Obadiah

Today we get  a reading from the shortest book in the old testament.  This prophecy is a bitter cry for vengeance against Edom for its crimes against Israel.   

Edom’s Judgment Announced

We have heard a message from the Lord
    that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say,
“Get ready, everyone!
    Let’s assemble our armies and attack Edom!”

 The Lord says to Edom,
“I will cut you down to size among the nations;
    you will be greatly despised.

                                                                  Obadiah 1:1-2

I will accomplish this by the hand of my people of Israel. They will carry out my vengeance with anger, and Edom will know that this vengeance is from me. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!

                                                                   Ezekiel 25:14

But Egypt will become a wasteland and Edom will become a wilderness, because they attacked the people of Judah and killed innocent people in their land.

                                                                   Joel 3:19

God hates the sin of pride. The sin of pride puts you above God and no one, I repeat no one, is above God!

You have been deceived by your own pride
    because you live in a rock fortress
    and make your home high in the mountains.
‘Who can ever reach us way up here?’
    you ask boastfully.

                                                                Obadiah 1:3

For you said to yourself, 'I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God's stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north.

                                                                     Isaiah 14:13

Though the pride of the godless reaches to the heavens and their heads touch the clouds,

                                                                    Job 20:6

God will set the path of the prideful straight.

But even if you soar as high as eagles
    and build your nest among the stars,
I will bring you crashing down,”
    says the Lord.

                                                                   Obadiah 1:4

You have been deceived by the fear you inspire in others and by your own pride. You live in a rock fortress and control the mountain heights. But even if you make your nest among the peaks with the eagles, I will bring you crashing down," says the LORD.

                                                                                                                                                                        Jeremiah 49:16

 ]]“If thieves came at night and robbed you
    (what a disaster awaits you!),
    they would not take everything.
Those who harvest grapes
    always leave a few for the poor.
    But your enemies will wipe you out completely!
 Every nook and cranny of Edom
    will be searched and looted.
    Every treasure will be found and taken.

“All your allies will turn against you.
    They will help to chase you from your land.
They will promise you peace
    while plotting to deceive and destroy you.
Your trusted friends will set traps for you,
    and you won’t even know about it.
 At that time not a single wise person
    will be left in the whole land of Edom,”
    says the Lord.
“For on the mountains of Edom
    I will destroy everyone who has understanding.
 The mightiest warriors of Teman
    will be terrified,
and everyone on the mountains of Edom
    will be cut down in the slaughter.

This story can apply to today.  Any crime against Christians is also like Edom's crime against Israel.

Reasons for Edom’s Punishment

 “Because of the violence you did
    to your close relatives in Israel,
you will be filled with shame
    and destroyed forever.

                                                                  Obadiah 1:5-10

This is what the LORD says: "The people of Edom have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They chased down their relatives, the Israelites, with swords, showing them no mercy. In their rage, they slashed them continually and were unrelenting in their anger.

                                                                   Amos 1:11

11 When they were invaded,
    you stood aloof, refusing to help them.
Foreign invaders carried off their wealth
    and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem,
    but you acted like one of Israel’s enemies.

12 “You should not have gloated
    when they exiled your relatives to distant lands.
You should not have rejoiced
    when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune.
You should not have spoken arrogantly
    in that terrible time of trouble.

                                                                  Obadiah 1:11-12

Don't rejoice when your enemies fall; don't be happy when they stumble.

                                                                                                                                                                        Proverbs 24:17

13 You should not have plundered the land of Israel
    when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have gloated over their destruction
    when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have seized their wealth
    when they were suffering such calamity.
14 You should not have stood at the crossroads,
    killing those who tried to escape.
You should not have captured the survivors
    and handed them over in their terrible time of trouble.

Edom Destroyed, Israel Restored

15 “The day is near when I, the Lord,
    will judge all godless nations!
As you have done to Israel,
    so it will be done to you.
All your evil deeds
    will fall back on your own heads.

16 Just as you swallowed up my people
    on my holy mountain,
so you and the surrounding nations
    will swallow the punishment I pour out on you.
Yes, all you nations will drink and stagger
    and disappear from history.

17 “But Jerusalem will become a refuge for those who escape;
    it will be a holy place.
And the people of Israel will come back
    to reclaim their inheritance.
18 The people of Israel will be a raging fire,
    and Edom a field of dry stubble.
The descendants of Joseph will be a flame
    roaring across the field, devouring everything.
There will be no survivors in Edom.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!

19 “Then my people living in the Negev
    will occupy the mountains of Edom.
Those living in the foothills of Judah
    will possess the Philistine plains
    and take over the fields of Ephraim and Samaria.
And the people of Benjamin
    will occupy the land of Gilead.
20 The exiles of Israel will return to their land
    and occupy the Phoenician coast as far north as Zarephath.
The captives from Jerusalem exiled in the north
    will return home and resettle the towns of the Negev.
21 Those who have been rescued will go up to Mount Zion in Jerusalem
    to rule over the mountains of Edom.
And the Lord himself will be king!”

                                                               Obadiah 1:13-21

 And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped.
                                                               Zechariah 14:9

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven:

“The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
    and he will reign forever and ever.”

                                                      Revelation 11:15

The Lord will return and he will restore his Kingdom and take it away from the evil that is now in control. We will live to see this. Have faith, children of God, he is coming.

All glory and honor to our Lord Jesus Christ,

Sherry

I will be linking up with these parties:
Mommy Moments at Life of Faith- Sun evening
The Art of Home-Making Mondays at Strangers & Pilgrims
Moments of Hope at Lori Schumaker
Monday's Musings at What Joy is Mine
Tuesday Talk with Sarah E. Frazer
Coffee and Conversation at Pat and Candy.com- Tues eve
Tell Us His Story at Jennifer Dukes Lee- Tues eve
Grace Moments at Journeys in Grace
Thought Provoking Thursdays at 3-D Lessons for Life
Grace and Truth at Above the Waves
Fresh Market Friday Crystal Twaddell
Faith and Friends at Counting My Blessings