Obadiah Study: part 3 (vrs 5-9)

Obadiah Study, part 3

We're continuing to look at the shortest book in the Old Testament in an attempt to understand it's lessons for us today.

v5 - If thieves come to you, if raiders come at night, it would be a disaster for you!  Would they not steal all they could carry?  If gatherers come to you, would they not leave some behind for the poor?

v6 - But Esau's treasures will be searched for.  All their hiding places will be sought out.

Unlike destruction brought about by raiders, who are limited by what they can carry, the destruction of Edom would be complete.  In verse 5, the author speaks to Edom, but in verse 6 the author speaks about Edom - as though Edom no longer existed.  These verses are in dirge form, as though the author is inviting his readers to mourn Edom, already as good as dead.  This is a parallel of Jeremiah 49:9-10.

For the readers, this destruction stands in vivid contrast to the recent destruction of Judah, which while great was not total.  A remnant of Judah remained.  No remnant from Edom would survive, however.

v7 - Those you made covenants with will drive you to your borders.  Those you had peace and bread with have deceived you and will prevail over you.  They lay a trap under you and you will not understand it.

Edom is addressed in the strongest terms in verse 7.  The Hebrew (which I have attempted to capture above) uses the "you" 7 times.  The "driving to the borders" is possibly a prophecy of what occurred in the sixth century, when Arab invaders attacked Edom.  The bread reference in v 7 refers to the covenant-making ceremony in the ancient Near East, where participants would share bread together.  Edom's trusted allies would become the agents of her destruction, and the Edomites would not see it coming or understand what was happening.

v8 - On that day, declares Yahweh, I will destroy the wisdom in Edom and the understanding in the hills of Esau.

v9 - Your warriors will be dismayed, Oh Teman so that everyone will be removed from the hills of Esau by slaughter.

See Jeremiah 49:7 & 22 for reference on these verses.  Those of wisdom and understanding in Edom would be removed.  The warriors' courage would fail, leading to a slaughter.  v8 reminds us that this is a declaration - a sure promise - of the Lord.  There was no turning back from this decision.  The reference to Teman in verse 9 - this is a part of Edom, which is used here to represent the whole.  One of Job's friends was from Teman (see Job 2:11).

Taken together, these oracles build to a climax.  Edom's wealth would be removed (v5-6), her relations with other nations would be removed (v7), her wisdom and understanding removed (v7-8), and her military might (v9).  All the crucial elements of the ancient society would crumble, ending in the total destruction of the nation.

In part 4 of this blog, we will look at the reasons Obadiah and the Lord cite for this kind of judgment to be pronounced.  Obadiah will tell us the reasons why God's judgment is a just one.

Obadiah Study: part 2 (vrs 1-4)

Now we begin to break down the verses in Obadiah, a few at a time.  For those who may have more knowledge than I do, please feel free to add or correct things I miss in the comments section.

Obadiah 1-4, the Kevin Dawson version:

1  The revelation of Obadiah concerning what my Lord YAHWEH said to Edom:  An envoy from among the nations has been sent, saying, "Rise and let us rise up against Edom and make war."

2  Behold, I have allowed you to be small and very despised among the nations.

3  The pride in your heart deceived you.  You stay in the cliffs.  You live up high.  You say in your heart, "Who can bring me down?"

4  Even if you soar like the eagles, even if you make your nest between the stars - even from there I will tear you down.  So declares YAHWEH.

Verse 1

Obadiah's announcement of Edom's doom is not based on his personal opinion of the Edomites.  Rather, this is an announcement from the sovereign Lord.  Though Edom is the subject of the prophecy, the actual prophecy is addressed to Israel.  God intends Israel to learn something about His nature from the announcement against Edom.  Thus Obadiah has value for all God's people, since we are to learn from the prophecies.  This isn't just God announcing the destruction of a nation, but rather a message for the people of God.

Obadiah is closely related to Jeremiah.  (Compare this verse to Jeremiah 49:14.)  This is further evidence that Obadiah belongs right after the destruction of Jerusalem.  Obadiah takes Jeremiah's prophecy concerning Edom and develops the thoughts further.

This is perhaps a reason why Obadiah says "we have heard" where Jeremiah says "I have heard."  Jeremiah heard the prophecy and issued it, and then Obadiah and all Israel heard the prophecy of Jeremiah.

The messenger is likely from an enemy of Edom to other enemies of Edom.  The nations were gathering against Edom.  Still, two levels of history in operation are revealed - the human level and the divine level.  Though God uses human means to raise and to destroy people and nations, God is still the great Mover working behind the curtains of history.

Verse 2

This is written past-tense, though it has yet to happen.  It carries the idea that the declaration is so certain to happen that it might as well already be true.  Even among pagan nations, God's rule is sovereign.  (for a comparison, see Jeremiah 49:15)

Devotional Thought: the word of God is so sure that when God declares that something will happen, it can essentially be written in the past-tense.  It is done.  God's promises to our lives can be considered that certain.

Verses 3-4

Edom's destruction is due to pride.  The Bible is filled with examples of pride coming before destruction (see Proverbs 16:18, for instance).

The same root word used here is found in Genesis 25:29 at the very beginning of the Jacob/Esau conflict.

Edom's deception due to pride and subsequent judgement recalls to mind the deception and subsequent judgement of Adam & Eve.

Edom was built in the mountains. One major city, later called Petra ("rock" in Greek) is built on a mountain that has three sides going straight up perpendicularly.  The fourth side, on the southeast, features a sloping ascent.  This geography makes it a fortress and made the Edomites feel invulnerable.

Obadiah builds on this motif.  Eagles were the largest bird in the region.  He elevates the Edomites' pride further by saying even if they flew higher than the mountains with the eagles, or even if they lived among the stars, God would still bring them down.

Edom knew it was beyond the reach of man, so it became proud.  But Edom forgot that God is greater still.

Obadiah Study: part 1

Map of Edom

Welcome to Part 1 of a study on the Book of Obadiah. Other parts will be coming in future days or weeks. Part 1 is concerned with an overview of the book. Future posts will present a commentary on the book.

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, and is largely concerned with the destruction of the nation of Edom.

WHO WAS OBADIAH?
The name Obadiah means “servant of Jehovah.” It is a common name in the OT (13 people), but it could also be a title for an anonymous author.

One Jewish tradition identifies the author as the Obadiah who hid 100 prophets of the Lord from King Ahab (1 Kings 18:3-12).

He may have also been the Obadiah who was sent by Jehosophat to teach in the towns of Judah (2 Chr 17:7).

Or he may have been one of the overseers of the rebuilding of the Temple under Josiah. (2 Chr. 34:12)

WHEN WAS OBADIAH WRITTEN?
The Tyndale Commentary suggests that, while several dates are possible, immediately post-exile is the most likely (586 BC). During this time 2 Kings 25:4-6 records that those fleeing the destruction of Judah were captured by the Babylonians as they were headed in the direction of Arabia (a route that would take them through Edom). Personally, this is shaky because the Kings’ passage does not explicitly mention the presence of the Edomites involved in this issue, though they were certainly pleased at the outcome and may well have had involvement.

Another website (http://www.ccel.org/contrib/exec_outlines/mp/mp_02.htm) advocates a slightly earlier date – 845 BC. This was when Jehoram ruled Judah and Philistines & Arabs attacked, just after Edom rebelled (2 Chr 21:8-10, 16-17). Further, since the destruction of the Temple (586) is not mentioned, it might suggest the earlier date is correct – though arguments from silence are pretty weak in my estimation.

MY THOUGHTS (best guess)
The only real way to date Obadiah is from the text itself. Verses 10-14 suggest a catastrophic event that Edom did nothing to prevent, and in fact made worse. This most likely leads itself to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC.

A LITTLE ABOUT EDOM
The Bible tells us that Edom was founded by Esau. Edom was Esau’s nickname. It is implied that it might be because he was covered in red hair (Gen 25:25), but the Bible explicitly states that the nickname came about because of Esau’s request for red stew (Gen 25:30), an event which led to Esau’s abandoning his rights as the firstborn.

Geographic evidence suggests that the land of Edom is covered with red rock, which is how secular archeologists suggest that the Edomites got their name.

Edom is also called Seir, or Mt. Seir, which is a location in Edom, possibly of religious significance to the Edomites. Except for a couple of fertile spots along the Dead Sea, Edom is a very inhospitable region where it is difficult to grow anything. Edom’s importance had to do with the trade routes that passed through, making it important to commerce in the ancient world.

Historically, scholars were troubled with the Bible’s suggestion that Edom was a powerful nation during the time of Saul and David. But recent archeological evidence has uncovered a copper mine, indicating Edom had the blacksmiths and a sophisticated culture as early as the 1200’s. References to them as a people also are found in the annals of Egypt during this same time, indicating their presence. The Bible is clear that Edom existed as a nation before Israel did, and this archeological evidence matches the biblical record.

It is suggested that Job was Jobab, an Edomite king, who lived just prior to the Exodus. For full details, see web article at http://www.nabataea.net/edomch4.html.



THEMES IN OBADIAH
The book is divided into two sections – prophecies concerning Edom, and prophecies concerning Israel and other nations.

It is primarily a message of hope to God’s people – that God has not forsaken His people, even in the midst of their recent troubles.

A major theme is that what is sowed will be reaped. Verse 15b is the key to this theological theme, relating to Edom. But also the proud (v3) are humbled (v2), those who watch a nation get ransacked (v11-14) will themselves be ransacked (v5-9), those harassing survivors (v14) will have none (v18), and those helping with a dispossession (v14) will be dispossessed (v7,19).

Other Sources for this study include the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary Series (Obadiah, Jonah, Micah volune by Baker, Alexander, & Waltke) & the Complete Biblical Library Series & http://www.nabataea.net/edomintro.html

Choose Your Own Religion

So there's a website (http://www.selectsmart.com/RELIGION/) where you can take a survey about what you believe & then it will tell you which religion would best suit you.

In other words, religion isn't about Truth, it's about your opinion. You get to pick the one that you like.

This is just a great example of postmodernism. Truth is relative, and religion isn't about facts it's just about which one "works for you."

This is a great example of why the mission God has given me is so important. We need to impact teenagers with the gospel of Christ, and the way to do that is to help train youth leaders.

Anyway, just thought I'd share that. If any of you are wondering which religion is best for you, don't bother taking the survey. There's only One way to God, and it doesn't matter what your opinion is.