Obadiah Series

Obadiah - The Judgment Of Edom (1:1-21)

INTRODUCTION

1. The next book of the "The Minor Prophets" we shall consider is Obadiah, whose book is the shortest of all books in the Old Testament

2. His name means "Servant of Yahweh (Jehovah)", and was quite

common...

a. Thirteen different people are called by this name in the Old

Testament

b. One Jewish tradition identifies him as the one who was Ahab’s

steward

1) Who hid 100 prophets from Jezebel, Ahab’s wife - 1Ki 18:3-4

2) Who feared the Lord from his youth - 1Ki 18:12

c. He may have also been...

1) The Obadiah sent by Jehoshaphat to teach the law in Judah

- 2Ch 17:7

2) The Obadiah who was one of the overseers in repairing the

temple under Josiah - 2Ch 34:12

-- Whoever this Obadiah was, his message contains valuable lessons

for us today

[Before looking at the book itself, let’s consider some...]

I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

A. THE DATE...

1. Two dates are often proposed: 845 B.C. and 586 B.C.

2. The prophet refers to an attack on Jerusalem; commentators

offer these two possibilities:

a. The days of Jehoram (848-844 B.C.), when Philistines and

Arabians attacked the city - 2Ch 21:8-10,16-17

b. The destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (586 B.C.)

3. The internal evidence appears to support the early date of

845 B.C. (Keil, Hailey)

a. The language of Obadiah is much different from Jeremiah

b. There is no mention of the destruction of the temple, the

deportation to Babylon, the remnant who went to Egypt

-- I accept the early date, that it was around 845 B.C.

B. THE MESSAGE...

1. The fall of Edom

a. Because of its pride

b. And its cruelty against Israel, their cousins

2. The exaltation of Zion

a. When Seir, the Edomite counterpart of Zion, will be cast

down

b. The rescued of Israel will be in Zion, for in it the

redeemed shall be found

-- For this reason I have subtitled this lesson as "The Judgment

Of Edom"

C. THE HISTORY OF EDOM...

1. The people of Edom descended from Esau, Jacob’s twin brother

2. There was sibling rivalry between Edom and Israel, found first

in Esau and Jacob

a. The twins struggled in their mother’s womb - Gen 25:22-26

b. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob - Gen 25:27-34

c. Jacob stole Esau’s blessing as the firstborn - Gen 27

3. While Jacob and Esau eventually reconciled (Gen 32-33), their

descendants were often at odds with one another

a. In the Exodus, Edom refused Israel passage through their

land - Num 20:14-21

b. Edom was finally subjected by David - 2Sa 8:13-14

c. During the reign of Jehoram, Edom revolted - 2Ki 8:20-22

4. Located south of the Dead Sea, they built their cities in the

cliffs and thought themselves impregnable

5. After the prophecy of Obadiah...

a. The Edomites were overcome by the Nabataeans, forced to

settle south of Judah

b. Around 100 B.C., they were conquered by John Hyrcanus of

the Maccabees

1) Who forced many of them to be circumcised and accept the

Law

2) As such, many became nominal Jewish proselytes (Herod

the Great was one)

c. By 100 A.D., Edom as a race and nation had become lost to

history

[With this background, let’s now read through the prophecy of Obadiah,

with the aid of the following...]

II. OUTLINE OF THE BOOK

A. THE COMING JUDGMENT ON EDOM (1-9)

1. The decree has gone forth to the nations (1)

2. Deceived by pride in her location, Edom will be brought down(2-4)

3. Destruction will be complete (5-6)

4. Edom will be betrayed by allies (7)

5. Not even wisdom and might can save them (8-9)

B. THE REASON FOR JUDGMENT ON EDOM (10-16)

1. For violence and unbrotherly conduct toward Jacob (10-11)

2. A rebuke against such conduct (12-14)

3. Therefore the "Day of the Lord" for them will mean receiving

the same sort of treatment! (15-16)

C. THE EXALTATION OF ISRAEL OVER EDOM (17-21)

1. Deliverance and holiness will be found on Mt. Zion, not Mt.

Seir (the prominent mountain in Edom)! (17a)

2. The house of Jacob shall consume the house of Esau (17b-18)

3. The children of Israel will possess Edom and surrounding

nations (19-20)

4. The ultimate rule will be that of the Lord’s (21)

[With this brief perusal of Obadiah’s "vision" concerning Edom (1),

here are some thoughts regarding...]

III. THE FULFILLMENT OF THE PROPHECY

A. ITS IMMEDIATE FULFILLMENT...

1. Edom’s destruction began with the Babylonian invasion under

Nebuchadnezzar (ca. 600 B.C.)

2. It continued into the fourth century B.C. with the invasion of

the Arabs known as the Nabataeans, forcing them to a region

south of Judah

3. In the second century B.C., the Maccabees brought them under