Obadiah – A Lesson in Humility

Obadiah - God Hates Pride

INTRODUCTION
A Roman poet named Ovid wrote a poem called Metamorphoses, in 8 AD. Eight years before Jesus came to earth. The third book of the poem tells about a handsome young man who spurned the advances of a number of potential lovers. But he rejected the advances of one too many - a nymph named Echo. That nymph was cursed to only repeat (“echo”) the sounds that others made. So, the gods punished that man by making him fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. The man quickly learned that the object of his love in the “mirror” could not love him back so he eventually wilted away and died. That man’s name was Narcissus.

There is a “disorder” called the Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The Bible identifies this “disorder” as the sin of pride. Narcissistic Personality Disorder is identified in people who have these types of qualities (mayoclinic.org):

Has an exaggerated since of self-importance.
Has a sense of entitlement and requires constant and excessive admiration.
Expects to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it.
Exaggerates achievements and talents.
(I’m beginning to think we’re just describing the typical politician.)
Preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or a perfect spouse
Believe they are superior and can only associate with equally special people.
Tend to monopolize conversations and often belittle people they perceive as being inferior.
Expects special favors and compliance to their expectations without question.
Takes advantage of others to get what they want.
Has an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others.
Is envious of others and believes others envy them.
Behaves arrogantly or haughty, clearly conceited, boastful and pretentious.
Insists on having the best of everything.

Do you know of anyone who is a narcissist?

The first time the English word “pride” is found in the Bible is in Leviticus 26:19 where God warns Israel, “I will also break down your pride of power; I will also make your sky like iron and your earth like bronze.” The word does not always mean pride in a negative sense because God is described using the same Hebrew word in the song of Exodus 15 (15:7) which we studied a few weeks ago. But this Hebrew word is found 49 times in the OT.

I would say that the essence of man’s relationship with God is one of humility. This word for pride is found in passages like Proverbs 11:2: “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom.” And Proverbs 16:18: "Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.”

Just like there is one book in the Bible about a healthy, proper, married sexual relationship in the Song of Solomon, so there is one book in the Bible about pride. It is the minor prophet Obadiah which also happens to be one of the few books in the OT that is specifically directed at non-Jews. Obadiah is specifically directed at the nation of Edom.

THE HISTORY OF EDOM:
The nation of Edom was descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob. In fact, they were twins. Their birth is recorded in Genesis 25:19-34. Verse 30 of that text specifically identifies Esau was “Edom.” “Edom” is found exactly 100 times in the OT.

God blessed the descendants of Esau - the Edomites - in Genesis 36. That whole chapter - like Obadiah - is dedicated to the Edomites.

But in that song from Exodus 15 which we studied, Moses states that the “chiefs of Edom were dismayed” (15:15) at Israel crossing the Red Sea. Edom was afraid of Israel because of God’s blessings on Israel. That fear motivated Edom to refuse Israel passage through their land when they left Mount Sinai on their way to the Promised Land. That account is found in Numbers 20:14-22. So there developed some antagonism between Israel and Edom from the earliest years.

However, as God was dividing up the land of Canaan for Israel, He specifically forbid Israel from invading and taking the land of Edom: Deuteronomy 2:1-8; 23:7.

By the time King Saul is appointed over Israel, the nation of God is at war with the Edomites (1 Sam. 14:47). King David was eventually able to subjugate Edom in 2 Samuel 8:14 and the text reads that “the Lord helped David wherever he went.” Referring to the same event, in 1 Chronicles 18:12, David killed 18,000 Edomites. David wrote Psalm 60 to praise God for that victory over Edom.

King Solomon developed trade with Edom in 1 Kings 9:26. The copper mining industry was important for the land of Edom. The king of Israel, Jehoram, and the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat entered into a treaty with Edom to fight against Moab (2 Kings 3:9-12).

Under King Joram of Israel, Edom fought for their freedom (2 Kings 8:20-22). King Amaziah fought against Edom in 2 Kings 14:7 and killed 10,000 Edomites. Under King Amaziah, Judah “sought the gods of Edom” (2 Chron. 25:20). So, God allowed Israel to defeat Judah on that occasion. The gods of Edom are not mentioned in the Bible but they were named Hadad and Jaush and “Edom” might have also been the name of one of their gods.

Psalm 137 was written after the Babylonian exile and the author (anonymous) asked God to “remember against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Raze it, raze it to its very foundation” (137:7). What has happened then is that when Babylon conquered Jerusalem, Edom was cheering on the Babylonians. Against God’s people!

Thus, Isaiah preaches against Edom (Isa. 34). Jeremiah preached against Edom (Jer. 25; 49). As Jeremiah lamented the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, he directed some words to Edom:

"Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, Who dwells in the land of Uz; But the cup will come around to you as well, You will become drunk and make yourself naked. The punishment of your iniquity has been completed, O daughter of Zion; He will exile you no longer. But He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins!” (Lamentations 4:21-22).

Ezekiel preached against Edom (Eze. 25). In Ezekiel 35:15, the prophet spoke to Edom: ““As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so I will do to you. You will be a desolation, O Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

In Ezekiel 36:5 - and Ezekiel preached during the Babylonian exile - it seems that Edom actually took advantage of the siege of Judah by the Babylonians and stole land and perhaps other things: “therefore thus says the Lord God, “Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for a prey.”

Joel preached against Edom (3:19). Amos preached against Edom (Amos 1:11-12). In Amos 9:11-12, in a prophesy of the church of Christ, Amos foresaw that when the “fallen booth of David” - a metaphor for the church (Acts 15) is set up, it will “possess the remnant of Edom.” In other words, it would consume and incorporate Edom when those from that land would believe and obey Jesus Christ.

This brings us to the “vision” of Obadiah which follows the prophecy of Amos…

OBADIAH’S MESSAGE OF JUDGMENT - 1-14:
There are 13 men named Obadiah mentioned in the OT so there is no way to know if this is the same Obadiah as any of them. If we are correct that Obadiah reproves Edom because they boasted over the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, then that would suggest Obadiah lived and preached during the 500s BC.

His name, incidentally, means “servant of the Lord.”

He is preaching against Edom - verse 1.

Obadiah states that God has sent an envoy to go throughout the nations to compel them to rise up against Edom.

Why? Verses 2-3 tell us. “I will make you small among the nations; You are greatly despised. The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, you live in the clefts of the rock in the loftiness of your dwelling place, who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring us down to earth?’” In other words, Edom was so arrogant that she thought she was untouchable! She felt she was safe. Despite the fact that she had already been subjugated once by Israel. She was denying reality, which reminds me of the arrogance of the Jews in John 8 when they told Jesus: “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone” (8:33). Are you kidding me? But that’s the nature of the narcissistic personality, right? They think the world revolves around them so they deny reality. Reality is how they define it.

Edom lived on a stretch of mountainous terrain, in some places reaching 5,700’ in elevation. Its mountain range was called Seir. Rachel and I were on the highest point in New Hampshire in September - Mount Washington - which was 6,288’ in elevation. Edom was a territory roughly 100 miles by 20 miles. On its west side was the Palestinian rift through which the Jordan River passed and on its east side was desert. The topography clearly made Edom easy to defend.

Verse 4 - “Though you build high like the eagle, Though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.” The destruction of Edom is not attributed to any of the nations from biblical history. Rather, it is the Lord who does it. Now, He could easily do it through any of those nations, but it is the Lord who is in control. These thoughts are very similar to our Lord’s condemnation of the cities of His own day who also were arrogant and prideful: Matthew 11:20-24.

In verse 5, God is drawing a contrast between the total destruction He will bring and thieves - they don’t still everything. When farmers gather grapes, they don’t pick every last one. But when God brings down Edom, all her treasures will be found out (ver. 6)! Nothing will be hidden. Nothing will be protected.

The Hebrew writer reminds Christians that there is nothing hidden from God’s sight: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (4:13).

Edom will actually be betrayed by her own allies - the men allied with her (ver. 7), the men “at peace” with her. Those who eat bread with them. Not only will Edom’s location on the mountain range protect them, but even their famed wisdom will protect them (ver. 8). One of Job’s friends, Eliphaz, was from Teman, a village of Edom and he speaks of their wisdom (Job 15:1, 18). But again, Jehovah points out that He is the one who is in control of her destruction.

Just like Moses sang in Exodus 15:7 that Edom’s chiefs were dismayed, so here God promises that Edom’s “mighty men” will be dismayed (ver. 9). The two Hebrew words are different. But the end result is the same: judgment from God: “Everyone will be cut off rom the mountain of Esau by slaughter.”

Edom’s pride had led her to violence: verse 10. God will cover her with shame and cut her off forever. In fact, Edom as a nation no longer exists today. Edom “stood aloof” from her cousins (Israel) when they were being destroyed (ver. 11). God will punish her for her apathy. God tells Edom that they should not have gloated over his “brother’s” day of calamity and misfortune (ver. 12). “Do not boast,” He says, in Israel’s distress.

God had warned His own children: “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Or the Lord will see it and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him” (Prov. 24:17-18).

So God tells Edom: “Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their disaster. Do not gloat. Do not loot” (ver. 13). Don’t stand at the fork of the road and slaughter those refugees fleeing for safety (ver. 14). Do not take survivors as POWs either!

THE DAY OF THE LORD - 15-21:
The phrase “day of the Lord” is a popular expression among the prophets. It is found 28 times in the Bible, five are in the NT. It can refer to blessings of God or it can refer to judgments by God. Here, it refers to God’s judgment on Edom.

“As you have done, it will be done for you” (ver. 15). Do we need to point out that the Bible teaches from beginning to end that “whoever sows to the flesh shall reap from the flesh”? God will see to it that every person will reap what he or she has sown.

Verse 16 perhaps alludes to Edom drinking wine in Jerusalem, on God’s holy mountain, in celebration of their defeat of Israel, or Babylons’ defeat of Israel and Edom taking advantage of the situation. God promises all the nations will drink, they will drink and swallow, but God is referring to the wine of His wrath - a metaphor we are most familiar with from the book of Revelation because John uses the imagery. The nations, including Edom, will be as if they never existed.

The “day of the Lord” is a day of judgment for those who sin against God - Edom - but it is a day of blessing for God’s people (ver. 17). On Mount Zion, there will be those who escape. That will be a holy place because God will still assemble with His people and the “house of Jacob,” the people of Israel will have the possessions God desires them to have. Edom might have plundered Israel but Edom could never plunder the God of Israel!

In fact, the house of Jacob - Israel - will be a fire (ver. 18); in a parallel expression Obadiah says the “house of Joseph” will be a flame. Esau will be the stubble so that Israel will consume Edom and overwhelm them. No survivor will come from the house of Esau. Why? Notice: “for the Lord has spoken.” When God says something, it will happen!

Those in the south - the Negev - will possess the mountains of Edom (ver. 19). Edom tried to possess Israel; Israel will in fact possess Edom. In this verse, Obadiah casts his gaze even further - Israel who lives in the “Shephelah” - the western side of the hills of Judah - will possess the Philistine plain and these other tribes of Israel: Ephraim and Benjamin will be possessing their land in Canaan: Samaria and Gilead.

The exiles from the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles - those among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath (ver. 20) will come home. They will return to the cities of the south of Israel. Those who have delivered will go up on Mount Zion - God’s mountain - and they will judge the mountain of Esau and the kingdom that did belong to Esau, it will belong to Jehovah God (ver. 21).

WHAT HAPPENED TO EDOM:
By the time of Malachi (1:2-5) it appears that Edom had suffered a severe defeat. At some point, Arabs took over Edom. By 312 BC, its name was changed to “Idumea.” This territory is mentioned once in the NT, in Mark 3:8. King Herod, however, was Idumean.

CONCLUSION:
There are a handful of books in the OT which are not quoted or referenced in the NT: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and Nahum and Obadiah.

Take home message: God expects us to be humble - toward each other and toward Him. God does not expect us to be apathetic when our brothers are hurting. God does not want us to rejoice when others suffer calamity. The kingdom of the Lord (the church of Christ) will out last every nation and kingdom created by man.