Sermon for Sunday May 3, 2015
Obadiah 10-21, main verse of text is 15
Review
2 weeks ago we talked about Obadiah. Let’s do a little review for context and catch us up…Obadiah is primarily a prophecy against the nation of Edom, sometimes called Esau after the father of their nation, for their hostile treatment against God’s people, the Hebrew nation, in the Old Testament. Edom has a very harsh prophecy leveled against them, and the record of Edom’s hostility against Israel goes back to a time in which Israel was still traveling through the wilderness to reach the promised land.
Because of Edom’s treatment of Israel, and even moreso, because of their pride, they will be brought low as a nation, and will be destroyed. Today, in 2015, we can look back and see that this prophecy did come true within a couple of hundred years after it was written.
2 weeks ago, we talked about the problem of Esau, who forsook everything for the sake of hunger; we talked about Edom, who forsook everything for the sake of hostility; and we talked about Herod, also an Edomite, who forsook it all for the sake of himself – a very proud man.
Today, we’re going to finish the rest of the book of Obadiah, and while we won’t have time to cover every single text and nuance in the book, it is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will reveal new and yet timeless truths to us today, that we might see the lesson of these people, and the nature of God, and understand the Word and understand our heavenly Father more.
I’d like to read one verse for our main text this morning, and then we’ll go back and read the surrounding verses.
Main Text
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.
Extended Text
10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.
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.
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.
13 Do 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.
14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress.
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.
The main text
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.
A Day of Reckoning
15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations
Well, what exactly are we talking about? Is this day of the Lord something that has occurred yet, or not? This particular phrase, “The Day of the Lord,” is found throughout prophetic books of the Bible. But is it saying that this day of the Lord might be in reference to the nation of Edom only. Or do we, here in 2015, still have a “Day of the Lord” impending on us as well?
Verse 8 references a day in which the judgment of Edom is set:
Will I not on that day, declares the LORD, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau?
So, there’s no doubt, a day is coming for Edom. And this isn’t referring to a great, getting-up morning like the old hymn says. The Day of the Lord is a reference of judgment, a reference to God executing justice, a day in which God is the sole victor over His enemies. And we know from looking back on history that the nation of Edom did not continue. They did not win. They did not continue to do these things outlined in verses 10-14 – they did not continue to:
10 (do) violence done to your brother Jacob
11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth
12 But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune;
13 Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their calamity
14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives
Is there a day of the Lord coming up still? Isaiah 13:6
6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!
Ezekiel 30:3
3 For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near; it will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.
Joel 2:1
1 Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,
Zephaniah 1:7
7 Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests.
These passages and about 15 others in the Old Testament can be examined, and the conclusion can be arrived at that this Day of the Lord is a great, fearful day. A day in which there is a great reckoning. And like many Old Testament prophecies, there was an immediate prophecy, and there was an end-time application as well. The nations of Israel and Judah experienced that Day of the Lord – the northern Kingdom was taken into exile and ceased to exist, and the southern kingdom was taken into exile and never existed as the glorious nation they once were. Yes, the Hebrew children sinned, and a Day of the Lord happened in which the Lord executed justice and judgment upon those sins.
But we also read of another, coming Day of the Lord. These passages in the Old Testament allude to it, as does the New Testament – and even though we are in the age of grace, under the new covenant, those who do not live under grace are subject to the law, and a Day of the Lord is coming in which judgment will happen, and it won’t be a happy, joyous occasion for many, many people.
And no matter which day we are talking about – the day in which some past nation was judged, such as Israel, or Edom, or the day upon which all the nations of the world will bow before the throne, Isaiah 2:17 tells us,
And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
A day of Retribution – Vv19-21
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.
Well, first of all, this verse is directed to the nation, so “As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head” wasn’t talking about a kind grandmother or a small child. These words are a prophecy against an evil and hostile nation that has opposed God and has arrayed themselves time and time again against God’s children. And guess who is about to hold court? Edom is about to be judged according to the Old Testament principle found in Deuteronomy 19:21
21 Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
And so again, we aren’t going to read it again, but I remind you of the grievances against Edom in verses 10-14. They have behaved treacherously and will be treated treacherously as well. They will sow what they have reaped. That’s what this last phrase means in verse 15 as well, it is simply repeating this same concept – your deeds shall return on your head.
Why? I refer you back to a point made 2 weeks ago. Edom was not blameless. They were fathered by Esau, the son of a righteous man. This wasn’t simply some hostile tribe, descended from Cain’s line. No, these people were blood relatives of Israel. They knew Israel. They were neighbors. They were family. They knew how God worked, and they knew how God chastised, and they saw it directly. And yet, they did these deeds. They saw what God’s grace looked like, but they also saw what God’s judgment looked like, and they chose judgment.
Let’s talk application a little bit. I consider the deeds of my own life. I’m the son of a Christian family. I’m in the ministry. And yet, I’m ashamed when I consider the times I have failed God and have failed other people. I understand that phrase in verse 10 – “shame shall cover you,” because I’ve hurt people in my life, and I’ve been reckless, and I’ve tried to play by my own rules. No, most of us may not committed sins to the degree that the people of Edom did, but we’re all sinners, and by the law, we’re all guilty, and unless God chooses to look at our lawlessness with mercy, we will reap the same punishment as Edom. This is the way it is.
But God provided an amazing and wonderful sacrifice to cover our deeds. Edom saw God, they were related to His children, but rejected Him over their entire history. We too see God. He sent His Son to die for us. He gave His Word to help and guide and lead us. He sent the Holy Spirit to convict and counsel us. We, like the Edomites, have no excuse. And yet, Isaiah said, in 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
A day of Recompense – skip to the end verses of the book
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.
19 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 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 Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb.
21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.
A day of recompense. The definition of that word is – a reward given for loss or harm suffered or effort made. But here’s the thing – Israel did not deserve a reward. Yes, they had suffered loss and harm, but the punishment was their reward. It was what they got. It was what they deserved. And yet…God’s people aren’t done yet. There’s still a reward to be had. And these verses, citing some places that many of us have never heard of – speak of a reward, a possession of land, a fulfillment of the original contract, a Kingdom that is to be the Lord’s.
Like the Edomites, I have done nothing good in my life to deserve reward from God. Proverbs says the heart is evil, and I agree with that. None of us have either. Based on our own righteousness, our own history of deeds, each of us should receive recompense – a recompense of suffering, for Romans 3:23 says,
For the wages of sin is death,
Perhaps we should be familiar with the punishment promised to the Edomites, because I too, and you too, have sinned against God’s law, have lived outside of God’s boundaries, have failed to live up to God’s standard. And perhaps that punishment should come to us. But something has happened to change our reward. To change our recompense. You see, before something happened, we had no righteousness. There was no peace. Without some divine intervention, we can bite our fingernails all we wish, we can worry and fret, but we have no eternal hope. But Romans 5 says,
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
While we were still sinners, Christ paid the penalty that we had a’comin – he received the recompense – the punishment for what we had done. And yet, at the same time – verse 1 – he justified us. We are now able to stand before God not based on our own righteousness, but based on Christ and his sacrifice and his righteousness. This is what the scripture is talking about when it says in Ephesians 1:5
he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ,
In conclusion, the Edomites were related to God’s chosen people – they were family, but they blew it. They were proud, they were hostile, and they were sinful. They rejected God, even though they were descended from a godly line. But you and I today – we may not be Hebrews, we may not be special, we may have sinned more than a person should – some of us may have done acts and committed deeds in this very room that we would never tell a person – and yet, we’ve been brought INTO the family, we’ve been offered adoption, we’ve been offered a place at the table, and we’ve been offered mercy instead of punishment, grace instead of death, an eternal family instead of eternal separation.
Romans 5:2
2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Why would anyone, knowing this, aware of the tug of the Holy Spirit in their life, their soul, their heart, choose the path of the Edomites, proud unto their grave, facing the recompense of sin? My friend, choose surrender, choose peace, choose the recompense of Christ today.
