Lord is coming for those nations. And whatever they do, their deeds are going to return on their own heads. Verse 16, for as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually.

30:25They shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been. So when you hear that someone is drinking and swallowing a cup in the Bible, and it's a figure of speech, what do you think of? Right, wrath, judgment, right? It's a common thing that's used in a lot of the prophets about this cup, the Lord's cup of wrath, that they're going to drink. And usually he says something like, you're going to drink it all the way down to the dregs, the little stuff left over in the bottom of your cup. Okay, so he's saying you're going to experience the wrath of God to the full. He's not going to hold any of it back. And of course, you remember when Jesus said, let this cup pass from me. And it's that same picture of that judgment, that sentence of pain and wrath.

31:20But he says, verse 16, for as you have drunk on my holy mountain in Jerusalem, so all the nations shall drink continually. They shall. Drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been, and shall be as though they had never been. And so God is saying, on the day of the Lord against all these nations that have come against God's people, just like Edom has had its fill in this day on the mountain, so all these nations are going to drink from their cup, and they're going to become as if they had never been when the Lord judges them.

32:03Verse 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. So after this happens, and these nations drink the cup of the Lord, and they drink and swallow continually to where they become as if they had never been. In Mount Zion, there's going to be people who escape. Mount Zion is going to be a set apart, a holy portion. And the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions. They're not going to, in the end, be the ones who are pillaged and all their treasures are taken. They're going to have their own possessions. Verse 18. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph, a flame, in the house of Esau, stubble.

33:00You see what's going on there? 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. So again, he repeats this sentence of when that day comes, it's going to be God's people that consumes the people of Esau like a fire, and there's not going to be a survivor left. That's their sentence, because they've set themselves up against God's people.

33:38When this comes, when the nations are judged, and Israel is on top again, and Israel is the one that's left standing and surviving. Look at verse 19. Those of the Negev shall possess Mount Esau. So remember, the Negev is over here. It's considered part of Israel, the southernmost part of Israel, though not a lot of people live there. But that the people who live there that have been conquered at different times by the Edomites, the people that live there are going to conquer the mountain, Mount Edom. So those of the Negev shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines. So here's another map. If you were curious, it's kind of tilted. You see the tilt? So, there's the Sea of Galilee. There's the Dead Sea. Jerusalem would be like right here. And the Philistines live down here in this coastal part. And the Shephelah is this nice, beautiful, flat part that everyone always fights over. That's where they fight the Philistines and things like that. So the Israelites that live here are going to finally come and possess the land of the Philistines.

34:58Those of the Negev shall possess the Mount Esau. Those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines. They shall possess the land of Ephraim in the land of Samaria. And Benjamin shall possess Gilead. The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath. And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sephirad shall possess the cities of the Negev. Okay, so just a quick to show you where all those are. He mentioned Zarephath, that would be up here towards the north, and then Negev again to the south. And so he's saying the whole land, his people, are going to, even we don't really know where Sephirad is, but it's somewhere far away. So the people, exiles that have been taken there at different times in the history of the Jews, even they're going to come back and dwell the land, and they're going to possess it from top to bottom.

35:53That's going to be what the people of Israel have after the nations are judged. Verse 12. 21. Saviors or judges shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. So, just one more little tidbit, tidbit, tidbit is the word I was looking for at the end there: that during this kingdom, after the nations are judged and they've drunk the drunk the wrath. This is my biggest fear. It's Daniel's fault.

36:39Especially talking about the wrath of God. So, after these nations have drunk the wrath of God on the mountain and Israel is left there standing, and they have the land from the top to the bottom, one thing that's going to be unique about them is that they, after Edom is cut off, they go and maybe live in the land of Edom because it says the people of the Negev were going to possess the land of Edom. So, maybe they go and live in Edom. And it says during this kingdom, it says that verse 21, Saviors shall go up, or judges. It's the same word that is used in the book of Judges over and over for the judges, those conquerors that are ruling over Israel before the kings come. Verse 21, Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau. And the kingdom shall be the Lord's. So during this time, this whole kingdom is the Lord's, but there are people that have inhabited Edom, the land of Edom, and there's these judges that are going to come up and come to Jerusalem because they're the ones who are ruling over this part of the world. And they report to Jerusalem, maybe, and then come back and rule over the people. And that's how the letter, that's how the prophecy ends. Okay, so just to run through this before I open it up for questions. So God has said that Edom is going to be judged. They're going to be completely wiped out. Wise men, soldiers, everybody. Even though they're prideful in their heart, they think that they're unconquerable. And really, this has already happened. And maybe it seems like this is going to happen again at the end times. We have some end times passages that talk about the nation of Edom. The Antichrist in Daniel, or the one that John would call the Antichrist, the figure in Daniel who comes and conquers Israel is going to spare Edom. So the evil enemy of the Lord who comes and conquers in the end times, he's going to spare Edom. So just yet another time when Edom is allied with the wrong side against God's people. So there does seem to be this revival of this nation that, again, it's going to be wiped out forever. And then the Lord's people come and live there and are ruled over. By this kingdom of the Lord. So the nation is cut off, and then in the middle of Obadiah, we find out why. It's because they stood and gloated over Judah's destruction. And so God says, I've seen that you've done this, that you've called, that you've treated my people like this, and as a result, you're going to be totally cut off.

39:22And at the end of days, when the nations are judged, and my nation is the last one standing, you're going to be like those nations that are judged. In Isaiah 63, whenever you see the Lord coming back from treading the wine press, it's one of the wine press of judgment stories, and there's blood on his robe because he's just tread over the nations and judged the nations and poured out his wrath on the nations as he's coming with this blood on his robe, having tread the nations, he's coming from Edom. They're included in this judgment. They're Israel's brother, and yet they've been so against them that they're included in this judgment against the nations. They're going to be cut off forever.

40:18Are there any questions or applications? I have some applications for you as we think through this letter and what we can learn from it. But are there any questions? Yeah, Thomas? I think one of the things about verse 15 is that there's a standard of judgment that's going to be applied on all the nations as they have treated Israel. That's going to be the standard of judgment. It appears what's being said there in verse 15 is that the nations have treated Israel is going to be the standard on how they're judged on the good day. Right, I agree that their deeds are going to return on their own head. And I think that that coincides with the promises to Abraham about those who bless you, I'll bless, and those who curse you, I'll curse.

41:17That God sees every time these nations are acting against his people, and he's going to judge them. Any other thoughts or applications? Well, they were prideful and thought they were very secure. Right. Explained at the beginning of the world, but that doesn't matter. Not only are you going to be judged, but you're going to be completely eliminated from each other. So there's one. Character flaw or sin that comes out for the people of Edom in this book is that they are pompous and prideful. They're arrogant. They think they're untouchable, and so they're fine laughing at others' destruction because they're not as untouchable as them.

42:18And it's a wicked pride that I think one of the applications we could definitely take away from this is we don't want to emulate that wicked pride, that pompous idea like we're stronger than the Lord and we're untouchable instead of being humble and realizing that our life is in his hands and being humble before him. What else? Any other applications or thoughts? Right. That the Lord sees his people, he looks out for his people, he sees what is done against them, and he keeps his promises to them.

43:04He doesn't forget his people. Any other thoughts or applications? Just the general idea of gloating over the defeat of your enemies is just not there. Right. Yeah, the Yags have talked about that recently. I can't remember what passage, but you know, just the attitude of. Rejoicing when your enemy is destroyed is not the kind of attitude that's encouraged in scriptures. The Yags were quick to bring up when we went over that that there are these imprecatory psalms where that's exactly what it seems like they're doing. They are rejoicing over the judgment of their enemies. But I think that there can be a fine line there where we can still want the best for our enemies and still love our enemies and rejoice that God's judgment is happening and that his righteousness is vindicated and he's keeping his promises and that the wicked are punished, but then still thinking about individuals with love and wanting the best for them, wanting them to receive mercy instead of judgment.

44:20Anything else? Well, just returning to what Pastor Tom said, this idea that the Lord is completely in charge, that he sees what happens in the nations and he's in charge of what's going to happen in the future, that he's going to return on their heads what they've done. And you see that in a book like Habakkuk, where he's so astonished at the wickedness of the people, and God says, well, I'm going to bring Babylon against them. And then he's astonished, you know, how could he bring that people against our people? And by the end of the book, he's having a prayer where he's trusting the Lord that, yes, the Lord is using This nation as a tool to discipline his people, but then he's also going to deal with that nation as well. And God has paid attention to every single thing that has happened against his people, and he will keep all of his promises, and he will sovereignly judge all the nations. I think that's the picture we get in Obadiah. These nations think they're in charge, they think that they think that they can have their way, and the Lord is sending a message to them and saying, You better be careful. The day of the Lord is coming, there is going to be judgment, and everybody and every nation is going to have to reckon with me. And I've seen all that you've done.

45:42I think a parallel message for us, if we're hearing that and we're thinking about the day of the Lord and the day of his judgment, the day of his wrath, is that we also have these offenses against God that he's seen, that we also deserve to be judged. We should be judged. And someday he will be king over the whole earth, and he will be king over judgment, over the living and the dead. And we need to be ready to reckon with him. And the issue is that we can't do anything to make up for these wrong things that we've done as we're getting ready to stand before him in this day of judgment. The only thing that we can count on is being completely forgiven. Of what we've done. And so it's such a blessing to us that Christ has come and died on the cross and offered to pay for our sins totally.

46:39To on the cross take that wrath that's going to be poured out on the Edomites in a similar way that we deserve to experience God's wrath. And yet Jesus took that on our behalf on the cross so that we can find forgiveness in the day of his wrath and be saved from the wrath to come. In the meantime, for those of us who are believers, I think we can read passages like Obadiah that maybe seem like something distant and far away, like these other prophets we've been studying, and recognize the power of the Lord, recognize the wisdom of the Lord, and look forward to the day when He is going to set up this kingdom where Israel is ruling over Edom with these judges that come up and visit Jerusalem and go back to rule over this other nation. We can look forward to that kingdom when the Lord is on his throne and praise him. So let's pray. Father, we thank you for the grace that we've received. We know that we deserve judgment just like Edom. We know that we've been pompous and prideful. We've gloated. We've thought that we were invincible.

48:00We've rejoiced when wrong has been done to other people that are our enemies. We've had this same disgusting attitude that the Edomites have had. So I pray, God, that you would forgive us, have mercy on us, and help us draw near to you because of what Christ did on the cross. Help us trust in your promises. Help us look forward to the glorious day when you vindicate your people and reign. Help us read the scriptures with care, with joy, as we see that you will vindicate your name.

48:57And help us be humble before you and draw near to you. In Jesus' name, amen.