Obadiah 1:15-18 Judgment is Coming
Edom has been found guilty and judgment IS coming. They treated Israel shamefully; their own brother. All the other nations will be judged for their actions too.
God used many different people as part of Israel’s judgment for their sins. Assyria was Israel’s greatest judge and Babylon Judah’s. But in their roles as God’s instrument of judgment, they took it too far and incurred judgment against themselves. Both kingdoms would eventually fall. Edom joined in with those who ‘picked Israel clean’ after her fall.
Edom was also guilty of being happy, gloating, over Israel’s predicament. As Edom and Israel were related, God was VERY displeased with their actions and attitude. He wants them to KNOW that He will repay them for their behavior.
I am not a historian or a biblical scholar. I can’t tell you exactly what happened to the kingdom of Edom. I don’t know who physically ended their status as a people. But I can tell you that GOD had His hand in it. He moves kings and nations to do His will, even though they don’t recognize it as such.
When Obadiah speaks of the “day of the Lord”, I’m 100% certain which time frame he is referencing. It could be when Babylon destroyed Edom. It could also be still to come; at the time of Jesus’ return. N matter what, God WILL fulfill EVERY WORD of His promises. Nothing will be left undone in HIS time.
One of those promises specifically interests me. It is where God says that Mount Zion will be a place where, we who believe in Jesus, shall escape to and live in holiness. I know, that’s not EXACTLY the words God uses but it is certainly the understanding I have gained after spending so much time reading His word. Israel will have ALL the promised land back AT THAT TIME. God will also judge ALL the nations during that time. He will pay them back in FULL for how they treated His people. And His people includes ALL those who have come to faith in Him since He sent Jesus as our Savior.
Something I’m wondering about is God’s last promise in our section of reading today. “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 Esay, for the Lord has spoken” (verse 18). Jacob and Esau were brothers. Edom and Israel were related. But, as Edom is no more already, is God speaking globally and spiritually?
ALL mankind is related in some way. If it were possible, we could trace our lineage back to Adam and Eve. When God chose Abram, He called him from the HUGE POOL of mankind. He gave His promises to this one specific family. This was NEVER God’s final plan. His final plan included reaching out and offering the same intimate relationship to the rest of mankind. He did this through Jesus.
When that final time comes, will ALL of God’s children live with Him on Mt. Zion? Will we be ‘folded into’ “Jacob”? Will there be ANY separation between Jew and Gentile? Galatians 3:28 actually answers that question: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave[a] nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” But is this speaking of Heaven or the time of Jesus’ reign on earth? I suppose I will just have to wait and see.
Father God, THANK YOU for making a way for me to be part of Your family. I’m excited about what is to come. I KNOW I don’t have all the answers as to what it will look like. But Your description, in parts, lets me know that Jesus will be there. That’s ALL I need to know, for now. You will make EVERYTHING “just” too. I do NOT want to be on the wrong side of that justice!
