Obadiah 15-21

We today are finishing our two-part series in the book of Obadiah.

So if you have a Bible, I'd invite you to follow along if you can find it.

It's an Old Testament, it's a sliver of a book, the smallest book of the Old Testament,

in fact, just 21 short verses.

It's toward the very back end, I think it's 918 or so in the Pew Bibles, the big ESVs.

And last week, just to kind of refresh for anybody who may not have been here last week,

we heard this oracle of the Lord against Edom, pronouncing judgment and ruin upon this brother

of the people of Israel who had both cheered, profited, and contributed to Israel's own destruction

of judgment from God.

So it was a heavy week last week and it was warm in here and if you're here today, there's

good news that though it's still hot, this is the upswing of the book of Obadiah and there

is really, really sweet news for us to benefit from together today.

So maybe you've heard some of these types of statements, maybe you've uttered them yourself

in the midst of difficult circumstances, things like, well, think positively or nothing's ever

really as bad as it seems.

Think on the bright side.

Or one of my favorites, everything will work out in the end.

We know that even our best efforts to cheer others up who are in the midst of hard situations

and we know that when people have tried to cheer us up when we've been in the middle of

hard situations, these kind of statements can leave this hollow feeling.

We know like, well, it's the best I can offer and yet it doesn't really satisfy.

People are in misery and suffering and this just seems like something kind of nice to soothe them

for a moment, but it's not lasting.

Imagine the people of Israel who have just been exiled, seen Jerusalem, walls torn down,

their own temple of worship burned to the ground and now they're in exile in a foreign land

with a foreign king being tasked with worshiping foreign gods.

Imagine if we just came up to these Israelites and said, well, just don't worry, be happy.

How unsatisfying that word would be.

And in fact, proves kind of unkind, doesn't it?

Because it ignores the realities of the situations that Israel is going through and that we ourselves

know so well, a situation in which hope seems nowhere to be found.

Where can we find any lasting comfort in the midst of such a perplexing world?

In the midst of suffering and difficulty,

when God seems silent, distant,

or even the cause of our pain and suffering,

where is hope?

Well, we learn from Obadiah that God has an answer to these questions.

And his answer is,

hope is found with me.

So let's read Obadiah,

starting in verse 15 and going to the end.

Don't,

try not to get too caught up in all these place names

and these confusing people and places and locations.

We'll kind of explain the purpose of those things.

But listen for the one speaking and the promises to his people

and just how he's bringing all of this together

in spite of a situation that appears hopeless.

This is God's word to us today, friends.

For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations.

As you have done, it shall be done to you.

Your deeds shall return on your own head.

For as you have drunk on my holy mountains,

so all the nations shall drink continually.

They shall drink and swallow

and shall be as though they had never been.

But in Mount Zion,

there shall be those who escape

and it shall be called holy.

And the house of Jacob

shall possess their own possessions.

The house of Jacob shall be a fire

and the house of Joseph a flame

and the house of Esau stubble.

They shall burn them and consume them

and there shall be no survivor

for the house of Esau.

For the Lord has spoken.

Those of the Negev shall possess Mount Esau

and those of the Shephelah

shall possess the land of the Philistines.

They shall possess the land of Ephraim

and the land of Samaria

and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

The exiles of this host of the people of Israel

shall possess the land of the Canaanites

as far as the Zarephath.

And the exiles of Jerusalem

who are in Sepharad

shall possess the cities of the Negev.

Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion

to rule Mount Esau

and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.

Friends, God's message to us today

is very simple.

In fact, we can summarize it

in about five or six words.

Hope in your sovereign king.

Hope in your sovereign king.

We're going to walk through this passage today

looking at three truths about who God is

that confirm and support this call

for us, God's people,

to hope in the Lord.

So three truths.

First truth is this,

that our God is perfectly just.

We see this in verses 15 and 16.

If we remember that Edom's day

serves as this signpost.

The judgment that God said was near

for the people of Edom

is actually this sort of beacon

and warning to all the nations

because in verse 15,

we see that the day of the Lord

is near upon not just Edom,

but all nations.

Beyond a warning,

this statement is also reinforcing hope

for God's people.

Our God is just,

the prophet tells us.

We see in verse 15 that

as you have done,

it shall be done to you.

This eye for an eye

retribution principle

that governs the universe.

not because karma

is this thing that exists

and what goes around

comes around,

but because the God

of this universe

is a just God.

He will render judgment

upon all people

for what we have done.

This is such good news

to a bunch of exiles

who are carted off from Israel,

who would experience

God's righteous anger

at their own sin

and rebellion and idolatry,

and then,

on top of that,

been humiliated

by their brother Edom

from their high place

mocking and laughing

and looting the cities

of rubble.

And God sees it all.

And it's promised

that the guilty

will not go unpunished.

In verse 16,

we see that there's

this interesting shift

that happens here.

So far,

every time the word you

has been used,

Obadiah has been speaking

directly to Edom,

the you is singular,

and he's been talking,

you, Edom,

this is going to happen.

You've done this.

I'm going to do this to you,

et cetera.

But here in verse 16,

the you becomes you all,

all of you.

And I think Obadiah

peels back the curtain

a little bit,

and he's speaking now

to the exiled people

of God

who are in a situation

that is completely hopeless.

And he says,

just as you've drunk

on my holy mountain,

so all the nations

will surely drink.

So he speaks this message.

You know my judgment,

and you know how harsh

and extreme it can be,

and yet there is hope

because I'm not done

with you,

and I'm not done

with the nations

who have become

your enemies

and harmed you.

God says,

surely I will bring judgment

upon the nations.

None of your enemies,

including Edom,

will miss out

on this cup of retribution.

See what he's doing?

Israel still had hope

because the Lord

was still in charge

of the situation.

Justice was still

his to bring.

It's still good news

for us today.

God is just today

and always forever.

Now, of course,

we know this, right?

We know that God is just.

We say this to ourselves

and to each other.

But if we're honest too,

right,

we can tend to live

sort of untethered

from this reality,

sort of in our heads

going,

yes, God is just,

but then with our lives

we can say,

maybe he's not.

Maybe I need to

kind of take action

into my own hands.

So to help us,

let's run a little diagnostic

and show that

while we might be prone

to retaliate

and demand immediate

response of payment

for wrongs done,

while we may hold grudges,

we might try

and self-justify,

kind of minimizing

our own sin

and over-inflating

other sin.

Let's run this diagnostic

asking the question,

am I living in the good

of the truth

that God is just?

Am I living in the goodness

of the truth

that God is just?

Just three principles

to keep in mind,

to live in the good

of this reality

this morning

and always.

first,

we're to value

all people the same

because they're

God's image bearers.

We're prone

to favoritism,

which is unjust.

James chapter 2

James 2 · chapter mention

tells us of this example

where two guys

come into a house

of worship

and one guy

has gold rings

and he's got

really fine clothing

and has the latest

Calvin Klein cologne on

and he walks in

and another guy

comes in

with tattered clothing

and barely any shoes

on his feet

and maybe he smells bad

because he hasn't

had a chance

to shower recently.

And James points out

how the people

treated one man

as royalty

and brought him

to a seat of honor

and the other man

said,

well,

can you get down here

on the floor

and I'd actually like

to put my feet

on top of you

for my own comfort.

James says,

we're not to show

that kind of partiality.

We're not to be

unjust like that

because our God

is a God of justice

who values all human life

the same.

So likewise,

we look to affirm

and uphold the dignity

and worth of all people.

Second,

diagnostic,

see if we're living

in the goodness

of the truth

that God is just.

So we love our enemies.

We pray for those

who persecute us.

We don't go around

retaliating

and sort of

enacting our own retribution

for wrongs committed

against us.

We love

and we bless

and we pray

for those

who persecute us.

First Peter

unpacks this so well

for us

in chapter 3,

verse 9,

he writes,

do not repay evil

for evil

or reviling

for reviling.

but on the contrary,

bless

for to this

you were called.

In his reasoning,

he goes on

to kind of lay out

is that

both those

who initiate

the reviling,

who begin

the injustice

and those who

retaliate

against that injustice,

that's evil

on both sides.

So whether you're

perpetrating it

or you're being

the victim initially

and then lashing out

in response,

it's evil.

He says,

so don't do that,

bless.

Your holy nation,

bless,

always,

regardless.

And he says,

ultimately,

because God is just

and God will bring

judgment upon evil.

Instead,

be like Jesus

who in chapter 2

of 1 Peter,

Peter says,

when he was reviled,

he did not revile

in return.

He didn't retaliate.

He continued

entrusting himself

to the one

who judges justly.

So we love

our enemies,

living in the good

of God

being so just.

And 3,

we are quick

to forgive

those who sin

against us.

we know

that as recipients

of the grace

of God

and the forgiveness

that only God

can provide,

that no person

could ever

wrong us

anywhere near

the degree

that we have

wronged

and offended

our God.

So we long

for even the worst

of our enemies

to experience

the grace

and forgiveness

of a loving

father.

we forgive

so that we can

shine his light

and to show

how grateful

we are

for the mercy

that God

has extended

to us.

From Jesus'

lips himself,

we realize

that it is

unjust

to have received

the grace

of God

for ourselves

and then

to demand

justice

from our brothers

when they

wrong us.

Give what

has been given.

We've been given

mercy so we

give mercy

freely

without reservation.

That's to live

in the goodness

of the reality

that God

is just.

God will repay

all people

for what they

have done.

So God,

let God,

church,

let God bring

justice.

He is just

and he's faithful.

Our reason

to hope

in our sovereign

king this morning

just keeps getting

more clear now

as we move back

into the text

and we start

looking again

at this second

reason

to hope

in your sovereign

king this morning.

It's because

God keeps

his promises.

God keeps

his promises.

We've already

seen this promise

that the day

of Edom

was near

and that all

the nations

will be judged

according to

their deeds

but now

in verse 17

it turns

and we see

this word

but

in Mount Zion

there shall be

those who escape.

we have a God

who has told us

in 2 Timothy

2.13

that even

if we are

faithless

he remains

faithful

for he cannot

deny

himself.

It's a God

who in

Proverbs 30

Proverbs 30:5

verse 5

reveals that

every word

of God

proves true.

He is a shield

to everyone

who takes

refuge in him.

We know

and worship

and love

a God

who keeps

his promises.

So when we see

promise

after promise

after promise

in Obadiah

our hearts

should be filled

with hope.

Verse 17

the phrase

translated

those who escape

should really

be seen

as deliverance.

It's not talking

about group of people

it's talking

about delivering

but in Mount Zion

there shall be

deliverance

and the mountain

shall be holy.

There's the first

promise here

we see that

deliverance is coming

in the very place

that God established

for his people

to dwell

with him

forever.

It's in rubble

and yet he still

makes this promise

and we hear

the whisper

of covenant.

covenant.

We move on

and we see

at the end

of verse 17

that the house

of Jacob

shall possess

their own

possessions.

It's talking

promised land

the land

promised to

the patriarchs

Abraham,

Isaac and

Jacob

the land

of Canaan

in this case

God promises

that they're

going to retake

what was lost

to them

after the

backside

of this

judgment

that they

received.

And we hear

the sound

of covenant

again.

Verse 18

there's this

promise of

triumph and

victory over

all of the

enemies of

God and

his people.

The house

of Jacob

shall be a

fire,

the house

of Joseph

a flame,

Esau

will be

stubble.

It'll be

the chaff

that only

serves to

expand the

flame.

God's

people will

be the

fire,

and their

enemies will

be burned

up and

destroyed.

The Lord

has spoken,

we see at

the end of

18.

It's certain.

God promises

that his

people will

be victorious

over all of

their enemies.

Covenant

again.

now we

return in

verses 19

and 20

to this

idea of

possession

and taking

possession of

all this

different

territory.

And here's

where we get

all these

names that

most of us

probably have

barely ever

heard of.

Some of

which aren't

even known

locations.

We don't

even know

where the

likes of the

Sephirad is.

people are

going to

see.

But what the

prophet is doing

here is sort

of drawing this

compass.

In 19, he

starts with the

Negev, which is in

the southern part

of Judah, and

then he goes

east, north,

west, full

circle.

You draw a

compass and you

hit all the four

starred points on

it, north,

south, east,

west, and you

will see that each

one of the

directions of the

compass will be

occupied by God's

people again.

Verse 20, it's

similar, but

instead of the

four points, it's

the tippity-top

recesses of

Israel to the

very, very

bottom reaches of

Judah.

Again, the

exiles of the

host of the

people of Israel

shall possess the

land of the

Canaanites as

far as

Arafat, as

north as God

ever promised

his people, and

likewise in the

south to those

exiles of

Jerusalem.

God's people are

going to retake

possession of what

God had promised

to them.

Now God's kind of

talking crazy, isn't

he?

I mean, north,

south, east, west,

God, from the far

north to the far

south, the fullness

of restoration to a

group of people

carted off to a

foreign land?

It seems crazy.

not to mention, we

see that now he's

even bringing the

northern tribes of

Israel back into

the equation.

That people who,

when the Assyrians

came in at 722 and

exiled all the ten

tribes, and then

they drop out of the

radar of our

Bibles.

In verse 20, it

says the exiles of

those people, of

the people of

Israel.

Israel will

repossess land.

So God has to do

this huge work to

orchestrate this kind

of promise keeping.

But he keeps his

promises.

He's had this great

track record, right,

throughout the history

of the Bible to

Israel, to all the

nations.

And there's no

Assyrians or

Babylonians or even

stiff-necked

Israelites or any

amount of wrongdoing

that's going to

prevent our God from

following through for

his people and

keeping all of his

promises.

We see shortly

after Obadiah was

written, year 553 BC,

Edom is besieged and

ceases to be a

nation.

Then just 15 years

later, we see it

recorded in the book

of Ezra, chapter 1,

Ezra 1 · chapter mention

King Cyrus, this

foreign king, allows the

Jews to return home and

to start rebuilding

their temple, to

re-fortify their

cities.

And we see God meant

what he said.

He keeps his

promises.

We rejoice today, too,

because if he kept his

promises beyond the

destruction of Israel,

beyond the exile of his

people, he did so so

that Christ would be

born, that Jesus would

be born into a world

through the line of

Abraham, through the

line of David to rescue

humanity from the grip

of sin.

So there is hope, real

and lasting hope, because

our God keeps his

promises.

promises.

As people, we need to

cling to this hope.

Not a wishful thinking

kind of hope, not just

this pleasantries that

kind of tides us over,

not this hollow sort of

isn't really true hope,

but real hope, because

Jesus is alive.

So let me just encourage

this morning that in

light of the promises

of God, that if you

haven't done this

already, that you

start kind of making

this mental Rolodex.

Maybe you write them

out on a three-by-five

card, but you start

writing out the

promises of God, and

you keep them near,

because no doubt,

there's coming times,

and you've experienced

them plenty already.

There's day after day

after day when we need

God's promises.

We need to recall

them to mind, so that

we don't get discouraged,

so that we don't lose

hope in his promise

and in his goodness.

For example, is anybody

feeling condemned and

defeated by sin?

Bring the promise of

1 John 1, 9 to mind,

that he who is faithful

and just, when we

confess our sins, he

will forgive us and

cleanse us from all

unrighteousness.

Put that promise in your

Rolodex.

Maybe you're overwhelmed,

and you don't know how to

pray, and you remember the

promises of Romans 8 that

says, the Holy Spirit

helps us in our

weaknesses, and when we

don't know how to pray,

he intercedes and prays

for us.

Anybody need that promise?

Maybe you're feeling

alone for God.

You pull out the promise

from Hebrews chapter 13

Hebrews 13:5

verse 5 that says,

behold, I will never leave

you nor forsake you, and

you say, that's my God.

He keeps his promises to

me.

Maybe you're questioning

salvation, or you've

questioned in the past,

and you pull out the

promise that says,

everyone, everyone,

everyone who calls upon

the name of the Lord will

be saved.

And you say, amen.

I never have to wonder.

God is faithful.

He keeps his promises,

and that one's for me.

Cling to his promises,

church.

Not in wishful thinking,

but by faith, knowing

that Jesus is alive and

on the throne.

And every promise of God

is yes and amen in him.

Hope in your sovereign

king, church, because he

keeps his promises.

Finally, as we move back

to the text, we see a

third truth about God.

It stirs our hearts full

of hope.

It's found in this verse

21, this kind of last

phrase of Obadiah.

It's his truth, that his

kingdom is forever.

His kingdom is forever.

It seems like all along,

the prophet Obadiah has

been speaking to his

people, hey, appearances

can be deceiving.

Right?

In the ancient Near

Eastern culture, the

strength of a nation's

deity, their God, was

seen in military victory

and in prosperity and

wealth.

And here God's speaking

to Israel after they've

been exiled.

Saying, appearances can be

deceiving.

God ends this oracle saying, the

kingdom shall be the Lord's.

And again, he's not just

talking crazy, but now he's

got some explaining to do.

It appears as though the

Babylonian's deity is much

stronger than Israel's.

That Yahweh has finally met his

match and he's defeated and his

people are undone.

But it's not so, God says.

Dominion and authority have

never changed hands.

And they never will.

Our God is in the heavens.

He does all that he pleases.

Psalm 115.

Psalm 115.

So we know that whether God is

speaking to exiles who have been

recently conquered and shipped off

to Babylon, or if he's speaking to

the 21st century church being

persecuted in every corner of the

world, or speaking to you in your

personal battle with disease or

conflict, God's kingdom is forever.

He is on the throne.

And all of history is moving toward

the day when we will see him.

When appearances align with reality.

We never have to wonder again.

Every eye will see him on that day.

The book of Obadiah begins, if you

remember from last week, it begins

with this, thus says the Lord God.

It begins with the one true living God

who rules over all things as he wills.

Who has no rival to his throne and will

one day fully vindicate his name against

all unrighteousness.

And the book ends the same way.

The kingdom, the dominion, the rule, the

authority, the power will be the Lord's.

And in the middle of the book, you guessed

it, it's the same.

Over and over and over again.

In verse 2, Almighty God promises to

bring this proud and arrogant nation of

Edom down from his mountainous pride.

Verse 7, Yahweh says, I'll turn

Edom's allies into his enemies.

He won't know where it's coming from,

but his armies will be dismayed and

they will be crushed.

God says, surely on that day, in verses

8 and 9, I will cut off the nation of

Edom.

And he did.

He did.

Because his kingdom is forever and he

will not, he will not abide any sort of

enemies to that.

Verses 10 to 14, it just goes on and the

Lord says, I know, Edom, I know all of

your transgressions against your brother

Israel.

And he names them one after the other,

after the other, after the other.

It started in your heart and it just is

displayed and even turning God's own

people back toward their captors.

Rejoicing over their suffering.

And so he says in verses 15 and 16 that

justice is coming, not just upon Edom,

but upon all the nations because God

knows all things and is above all things

and he alone is judge.

He then promises deliverance and

restoration and victory and he means it.

And he's able to do even far more

abundantly than all that we ask or think

because he's God and he has no equal.

So he says to Israel and he says to us

today that appearances may be deceiving,

friends, but God's word is always true.

He is in control.

His kingdom is forever.

What appeared to be the end of the nation

of Israel was actually God ensuring that

his will would be done for Israel and for

all the nations.

Little less than 600 years after Obadiah

wrote this oracle, our Jesus was born.

He was the son of Abraham, son of David.

God promised over and over and over again

that his Messiah would come.

He would come from Judah in the line of

King David.

He would sit on David's throne forever.

He would be given dominion over all things.

His name is Jesus.

He is right now seated at the right hand of

majesty on high.

He right now is upholding the universe by the

word of his power.

He has promised to come again to judge all

people in all nations according to what they

have done.

And when he comes, the victory that he brings,

he will gather people from all the four

compass directions, from the four corners

of the world, he will gather his people to

himself forever.

Deliverance will come for the people of God.

Jesus will bring it.

Listen to Revelation 5 and this scene of

worship after Jesus has come back.

And John writes this.

Then I looked and I heard around the throne and

the living creatures and the elders, the voice of

many angels numbering myriads of myriads and

thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice,

worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and

wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and

blessing.

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and

under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them

saying to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb be

blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever.

And the four living creatures said amen and the elders fell

down and worshiped.

Through and through in our Bibles we see that our God's

kingdom is forever.

Should give us great hope in the midst of adversity and

suffering and the perplexities of life.

God's kingdom is forever and Jesus is king forever.

Christ the king today, store this word in your heart.

Abide in this goodness that we are to hope together in our

sovereign king.

We are to hope in him because he is just, because he keeps his

promises, and because his kingdom is forever.

Let's pray.

Father, would you impart faith by your spirit that we might go

away satisfied in Christ.

Help us to hope in you despite appearances.

Give us grace for everything we need.

We worship and adore you, God.

Pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.