Obadiah (June 17)

Obadiah
A Father’s Justice
(June 17)

Ref: Obadiah 15 (NIV)

“The day of the LORD is near for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
your deeds will return upon your own head”

In our study of Joel last week we talked about “the day of the LORD”:

• What does this term mean?
• How did it apply to Obadiah’s immediate audience?
• How does it apply to us?

I. What does this term mean-

The term “the day of the LORD” occurs at least 20 times in the Old Testament alone.

It always describes a time when Yahweh (the personal name for God) intervenes

(usually dramatically) in human events.

Here, it definitely applies to Judah’s specific circumstances:

· During the invasion of Jerusalem by the Philistines and Arabs during the reign of Jehoram
between 853-841 B.C. (see 2 Kings 8:20-22 and 2 Chronicles 21:8-20),
making Obadiah a contemporary of Elisha

· During the attack on Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon between 605-586 B.C.,
which led to the Babylonian exile, making Obadiah a contemporary of Jeremiah

These were seminal events in Judah’s history.

There are at least 3 references to “the day of the LORD” in the New Testament that help us to understand the ongoing meaning (the hope of our salvation on the last day):

· Ref: Acts 2:20 (NIV)
“The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.”

· Ref: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 (ESV)
“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
and our being gathered together to him,
we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed,
either by a spirit or a spoken word,
or a letter seeming to be from us,
to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.”

· Ref: 2 Peter 3:10 (NASB)
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,
in which the heavens will pass away with a roar
and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat,
and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

Obviously, God’s day of judgment is a key day in the history of the world.

For any “day of the LORD”, there is fear (reverence, awe, respect) and expectation associated with it.

II. How did it apply to Obadiah’s immediate audience-

There are 2 main themes expressed in Obadiah:

· Pride- God will not abide pride (the original sin) forever.
Edom esteemed themselves as impregnable and untouchable (in their mountain homes).
God esteemed Edom as “small among the nations”.

Ref: Obadiah 1-4 (NIV)
“The vision of Obadiah.
This is what the Sovereign LORD says about Edom—
We have heard a message from the LORD:
An envoy was sent to the nations to say,

‘Rise, and let us go against her for battle’ —

‘See, I will make you small among the nations;
you will be utterly despised.
The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,

'Who can bring me down to the ground?'

Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,’
declares the LORD.”

· Justice- God will judge and punish all who harm or threaten His children
(exercising a Father’s justice)
Obadiah is primarily speaking here of the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, who stood idly by as God’s people were attacked and then mocked and stole from them after they were defeated.

Ref: Obadiah 8-14 (NIV)
“ ‘In that day,’

declares the LORD,

‘will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, men of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
Your warriors, O Teman, will be terrified,
and everyone in Esau's mountains will be cut down in the slaughter.
Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame;
you will be destroyed forever.
On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.
You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune,
nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction,
nor boast so much in the day of their trouble.
You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster,
nor look down on them in their calamity in the day of their disaster,
nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster.
You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives,
nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble.’”

We must always remember, though, that the battle belongs to the LORD,

and His justice will be apparent on “the day of the LORD”.

Ref: 1 Samuel 17:47 (CEV) [what David said to Goliath]

“Everybody here will see that the LORD doesn't need swords or spears to save His people. The LORD always wins His battles, and He will help us defeat you.”

These 2 main themes are the normal cause and effect for “the day of the LORD”.

Pride demands justice.

III. How does it apply to us-

We all are facing or will face our own pride and the pride of others.

We have experienced, are experiencing, or will experience some challenging times
that will drive the pride from us (not easy to walk through, but beneficial for us in the long run).

God’s justice will arrive on “the day of the LORD” (not one day before).

If we are truly to have the faith of David (as he faced his giant), we must have faith that God will not only reign sovereign, but that He will work thoroughly and perfectly through whatever situation we’re facing.

Ref: Obadiah 17-18 (NIV)
“ ‘But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;
it will be holy,
and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance.
The house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame;
the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will set it on fire and consume it.
There will be no survivors from the house of Esau.’
The LORD has spoken.”

He will restore (and is restoring) you, as a Just Father.