Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)

Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)

OBADIAH

Obadiah’s Vision

1 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, let us go against her for battle”—

2 “See, I will make you small among the nations;

you will be utterly despised.

3 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?’

4 Though you soar like the eagle

and make your nest among the stars,

from there I will bring you down,”

declares the Lord.

5 “If thieves came to you,

if robbers in the night—

oh, what a disaster awaits you!—

would they not steal only as much as they wanted?

If grape pickers came to you,

would they not leave a few grapes?

6 But how Esau will be ransacked,

his hidden treasures pillaged!

7 All your allies will force you to the border;

your friends will deceive and overpower you;

those who eat your bread will set a trap for you,

but you will not detect it.

8 “In that day,” declares the Lord,

“will I not destroy the wise men of Edom,

those of understanding in the mountains of Esau?

9 Your warriors, Teman, will be terrified,

and everyone in Esau’s mountains

will be cut down in the slaughter.

10 Because of the violence against your brother Jacob,

you will be covered with shame;

you will be destroyed forever.

11 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.

12 You should not gloat over 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.

13 You should not march through the gates of my people

in the day of their disaster,

nor gloat over them in their calamity

in the day of their disaster,

nor seize their wealth

in the day of their disaster.

14 You should not wait at the crossroads

to cut down their fugitives,

nor hand over their survivors

in the day of their trouble.

15 “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.

16 Just as you drank on my holy hill,

so all the nations will drink continually;

they will drink and drink

and be as if they had never been.

17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;

it will be holy,

and Jacob will possess his inheritance.

18 Jacob will be a fire

and Joseph a flame;

Esau will be stubble,

and they will set him on fire and destroy him.

There will be no survivors

from Esau.”

The Lord has spoken.

19 People from the Negev will occupy

the mountains of Esau,

and people from the foothills will possess

the land of the Philistines.

They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria,

and Benjamin will possess Gilead.

20 This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan

will possess the land as far as Zarephath;

the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad

will possess the towns of the Negev.

21 Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion

to govern the mountains of Esau.

And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.

Application Notes

1:1 Obadiah was a prophet from Judah who warned of God's judgment against the nation of Edom. There are two commonly accepted dates associated with this prophecy: (1) between 853 and 840 BC, when King Jehoram and Jerusalem were attacked by a Philistine-Arab coalition (2 Chronicles 21:16-20); or (2) 586 BC, when Jerusalem was completely destroyed by the Babylonians (2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36). Edom had rejoiced over the misfortunes of both Israel and Judah, even though the Edomites and their Israelite neighbors were descended from twin brothers Esau and Jacob (Genesis 25:19-26). Esau's descendants were known as the people of Edom. But just as these two brothers were constantly fighting, so were Israel and Edom. God pronounced judgment on the Edomites for their callous and malicious actions toward his people. 

1:3 Edom was Judah's southern neighbor, sharing a common bound­ary. But neighbors are not always friends, and Edom liked nothing about Judah. Edom's capital at this time was Sela (perhaps the later city of Petra), a city considered impregnable because it was cut into rock cliffs and set in a canyon that could be entered only through a narrow gap. What the Edomites perceived as their strengths would be their downfall: (1) safety in their city (1:3-4)—God would send them plummeting from the heights; (2) pride in their self-sufficiency (1:4)—God would humble them; (3) wealth (1:5-6)—their enemies would steal all they had; (4) allies (1:7)—God would cause them to turn against Edom; and (5) wisdom (1:8-9)—the wise would be destroyed.

1:3 The Edomites felt secure, and they were proud of their self­sufficiency. But they were fooling themselves, because no lasting security exists apart from God. On what do you rely for security? Ask yourself how much lasting security people, possessions, and governments really offer. People can disappoint us, possessions can be destroyed, and governments are unstable and so often self-serving. Only God gives true, lasting security because he never changes, and you can count on all his promises to come true. 

1:4-9 God did not pronounce these harsh judgments against Edom out of vengeance but to bring about justice. God is morally perfect and demands complete justice and fairness. The Edomites were simply receiving the punishment they deserved for their evil actions. Because they murdered, they would be murdered. Because they robbed, they would be robbed. Because they took advantage of others, they would be used. Don't talk yourself into sin, thinking, No one will know or I won't get caught. God knows all our sins, and he will deal with us justly. 

1:4 The Edomites were proud of their city carved right into the rock. Today Sela, or Petra, is considered one of the marvels of the ancient world, but only as a tourist attraction. The Bible warns that pride is the surest route to self-destruction (Proverbs 16:18). Just as Petra and Edom fell, so will proud people fall. A humble person is more secure than a proud person because humility gives a more accurate perspective of oneself and the world.

1:8-9 Edom was noted for its wise people (see Jeremiah 49:7). Eliphaz, one of Job's three friends (Job 2:11), was from the town of Teman in Edom, about five miles east of Petra. Teman was named after Esau's grandson (Genesis 36:11). There is a big difference, however, between human wisdom and God's wisdom. The Edomites may have been wise in the ways of the world, but they were foolish because they ignored and even mocked God. 

1:10-11 The Israelites had descended from Jacob, and the Edomites had come from his brother, Esau (Genesis 25:19-26). Instead of helping Israel and Judah when they were in need, Edom just watched them be destroyed and then plundered what was left behind. Edom, therefore, acted like an enemy and would be punished. To withhold your help from someone you know who is in great need is a sin (James 4:17). Sin includes not only what we do but also what we refuse to do. 

1:12-14 Of all Israel and Judah's neighbors, the Edomites were the only ones not promised any mercy from God. This was because they looted Je­rusalem and rejoiced at the misfortunes of Israel and Judah. They betrayed their blood brothers in times of crisis and aided their brothers' enemies.(See also Psalm 137:7; Jeremiah 49:7-22; Ezekiel 25:12-14; Amos 1:11-12.) 

1:12 The Edomites were glad to see Judah in trouble. Their hatred made them want the nation destroyed. For their malicious attitudes and actions, God allowed Edom to be destroyed. Justice was served. How often do you find yourself rejoicing at the misfortunes of others? Because God judges us all fairly, we must never be happy about others' misfortunes, even if we think they deserve them (see Proverbs 24:17). Let God do.the judging while we do all we can to follow him faithfully. 

1:15 Now Obadiah turns from judgment on Edom to all the other surrounding nations. Why would God's judgment fall on all nations? Edom was not the only nation to rejoice at Judah's fall. All nations and individuals will be judged for the way they have treated God's people. Some nations today treat God's people favorably, while others are hostile toward them. God will judge all people according to the way they treat others, especially believers (Revelation 20:12-13). Jesus talked about this in Matthew 25:31-46. 

1:17-21 The Edomites were routed by Judas Maccabeus in 164 BC. The nation no longer existed by the first century AD. At the time of Obadiah's prophecy, Edom may have seemed more likely to survive than Judah. Yet Edom has vanished, and Israel still exists. This demonstrates the absolute certainty of God's word and of the judgment awaiting all who have mistreated God's people. 

1:19 The Negev was the southern part of Judah, a dry, hot region. The foothills were in the western part of Judah.

1:20 The boundaries of the kingdom would be extended to include the Canaanites (Phoenicians) as far north as Zarephath, located between Tyre and Sidon on the Mediterranean coast. Sepharad was possibly the city of Sardis in Asia Minor. 

1:21 Obadiah brought God's message of judgment on Edom. God was displeased with both their inward and their outward rebellion. Nations today are much the same as those in Obadiah's time, filled with arrogance, greed, and dishonesty. We may wonder when it will all end. Regardless of sin's effects, however, God is in control. Don't despair or give up hope. Know that when all is said and done, when all the battles have been fought, the Lord will still be king, and the confidence you place in him will not be in vain. 

1:21 Edom serves as an example to all nations who are hostile to God. Nothing can break God's promise to protect his people from complete destruction. In the book of Obadiah we see four aspects of God's mes­sage of judgment: (1) Evil will certainly be punished; (2) those faithful to God have hope for a new future; (3) God is sovereign in human history; and (4) God's ultimate purpose is to establish his eternal kingdom. The Edomites had been cruel to God's people. They were arrogant and proud, and they took advantage of others' misfortunes. Any nation that mistreats people who obey God will be punished, regardless of how invincible they appear. Similarly, we as individuals cannot allow ourselves to feel so comfortable with our wealth or security that we fail to help God's people. This is sin. And because God is just, sin will be judged and true justice served. 

Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)