Through the Bible - Obadiah

God, we do thank You. We thank You for the power of Your Word, Lord. We thank You for the privilege that You've given us to be in Your presence this evening, to worship You, to praise Your name, and now to sit at Your feet, Lord. We ask that You would teach us by Your Holy Spirit, that You'd guide us through this small but powerful book, and that You would give us insight into the ways You work, not only in the world but also in our lives individually. So speak to us, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.

How many of you were here this last Wednesday night for the prophecy update that we had? Most of you were. Going through the Word, it's neat to be able to do what we're doing here on Saturday nights. That was a blessing on Wednesday night, but going through each of the prophetic books on Saturday nights, I don't know if you've been blessed. I know I've been blessed as I've been studying through these.

As we look at the book of Obadiah tonight, I believe the Lord has a word for us specifically. This is the smallest of the books in the entire Old Testament and definitely the smallest of the prophetic books. The name Obadiah means "worshiper of God" or "servant of God." There is not very much we know about this man, the one who wrote this. All we really know is what his name says: worshiper of God, servant of God.

We believe that he was from the southern nation of Israel, specifically the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin, but we really don't know. There are 13 individuals named Obadiah mentioned in the Old Testament, and there is no real way for us to know exactly who this particular man was that wrote these things.

Additionally, as we look at the writings of these 21 verses, there is not a lot of information given about the time in which it was written. There are only a few details that we might be able to pull out of these verses to correlate it with a specific time. It talks about a judgment that came upon Judah and the city of Jerusalem, which gives us some sort of an idea. This judgment either happened around 850 B.C., when the nations surrounding Jerusalem came against it.

Or maybe it happened in 586 B.C. when Babylon came against the children of Israel in the south and the straddle. He is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem that took place as he speaks to the nation of Edom.

Now, how many of you read these 21 verses this week? Many of you, actually. That's good. Praise the Lord. So when we meet Obadiah, we can say we read your book. But if you didn't, you've got to read it when you go home tonight. It's homework.

As you go through these verses, you see that the focus of his prophecy is not to the children of Israel, but to a close neighbor of theirs, the nation of Edom. Obadiah deals specifically with the enmity that existed between the nation of Israel and the nation of Edom. There was a bitter rivalry going on between these two nations, and it is a rivalry that began long before the writing of this book. This rivalry goes all the way back to the womb of Rebekah, the wife of Isaac.

Edom was the descendant of which man? Esau. Israel was the descendant of Jacob. You may remember all the way back in Genesis chapter 25 that we are first introduced to these two individuals, Jacob and Esau. So why don't you turn over to Genesis chapter 25 for a moment? We can see the beginnings of this rivalry, the beginnings of this dissension between the two.

In Genesis chapter 25, starting in verse 20, we read: "And Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebekah to be his wife, the daughter of Bethuel, the Syrian, of Paddan Aram, and the sister of Laban, the Syrian. And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife because she was barren. And the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her. And she said, 'If it be so, why am I thus?' And she went to inquire of the Lord.

And the Lord said unto her, 'Two nations are in your womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from your bowels. And one people shall be stronger than the other, but the elder shall serve the younger.' And when the days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red all over, like a hairy garment. So they called his name Esau, which literally means hairy. After that came his brother out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel, and his name was called Jacob."

Which means "heel catcher." Isaac was threescore years old when she bore them. The boys grew, and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field. Jacob was a plain man dwelling in tents. Notice this in verse 28: Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his venison, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

We have these two individuals, Jacob and Esau, who ultimately would become two rivaling nations. These nations began contending with each other all the way back in the womb. Rebekah had a hard time as she was pregnant with these twins because they seemed to be fighting each other. Years later, after they had come out, there was still this continual dissension between these two people, Edom and Israel.

Edom means "red." Some people believe that Esau was a red-headed individual or maybe just a red-faced, hairy guy. It's really interesting when you read about Esau in the Scriptures, especially in the book of Genesis. You'll remember when Jacob deceived his father; they put the skins of a goat on his arms to show that he was hairy like his brother. That should tell you something about how hairy this guy was. Even from birth, they said, "Man, this guy is hairy," and they called him Red, Edom. He is the father of the nation of the Edomites.

As you go through the Scriptures, you see that the Edomites caused great problems for the children of Israel, and Esau caused great problems for his brother Jacob. Jacob wasn't the purest individual. As you go through the book of Genesis, you notice that he really lived up to his name, which meant "heel catcher," "deceiver," or "supplanter." He was all those things, and he wasn't perfect, nor was Esau.

However, there is something about Jacob that is revealed in the book of Genesis, which is also seen in all those who would be called men and women of faith in the Old Testament. He was a man who was willing to repent. It took him a while to get to that point. He spent many years fighting against the Lord, deceiving people, and running from the Lord until the Lord finally wrestled with him in Genesis chapter 32. Ultimately, his name was changed from "heel catcher" to "governed of God."

A massive transformation took place in the life of Israel as he became Israel, one who was governed by God. In contrast, his brother Esau continued to be a profane man all the way to the time of his death. As you go through the Scriptures, you find some very interesting things about Esau, who became Edom. One of those is found in Malachi chapter 1.

The very first chapter of the last book of the Old Testament is Malachi, specifically chapter 1. We read in verse 2 that Paul quotes this in the book of Romans, chapter 9, where he says, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." Sometimes, when we look at this passage of Scripture, both in Romans and also in Malachi, we begin to question what in the world is going on here. We don't have a lot of time to delve into the doctrine behind this whole profession of God, but God proclaims, "I have hated Esau."

Not just Esau, but his descendants, Edom, as we will see in the book of Obadiah tonight. When you read those powerful words of God, "I have hated Esau," you have to ask and wonder, why does God hate Esau? Why does God, through Obadiah, tell the nation of Edom that He is going to completely judge them, wipe them out, and not even leave a remnant?

It's interesting that as we've been going through the prophetic books and the minor prophets, we see that every time God speaks judgment to these different nations, He also speaks about bringing a remnant out of them. We have talked about how God uses judgment for purification. He judges people ultimately to bring the pure gold out from the refining fire. Yet, when you read through the book of Obadiah, you may have noticed that when God speaks judgment to Edom, He mentions nothing of restoring them. There is no remnant that is mentioned.

As you go through that and read Malachi chapter 1, verse 2, and Romans chapter 9, where it says, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated," you wonder what in the world was so horrible about this guy, Edom, that God is going to completely wipe him out and not leave any remnant. He clearly states, "I hate you." Those are powerful words from God, especially from a God who is characterized as a God of love.

That is the attribute we like to focus on when we think about God, isn't it? The love of God. Yet, more than the love of God, the attribute of holiness is mentioned in the Bible. God is holy. Yes, He is a God of love, and He is a forgiving and merciful God. He has mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. However, we are told in Exodus chapter 34 and many other places in Scripture that God is holy and He will not clear guilt.

He will bring judgment upon those that are guilty. But what is it about Edom and Esau that is so horrible? The answer to that question is found early in this book, Obadiah, chapter 1, verse 3. Notice the key attribute that's mentioned here: the pride of your heart has deceived you. Circle the word "pride" there. The pride of your heart has deceived you. These were people who said within their hearts, "Who shall bring us down to the ground? We're lifted high up in the clefts of the rocks. No one's going to take us down."

Obadiah tells us what was so horrible about Edom. The root of their problem was this prideful heart—a wicked, prideful heart. When you consider it, pride is the basic root characteristic of our flesh. It's the basic root characteristic of our flesh. When you look over in Proverbs chapter 6, we are told that there are six things that the Lord hates. In fact, seven of them are an abomination to the Lord. In Proverbs 6, verse 16, the very first one that is mentioned is a proud look. There are six things we are told that the Lord hates, and seven are an abomination. The very first one is a proud look.

As we begin to consider the question, "Why does God hate Esau? Why does God hate Edom?" the answer is clear: the very first thing that God says is, "I hate pride." I hate pride. The nation and brother of Israel, Jacob, had a brother named Esau, who ultimately became the father of the nation of Edom. He was going to be judged and completely destroyed by God because of his pride. There would be no remnant that would be saved; they would be completely destroyed, totally annihilated.

Whenever you look at Esau in the scripture or the nation that came from him, Edom, they are almost always characterized or symbolized by the flesh. In fact, one of Edom's grandsons was named Amalek. We see Amalek also come up in the scripture, and he is also characteristic of the flesh. There is a very interesting passage of scripture when the children of Israel are just coming out of the land of Egypt. They come into the wilderness, and in Exodus chapter 17, we are told that the Amalekites came and battled with them. They started to take them out at the rear of the camp. God told Moses to go stand up on the top of the hill, and he would have his friend Aaron and Hur with him.

His brother Aaron and his friend held him up there. They lifted up his arms, and Joshua was fighting with Amalek in the valley. Joshua was able to be victorious that day. But notice what the Lord says to Moses in Exodus chapter 17, verse 14. We read, "And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua." God says, "This is the word of the Lord: I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven."

Down in verse 16, it states, "For he said, Because the Lord has sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." You may remember that the first order of business for Israel's first king in 1 Samuel chapter 14 was to go and destroy the Amalekites. This was because God told the children of Israel through Moses in the book of Deuteronomy, "When you come into the promised land and you have rest there in that promised land, the first thing you're to do is to utterly destroy the Amalekites because they are a type of the flesh."

The grandson of Esau, who is also a type of the flesh in the Scriptures, is significant here. The book of Hebrews tells us that Esau was a profane man. He was a fleshly man who was completely given to his desires. He didn't follow God; he didn't want anything to do with God. He had nothing in him that wanted to lead the people of God, which is why he gave up his birthright for a bowl of beans, as we read in the book of Genesis.

Esau and Edom, the nation that followed from him, are types of the flesh. Amalek, his grandson, is also a type of the flesh. As we begin to build this understanding, perhaps you can see why God says, "I'm going to judge them and leave no remnant." God wants to do away with our flesh and leave no remnant in our lives. The book of Obadiah is all about God pouring out His wrath and judgment upon Edom, these people who are a picture of the flesh in Scripture.

Pride is a hideous and insidious thing; it is a wicked sin. The attributes of pride are sadly and oftentimes observed in the lives of both believers and unbelievers. If we're honest, as we look at the Scriptures and examine ourselves in their light, we will see that there is pride within our hearts. It's there, and God wants to do away with it. He wants to destroy it. It is God's aim to eliminate those fleshly characteristics in our lives.

So, as we go through the book of Obadiah here tonight, let us keep these truths in mind.

We're going to look at four characteristics of pride, or the ways of Esau, as found in the book of Obadiah. It begins in Obadiah chapter 1, verse 4. Actually, I'm starting in verse 3. The Lord says, "The pride of your heart has deceived you." The first thing that we want to consider is that pride deceives us. It deceives us. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock.

Now, that's speaking about their key city. The main city, the capital city of the nation of Edom, was the rock city of Petra. Some of you may have been there before. I've been there; it's a pretty interesting place. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high, who says in his heart, "Who shall bring me down to the ground?" You who exalt yourself as an eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars.

The first thing that pride does, the first way of Esau, is self-sufficiency. When we have pride in our hearts and in our lives, we are self-sufficient. We think that we can handle things. We're going to be just fine because look at this position I have, high up, like the eagles in a high nest on the clefts of the rock. Nobody can come and take us down. That was the mindset of this nation, Edom. They were self-sufficient.

Yet, notice what the Lord says to them there in verse 4: "Thence will I bring you down," says the Lord. Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall. Here was a nation that thought they stood because of their pride. They were self-sufficient; they didn't need God. They had strongholds in cities, and so they figured they would be fine.

In verse 5, the Lord says, "If thieves came to you and robbers by night, how are you cut off? Would they not have stolen till they had enough? If the grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some grapes?" The Lord says to them, "You know, if a robber came to you by night, at the very least, he'd take as much as he could carry, as much as he could hold, and he'd leave the rest. He wouldn't take everything; he'd just take what he wanted and what he needed."

The grape gatherers, the harvesters, when they go through the vineyards, gather all the grapes, and there would at least be some grapes that would be left behind. But the Lord says, "How are the things of Esau searched out? And how are his hidden things sought up? All the men of your confederacy have brought you even to the border." The men that were at peace with you...

Have deceived thee and prevailed against thee. And so the Lord says to this people, a robber, if they came to you, would at least leave you something. If the grape gatherers came to you, they would leave you a few bunches of grapes on the vine. But you are going to be completely destroyed, is what the Lord tells them. The reason for their destruction will be seen in just a few seconds when we get down to verse 10. It started with their heart of pride, indicated by their self-sufficiency.

The second thing that you will see in a person who is proud is revealed in verse 10: "For your violence against thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee. Thou shalt be cut off." The second characteristic in the life of a person given over to pride is violence, primarily against their brother Jacob. They did not deal well with their neighbor and their family, the nation of Israel.

The third thing that we are given in verse 11 states, "In the day that you stood on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces and foreigners entered into his gates, and you cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast one of them." The Lord speaks of indifference here. The nation of Israel, Jerusalem, was led away as captives, likely during the time of Babylon coming in 586 BC, which Obadiah is addressing. He says that you just watched your brothers be sacked and destroyed. You watched them be led away captive, and you stood there apathetic and indifferent. You had no concern for them as they were led away.

This is one of the things that pride does in an individual. First, they think that they are self-sufficient and can stand on their own. They contend with brothers and sisters, are violent, and are indifferent. They are apathetic and do not care about what is going on around them because it is all about them. They just watched as their brothers were carried away as captives by the forces that came in.

The next thing you see, the fourth characteristic of a proud individual, is revealed in verses 12 and 13: "But you should not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah in that day, in the day of their destruction; neither should you have spoken proudly in the day of distress." The fourth thing that you see in a prideful person is that they gloat over others' shame and destruction.

They looked at their brothers being led astray. They observed the nation of Israel being taken captive, the city of Jerusalem destroyed, and they rejoiced when they saw it. You know what this is like. You see somebody else fall down. Maybe you see someone at your work get demoted or something happens to them, and there's that wicked heart within us, even within our flesh, that goes, "Hey, God, what came to them? Yeah, look at that. Finally, they get theirs." Here, they were gloating over what they saw happen to their brothers in Jerusalem.

The fifth thing that we read about in verses 13 and 14 states, "You should not have entered into the gate of my people in that day, in the day of their calamity. Yea, you should not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. Neither should you have stood in the crossway to cut off those of his that did escape. Neither should you have delivered up those that did remain in the day of their distress."

The next thing that these prideful people, the Edomites, did when the nation of Israel was destroyed, when Jerusalem was being sacked, was to exploit their brothers. They took advantage of the situation. They saw that the children of Israel were being taken out of their land, and it seems that the Edomites went in and took whatever they could. They took a spoil while they watched their brothers being destroyed. Not only that, when the people from Judah and Jerusalem came to the borders of Edom seeking to flee from the Babylonians, they turned them over to the Babylonians.

You can see the wickedness of their pride revealed in five different ways: their self-sufficiency in verse 4, their violence in verse 10, their apathy and indifference in verse 11, their gloating in verses 12 through 13, and their exploitation in verse 14. They took advantage of those people for their own personal selfish gain. These are the traits you see in an individual who is proud. As I mentioned a little while ago, the sad fact is that you see it in believers as well as unbelievers.

God wants to deal with this in each of our lives. He wants to remove this wicked heart of pride. We see the kind of judgment that God is going to bring upon a person who lives and walks in pride, like the pride of Esau in verse 15. Notice what the Lord says: "For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen." This is how God was going to bring judgment upon them: "As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee. Thy reward shall return upon your head."

What that is speaking of is found in Galatians chapter 6, verse 7. Paul says, "Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, that he shall reap." Job said a very similar thing in Job chapter 4, verse 8. He states, "This is what I've seen. They that plow in iniquity and sow in wickedness shall reap the same."

The Lord says to the Edomites, "You have been a proud and arrogant people. You're self-sufficient. You're violent. You're apathetic. You gloat about everybody else being destroyed and not yourselves. You exploit those who are in a low estate." The Lord continues, "The day of the Lord comes upon all the heathen. It's going to come upon you as well. God is going to judge these people, the Edomites. As you have done to others, so is it going to be done to you."

Every single one of us deals with this characteristic in our flesh. As I mentioned, it is the basic characteristic of our flesh: pride. The desire to do things on our own, first and foremost, to be self-sufficient. Those of you who have had young kids know how they often insist, "I can do it, leave me alone," when you begin to teach them how to ride a bicycle. Do we not so often do that to God? We say, "I can do it. Let me do this on my own." That is an indication of a proud heart when we are not relying upon the Lord.

We are told in Proverbs chapter 3, verse 5, to "trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding." We should not lean on our own self-sufficiency. "In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." However, we see this wicked characteristic of our flesh come to the surface—this pride—when we think, "I can do this on my own."

Violence is another aspect to consider. Some of you may say, "Well, I'm not a violent person." But I want you to consider how your flesh reacts when you see other people being blessed in ways you wish you were blessed. When you see others getting ahead in your career or receiving things you think you should have, we begin to feel angry about it. Sometimes, this anger manifests in the way we stab people in the back and talk behind their backs. We have a tendency in our flesh to tear people down and to be violent.

Apathy is another issue, this kind of "I don't care" attitude. We saw this when we were going through the book of Isaiah. You may remember that Hezekiah was the last good king of the nation of Israel.

In the South, he had seen the Babylonians come into his kingdom, and he showed them everything that he had. When Isaiah came to him and said, "You shouldn't have done this," he replied, "Well, at least we'll have peace in my day." He was apathetic, indifferent, and arrogant. There was also a sense of gloating, a smug happiness when someone else is hurt or going through difficulty.

The violence is evident when we see someone else being exalted, receiving the blessings that we wish we were getting, and we become angry at them, talking behind their backs. The gloating is particularly noticeable when they fall flat on their faces, and we say, "They got what was coming to them." This reflects a wicked heart that every single one of us deals with, the flesh that we all contend with.

Then there is the tendency to take advantage of other people. You might say, "No, I would never do that." However, I was driving down the street today, and it’s interesting that we are discussing this. On my way to the church, I saw five or six garage sales. I thought about how intriguing it would be to be like those people who go to garage sales, see something expensive, and buy it for just a couple of dollars. They might offer 50 cents for an item worth $300 and then turn around and sell it on eBay for $500.

As I drove past those sales, I considered how neat it would be to buy some of that stuff and sell it online. But then I reflected on the whole idea of exploitation. It’s that wicked heart of pride that seeks to take advantage of others. How can we possibly have victory over our flesh and the prideful tendencies that come with it?

Remember, Esau, the Edomite, was an arrogant, prideful man, and God was going to completely destroy him. The first thing that comes to mind is the word that Paul speaks in Galatians chapter 2, a verse that you may have memorized, perhaps even without realizing it. Paul says in Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me."

If we want to have victory over this prideful flesh, we need to die. Jesus said in Luke 9, "If any man desires to come after me, let him take up his cross, deny himself, and follow me." We must be crucified with Christ by faith, taking all these desires for self-sufficiency and understanding.

Your flesh desires to be self-sufficient, as does mine. It does not want to rely upon God. It can be violent towards others, indifferent, gloating, and exploitative. However, we must crucify our flesh and live by faith in the Son of God, who died for us and gave Himself for us.

Obadiah reveals to us in this passage where deliverance will be found. There is only one place that deliverance is truly found, and he speaks about it in two verses. Obadiah chapter 1, verse 17 states, "But upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness. And the house of Jacob shall possess their possession." When we read about Jacob possessing their possession, God is speaking about the entirety of the promised land.

Do you realize that the nation of Israel has never fully possessed that which God gave them? They have never completely possessed the promised land that God intended for them. That is a sad truth. Yet, there are many areas of blessing that you and I have been given by God, and we have not fully taken hold of the possession that we have in Christ.

The author of the book of Ephesians, Paul, speaks about us living as spiritual paupers. We have so much that God has given to us; He has granted us all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. Yet, so many times, we do not fully take hold of the possession that God desires to give us. Why is that?

I suggest to you that it is because we allow cities within the land of our lives to remain that are given over to the flesh. These cities are given over to the Edomites, the Amalekites, the Canaanites, and the Philistines, among others. Although these were actual physical cities and nations that existed during the time of Israel, they all symbolize various things in Scripture.

For instance, Babylon represents a worldly system; worldliness is associated with Babylon, and the Israelites were taken captive by the Babylonians. The Amalekites and the Edomites symbolize the flesh and other struggles we face. We allow areas of our lives to have little pockets of resistance.

When you reach the end of the book of Judges, it is actually in the book of Joshua that the land is being distributed. They cast lots for the land to be given to all the different tribes. You may remember that when it talks about the tribe of Dan, it mentions they were given an area that is modern-day Gaza Strip. They are located along the coast.

The Mediterranean Sea was the backdrop for the land given to the Israelites. However, the Philistines were too strong for them, and the scripture says in Joshua that the Philistines pushed them up to the north. If you look at a map of where the tribes ultimately ended up, Dan was at the very northernmost part of the nation. But that was not the land that God had given to them. The Philistines were too difficult to push out, and as a result, the Israelites never fully took the inheritance that God desired to give them.

God desires to give us this great inheritance as well. The question is, will we take hold of it? Remember what God spoke to Joshua in the first chapter of the book of Joshua: "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, I have given it unto you." It is yours. Yet, they never fully took hold of it.

So, how do we achieve victory? First, we need to crucify our flesh. We must surrender the cities in our lives, the areas of our hearts that are still held by the enemy and by the flesh. We need to yield those to the Lord so that He can take them captive. The only way to do that is by crucifying our flesh, dying to its desires, and laying down the desire to be self-sufficient. We must also let go of indifference and apathy, where we think it’s all about us and we don’t care about others. We have to crucify those things every single day.

Paul said, "I die daily." It doesn’t just happen; we have to determine in our will that we are going to offer these things up to the Lord. We need to give them to Him as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto Him. There is deliverance with God. There is deliverance on Mount Zion. You cannot do it in your own strength. This struggle of the flesh is what we see in Romans chapter 7: "The good that I want to do, I can't do, and the bad things that I don't want to do, that's what I practice."

If you are living your life like that, you will come to the same conclusion that Paul does: "Oh, wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" What does Obadiah say? "But upon Mount Zion there shall be deliverance. There shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness." When Jesus delivers us, He brings about holiness in our lives. But we must be willing to offer those things over to Him, to give them into His hands.

Obadiah 1:21 says, "And saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's." When we read, "And saviors shall come up to Mount Zion," we are reminded of the promise of deliverance and the establishment of God's kingdom.

It should probably be translated, "And salvation shall come upon Mount Zion." This is significant because at the top of Mount Zion is the hill we might call Golgotha, the place of the skull. It's the highest point on Mount Zion. It's amazing because if you look at a topographical map, it's at 777 meters above sea level. I don't think that's an accident. It's the place where Jesus was crucified. Jesus means "the Lord is salvation." Jehovah is salvation.

What are we told here? "And salvation shall come upon Mount Zion." And what does He do there? He brings about judgment and justice in our lives. He is the one who is able to tell us, "This is the way. Walk in it." As we do these things, we will fully possess the land that God has given to us.

Notice what Obadiah says in Obadiah 1, verses 19 and 20: "And they of the south shall possess the Mount of Esau, and they of the plain, the Philistines. And they shall possess the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria. And Benjamin shall possess Gilead. And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath. And the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south."

Notice what God says here. In these last few verses, verses 19 through 21, God speaks to His people, the children of Israel, and says, "You, as you find deliverance in Mount Zion, shall possess all of your possessions." You are going to possess all of the strongholds of the Philistines, of those in the cities of the south, of Esau—all these strongholds that you couldn't take before. As you come to the deliverance that is only found on Mount Zion, the deliverance that is only found in Jesus Christ, then you will fully possess your possession.

That is the desire that God has for each and every one of us: that we would possess the possession He has for us, that we would fully take the inheritance He has given to us. The only thing that hinders us from taking that inheritance is our own will. We must offer those things to the Lord. When we come to Him, we are not saying, "I am going to obey You." We are saying, "God, I am willing to obey You." I offer You my will so that You can work in and through me because it is God who works in us to will and to do His good pleasure, as stated in Philippians chapter 2.

Verse 13 says that the book of Obadiah reveals the struggle between Israel and Esau, and Edom. Israel is to be governed by God, while Edom represents the flesh. We have this constant struggle between the life of the Spirit and the life of the flesh—the life that God desires for us and the life that our own self-sufficient, prideful, arrogant will wants for us.

The only way we can fully possess the possession that God has given to us is if we come and willingly offer ourselves at Mount Zion to the Lord. There, we will find deliverance and be able to fully possess the land that God desires for us. God is not interested in reforming our flesh; He is not interested in redeeming our flesh or making it better. All He wants to do is crucify it and give us a new heart.

That is why there is no remnant of Edom. If you look all over the world today, you will never find an Edomite. They have been completely destroyed in accordance with God's Word. He fully judged them. Other nations still exist; for example, there are Moabites today. Why? Because there was a remnant left. There are Ammonites today, and there are different people who might classify themselves with these various nations mentioned in Scripture. However, you will never find an Edomite. God said He would completely wipe them out. Nor will you find an Amalekite, as there would be no remnant taken from them.

God wants to make all things new. He is not in the business of reforming our wicked flesh; it needs to die. The only way that can happen is if we yield our will to Him at Mount Zion. There, we will find deliverance as the Lord brings holiness into our lives. The Lord brings to the people of the world the life that we need, which is essential for living.