Obadiah 1
BBCObadiah 1:1
I. EDOM’S PRIDE TO BE ABASED (Vv. 1-4)Obadiah opens with a prediction of the downfall of Edom by invaders because of its pride. An envoy is pictured inciting the nations to go to war against Edom. Its leading city, Sela or Petra, was carved out of the side of the high, rose-red cliffs south of the Dead Sea. It was considered impregnable against attack. However, the Lord would bring them down from their eagle heights and their nest among the stars.
Obadiah 1:5
II. DESTRUCTION OF EDOM (Vv. 5-9) A. The Completeness of the Plunder (vv. 5, 6)Edom’s destruction could not be accounted for as the work of thieves or robbers; they would only have taken what they wanted. Even marauders would . . . have left some gleanings and not stripped it bare. But even Esau’s hidden treasures would be sought after!
Obadiah 1:7
B. The Betrayal by Edom’s Allies (v. 7)All the men in Edom’s confederacy would betray her and lay a trap for her.
Obadiah 1:8
C. The Destruction of Edom’s Leaders (vv. 8, 9)Her wise men and mighty men, in whom she gloried, would be cut off by slaughter.
Obadiah 1:10
III. REASONS FOR EDOM’S DOWNFALL (Vv. 10-14)The Edomites should not have . . . rejoiced when they saw Jerusalem attacked. They should not have gloated or spoken proudly or helped to loot the city or cut off the fleeing Jews as they sought to escape or handed over to the enemy those among them who remained. The picture drawn here is one of an utterly cold and heartless lack of restraint in Edom’s cruel treatment of God’s people. Edom was completely without mercy, showing not one shred of compassion to their brother Jacob. Perhaps this betrayed family relationship was one reason why their “doom” was so final.
Obadiah 1:15
IV. EDOM’S JUDGMENT IS RETRIBUTIVE (Vv. 15, 16)The day of God’s wrath on the nations was near, and Edom would be punished for her treatment of Judah. Their reprisal would bounce back on their own head. G. Herbert Livingston explains the illustration of drinking as follows: The sorrow attending punishment is sometimes depicted by the prophets as comparable to drinking strong wine. See Jer_25:15-28 for an extended application of this analogy. God would not merely pick out Edom for an example but would equally judge all nations for their sins.
Obadiah 1:17
V. RESTORATION OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH AND EXTINCTION OF EDOM (Vv. 17-21)Vv. 17, 18 Israel’s future deliverance is foretold in the last section of Obadiah. Israel and Judah shall be a flame to devour . . . the house of Esau completely. Tatford summarized the history of Edom’s demise: The Edomites were expelled from their country by the Nabateans, but took possession of the Negev, which became known as Idumea, and even temporarily occupied part of Judah, until routed by Judas Maccabeus in 185 B.C. Simon of Gerasa later laid Idumea waste and the Edomites seem to have disappeared altogether in the first century A.D. It is true that Petra became the seat of a Christian patriarchate until the country was taken by the Mohammedans in the 7th century A.D. Today there is no trace of any who could be identified as an Edomite. Obadiah’s prediction that there would be no survivor has been fulfilled. Vv. 19-21 The land of Edom will be given to the Israelites dwelling in the South (the Negev). Those on the coastal plains (Shephelah; the Lowland) will be given the land of the Philistines. The captives will once more possess portions of the land of the Canaanites. Saviors (or deliverers) will rule the mountains of Esau, and the Lord will reign over the entire kingdom.