Through the Bible - Obadiah

The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom... The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?... But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness... and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S. (Obadiah, selected)

The smallest book in the Old Testament confronts the largest enemy in our hearts: pride.

A Small Book with a Powerful Word

As we look at Obadiah tonight, this is the smallest book in the entire Old Testament and definitely the smallest of the prophetic books. The name Obadiah means worshiper of God or servant of God, and there's very little we know about the man who wrote it. We believe he was from the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin, but we can't be sure — there are thirteen men named Obadiah in the Old Testament.

These twenty-one verses also give us little to fix the time of writing. The text speaks of a judgment that came upon Judah and Jerusalem, which gives us a clue. It either happened around 850 B.C., when surrounding nations came against Jerusalem, or in 586 B.C. when Babylon came against the children of Israel in the south. The focus of the prophecy is not Israel but a close neighbor — the nation of Edom.

The Rivalry of Two Nations

Obadiah deals specifically with the bitter enmity between Israel and Edom, a rivalry that began long before this book. It goes all the way back to the womb of Rebekah, the wife of Isaac. Edom descended from Esau, and Israel from Jacob.

In Genesis 25 we are first introduced to these two:

And the children struggled together within her... And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb... and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger... And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau... but Rebekah loved Jacob.

These two would become rivaling nations, contending with each other even in the womb. Edom means red, and some believe Esau was a red-headed or red-faced, hairy man. He's described that way from birth, and he became the father of the Edomites, who caused great problems for the children of Israel.

Jacob the Penitent, Esau the Profane

Jacob was no pure individual. He lived up to his name — heel catcher, deceiver, supplanter — and he fought against the Lord and deceived people for many years. But there is something in Jacob revealed in all the men and women of faith: he was willing to repent. The Lord finally wrestled with him in Genesis 32, and his name was changed from heel catcher to governed of God. A massive transformation took place.

His brother Esau remained a profane man to his death. Hebrews tells us he was a profane, fleshly man given completely to his desires, with nothing in him that wanted to lead the people of God — which is why he gave up his birthright for a bowl of beans.

"Jacob Have I Loved, Esau Have I Hated"

In Malachi 1, the very first chapter of the last book of the Old Testament, God says, "Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated." Paul quotes this in Romans 9. These are powerful words, and we have to ask: why does God hate Esau? Why does He tell Edom He will completely wipe them out and leave no remnant?

That question is striking because throughout the prophetic books, when God speaks judgment to a nation, He also speaks of a remnant. We've talked about how God uses judgment for purification — to bring pure gold out of the refining fire. Yet when God judges Edom in Obadiah, there is no mention of restoration, no remnant.

We like to dwell on the love of God, and yes, He is a God of love, forgiving and merciful. But more than His love, the attribute of holiness is emphasized in Scripture. Exodus 34 and many other passages tell us God is holy and will by no means clear the guilty.

The Root of It All: Pride

The answer to why God hates Edom is found early, in Obadiah 1:3 — "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee." Circle that word pride. These were people who said in their hearts, "Who shall bring us down to the ground?" The root of their problem was a wicked, prideful heart.

Pride is the basic root characteristic of our flesh. In Proverbs 6 we're told there are six things the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination — and the very first one is "a proud look." So why does God hate Esau, hate Edom? Because He hates pride.

Wherever you see Esau or Edom in Scripture, they symbolize the flesh. Esau's grandson was named Amalek, also a type of the flesh. In Exodus 17, after Amalek attacked Israel, the Lord said, "I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven... the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." The first order of business for Israel's first king was to destroy the Amalekites. God wants to do away with our flesh and leave no remnant of it in our lives.

Five Ways of Esau: How Pride Reveals Itself

The book of Obadiah shows us the characteristics of pride — the ways of Esau. First, self-sufficiency.

The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

Edom's capital was the rock city of Petra. They felt high and untouchable. They thought they could handle everything — they didn't need God. But the Lord answers, "Thence will I bring thee down." Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall. He tells them that even a thief leaves something behind, and grape gatherers leave a few grapes, but Edom will be completely destroyed.

Second, violence (verse 10): "For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee." They didn't deal well with their own family, the nation of Israel.

Third, indifference (verse 11): "In the day that thou stoodest on the other side... even thou wast as one of them." When Israel was led away captive — likely during Babylon's invasion in 586 B.C. — Edom simply stood there, apathetic, with no concern for their brothers.

Gloating and Exploitation

Fourth, gloating (verses 12–13): "Thou shouldest not have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction." They looked on their brothers being taken captive and rejoiced. You know this heart — when someone at work gets demoted, the flesh whispers, "They got what was coming to them. Finally."

Fifth, exploitation (verse 14): "Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape." When Israel was being destroyed, the Edomites went in and took whatever spoil they could. When refugees from Judah came to Edom's borders fleeing the Babylonians, the Edomites turned them over to the enemy.

So pride is revealed in five things: self-sufficiency, violence, indifference, gloating, and exploitation. And the sad fact is you see these in believers as well as unbelievers. God wants to deal with this in each of our lives.

You Reap What You Sow

In verse 15 we see the judgment God brings on a person who walks in pride: "For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head."

This is exactly what Paul says in Galatians 6:7 — "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Job said something similar: "They that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same." As Edom had done to others, so it would be done to them.

The Flesh in Us

Every one of us deals with pride, the basic characteristic of our flesh — first and foremost, the desire to be self-sufficient. Like a child learning to ride a bicycle who keeps saying, "I can do it, leave me alone," we so often say the same to God. But Proverbs 3:5 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding.

We deal with violence too. You may say you're not violent, but consider how your flesh reacts when others are blessed the way you wish you were, or get ahead in their careers. We tear people down and stab them in the back. We deal with apathy — like Hezekiah, who, after showing the Babylonians everything, said, "At least there will be peace in my day." We gloat when others fall flat, saying they got what was coming to them.

And we exploit. Driving to church today I passed five or six garage sales, and I caught myself thinking how nice it would be to buy something cheap and sell it for a fortune on eBay — and then I read this very passage about exploitation. That wicked heart of pride seeks to take advantage of others.

How Do We Have Victory?

How can we have victory over the prideful tendencies of our flesh? The first word that comes to mind is Galatians 2:20 — "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

If we want victory over this prideful flesh, we need to die. Jesus said in Luke 9, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." We must crucify our flesh — its desire to be self-sufficient, violent, indifferent, to gloat, to exploit — and live by faith in the Son of God who gave Himself for us.

Deliverance and Holiness on Mount Zion

Obadiah reveals where deliverance is found. In verse 17: "But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions."

The nation of Israel has never fully possessed the land God gave them — a sad truth. And there are many areas of blessing God has given us that we have not fully possessed in Christ. Ephesians tells us we have all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, yet so often we live like spiritual paupers. Why? Because we allow cities within the land of our lives to remain in the hands of the flesh — given over to the Edomites, the Amalekites, the Canaanites, the Philistines.

These nations symbolized things in Scripture. Babylon represents the worldly system; the Amalekites and Edomites, the flesh. We allow little pockets of resistance to stay. When the land was divided in Joshua, the tribe of Dan was given what is now the Gaza Strip, but the Philistines were too strong, and Dan was pushed to the far north — never fully taking the inheritance God intended. God told Joshua, "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon... have I given unto you," yet they never fully took hold of it.

Yielding Our Will at the Cross

So how do we have victory? We crucify our flesh. We give over the areas of our heart still held by the enemy, yielding them to the Lord so He can take them captive. We lay down the desire to be self-sufficient, indifferent, and self-centered. Paul said, "I die daily." It doesn't just happen — we must determine in our will to offer these things to the Lord as a living sacrifice.

If you're living the struggle of Romans 7 — "the good that I would, I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do" — you'll come to Paul's conclusion: "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" And Obadiah answers: "Upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness." When Jesus delivers us, He brings holiness into our lives.

Obadiah 1:21 says, "And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD's." That should probably read, "And salvation shall come up upon mount Zion." How amazing — at the top of Mount Zion is Golgotha, the highest point, 777 meters above sea level. I don't think that's an accident. Jesus means "the Lord is salvation," and there salvation came up on Mount Zion to judge, to bring justice into our lives, telling us, "This is the way, walk ye in it."

Possessing Our Possession

Verses 19 and 20 list the strongholds Israel will possess — the mount of Esau, the Philistines, the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, Gilead, the cities of the south. God tells His people: as you find deliverance on Mount Zion, you shall possess all the strongholds you couldn't take before.

That is God's desire for each of us — that we would fully possess the inheritance He's given. The only thing that hinders us is our own will. When we come to Him we're not saying, "I'm going to obey you," but, "God, I'm willing to obey you. I offer You my will." For it is God who works in us "both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).

God Makes All Things New

The book of Obadiah reveals the struggle between Israel — governed of God — and Edom, a picture of the flesh. We live in that constant struggle between the life of the Spirit and the life of the flesh. The only way to fully possess our possession is to come and willingly offer ourselves at Mount Zion, where we find deliverance.

God is not interested in reforming our flesh or making it better. He wants to crucify it and give us a new heart. That's why there's no remnant of Edom — search the whole world and you'll never find an Edomite, nor an Amalekite. There are still Moabites and Ammonites because a remnant was left, but Edom was completely wiped out in accordance with God's Word. God wants to make all things new. He's not in the business of reforming our wicked flesh — it needs to die. And the only way that happens is when we yield our will to Him at Mount Zion, and find deliverance as the Lord brings holiness into our lives.