Comfort, Waning, and Mercy: Obadiah 10-16 (Sermon)
Thanks
Thank you, worship team.
Introduction
Last week, pastor Joe did a wonderful job introducing the minor prophet Obadiah to us. The date when Obadiah wrote is difficult to determine. It could be between the fall of the temple in Jerusalem in 586 BC and the destruction of the Edomite population in 551 BC by the Babylonians. However, some date it to before Judah attacked the Edomites in the early 700s or the Nabatean tribes attacked them in the middle 300s. (https://www.andrews.edu/weblmsc/moodle/public/courses/relb274/lesson10/Crowell%20Nab%20the%20Beg%20of%20the%20End%20of%20Edom.pdf,
https://www.andrews.edu/weblmsc/moodle/public/courses/relb274/lesson10/Bartlett%20Edom%20and%20the%20Fall%20of%20Jerusalem.pdf, https://www.jstor.org/stable/3268802?seq=5).
Regardless of the date, the audience was the same. God wrote the book to Edom for Israel. God is the God of all nations and wants our attention and devotion. The Edomites descended from Esau, Abraham’s grandson, who were distant relatives of Israel.
In Genesis, the Bible's first book, we read that Esau had a deep-seated animosity with his twin brother, Jacob. Time healed their fraternal division, but not completely. Esau’s descendants settled southeast of Israel. They lived in the land with a mountain called Seir, some 5,643 feet tall. Here is a map.
Notice Edom in yellow. The eastern half of that country now is Jordan.
Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Bible, tells us that as Israel traveled to the Promised Land from Egypt, God instructed them this way:
“You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.” (Deuteronomy 2:4–5, ESV)
Israel approached Edom to pass through to the Promised Land, but the Edomites opposed their passage. Israel respected this wish and God’s command, so they went around another way.
In Numbers 24, God predicted this ancient sibling rivalry would culminate in Edom’s destruction.
Edom shall be dispossessed;
Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed…
One from Jacob shall exercise dominion
and destroy the survivors! (Numbers 24:18–19, ESV)
Years passed, and Numbers 24 came true. During the reign of King Amaziah in the early 700s, they went to war. Judah won and captured 10,000 Edomites and threw the men off a cliff. Then, this king took their gods back to Jerusalem and made offerings to them. God saw this evil and was furious. He sent a prophet to rebuke him. We can read about this interaction in 2 Chronicles chapter 25:
“Why have you sought the gods of a people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?” But as he was speaking, the king said to him, “Have we made you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.” (2 Chronicles 25:15b–16, ESV)
King Amaziah then marched his army against the northern kingdom of Israel. They appealed to him not to do this. They called out his pride. He disregarded their warning and lost the battle. He fled and Israel found him and killed him. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.
TEXT
I am going to have _ read for us this morning. If you are able, please stand with me. We are reading Obadiah, verses 10 through 16.
Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob,
shame shall cover you,
and you shall be cut off forever.
On the day that you stood aloof,
on the day that strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
and cast lots for Jerusalem,
you were like one of them.
But do not gloat over the day of your brother
in the day of his misfortune;
do not rejoice over the people of Judah
in the day of their ruin;
do not boast
in the day of distress.
Do not enter the gate of my people
in the day of their calamity;
do not gloat over his disaster
in the day of his calamity;
do not loot his wealth
in the day of his calamity.
Do not stand at the crossroads
to cut off his fugitives;
do not hand over his survivors
in the day of distress.
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 mountain,
so all the nations shall drink continually;
they shall drink and swallow,
and shall be as though they had never been. (Obadiah 10–16, ESV)
Let’s pray.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we need you.
Some of us have afflictions, trials, and enemies. We long for you, our God, to aid us and bring justice and peace.
Some of us are stuck in sin. Please help us get out.
Some of us are weighed down with guilt and shame. Free us from the bondage of judgment, the cup of your wrath, by the power of the Spirit, in the name of Jesus we pray, amen. You may be seated.
STRUCTURE
This morning our seven verses have three parts.
Verses 10 and 11 an introduction.
Verses 12 through 14 an appeal.
And verses 15 and 16 a conclusion.
We will work from the first section to the conclusion and end with the appeal. The book’s main idea is that the LORD will exalt his people and humble the proud. Our specific passage conveys several things. First, God is the avenger. The LORD will punish Edom for violence against his people. He wants us to trust in him when we are suffering. Secondly, he wants us to turn away from sin. Thirdly, he desires that we take hold of the good news of Jesus, who drank the cup of God’s wrath. That is a bit of direction for us this morning.
VERSE BY VERSE
Turn in your Bibles to Obadiah, verse 10. This is the introduction.
“Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob,
shame shall cover you,
and you shall be cut off forever” (Obadiah 10, ESV).
Verse 10 points back to the verses before and ahead. Edom would experience punishment for their sin. They were like Cain, who killed his brother Abel, and like Esau, who wanted to do that to Jacob. Verse 11 expands on the violence done to their brother.
VERSE 11
On the day that you stood aloof,
on the day that strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
and cast lots for Jerusalem,
you were like one of them. (Obadiah 11, ESV)
They were aloof. Residing on Mount Seir, they thought they were the king of the hill. No one could attack them. They were on higher ground. They were prideful, vain, and arrogant.
Then, the Babylonians pillaged Jerusalem.
They ransacked it.
And they made sport of Judah’s loss. When Babylon did this, Edom joined in. Edom was the vulture swooping in to pick through the scraps of the road kill.
PSALM 137
We know this because God condemns them in some passages in the Bible. One clear one is Psalm 137, verse 7, which states they said of Jerusalem:
“Lay it bare, lay it bare,
down to its foundations!” (Psalm 137:7b, ESV).
Edom was on a cheer squad for Israel’s annihilation.
SHAME
Consequently, God would disgrace them for their abuse. We read that shame will cover them in verse 10. Have you experienced shame? Some of my most shameful moments I don’t want to relive. Shame is embarrassing. Yet, the Bible says shame would cover Edom like a blanket on a cold day. But that is not the only consequence of their violence.
CUT OFF
Verse 10 goes on to say they will be cut off. What does that mean? In verses 8 and 9, God says he will destroy the best and the brightest of Edom. He will “slaughter” the mighty. He will cut them off. They will suffer death. If we jump to verse 18, we see:
The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
and the house of Joseph a flame,
and the house of Esau stubble; [Fire burns. And Israel will burn down Esau in judgment]
they shall burn them and consume them [the house of Esau],
and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau,
for the LORD has spoken. (Obadiah 18, ESV)
The tables would turn for Edom because of their violence. Esau would become burned-out rubble. There will be no one left. Historically, we know that King Amaziah attacked them. Babylon turned on them in 551 BC, and the Arab Nabateans continued to decimate them in the 300’s. And at the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, any trace of their race became extinct. They would be slaughtered.
JUSTICE
Let’s skip to the third section, the conclusion. Read Obadiah verses 15 and 16.
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 mountain,
so all the nations shall drink continually;
they shall drink and swallow,
and shall be as though they had never been. (Obadiah 15–16, ESV)
The Day of the Lord was coming. It was going to be sweet for some but not all. Edom would face justice for their injustice. For them, the Day of the Lord will be horrible. Jeremiah mentioned this day in Lamentations chapter 4 with sarcasm.
Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom,
you who dwell in the land of Uz;
but to you also the cup shall pass;
you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare…
[God] will punish;
he will uncover your sins. (Lamentations 4:21–22, ESV)
This cup is the cup of God’s wrath. It is not a trophy won on a soccer field or ice rink. It is one we get at a restaurant. This is final.
TRAVELING INSTRUCTIONS
Let’s pause here. Why do you think that God preserved this oracle for Israel to read? Let’s imagine what they would feel when they first read it. Recall:
They experienced trauma from their passage into the Promised Land and Edom’s support of Babylon,
Israel was kicked out of their homeland.
They had relatives murdered.
Their belongings were stolen from them.
Their country was wiped out.
Their place of worship burned to the ground.
They were enslaved people again once again in a foreign land.
How would Israel feel when they hear about God seeing this violence and issuing a punishment? I believe reading Obadiah was a comfort.
DOUBLE EDGE SWORD
But I believe these verses were more than that comfort. Do you recall why Israel was in exile in the first place? Two hundred years before God spoke to Israel:
Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!
Why would you have the day of the LORD?
It is darkness, and not light….
Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light,
and gloom with no brightness in it? (Amos 5:18–20, ESV)
Amos was rebuking not Edom but God’s people. He was saying that this judgment was terrible for them. Why? Israel in the north and the south did evil. For example, we read in 2 Chronicles 36:
[king] Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel. All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the LORD that he had made holy in Jerusalem. The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy. Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, [Babylonians] who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels.
He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia,
to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. (2 Chronicles 36:11–21, ESV)
This passage tells us that God’s people were not that different from Edom and explains why the Day of the Lord can be bad for them.
They did evil.
They didn’t humble themselves.
They rebelled.
They were unfaithful.
They followed the ways of the nations.
They polluted the holy.
They mocked God’s messengers.
And they despised God’s Word.
This tells us that a reflective reader hearing God’s judgment on Edom was not just comfort but also a warning. God is holy. He opposes all forms of wickedness. The cup that Obadiah mentioned was for all nations. Ethnicity is not a security.
APPLICATION
We, too, should take this as a warning.
Do we say or do evil things?
Are we a prideful people?
Do we find rebellion in our hearts?
Are we unfaithful to God and others?
Are we worldly, or are we godly?
Are we holy or not?
Do we make light of those who speak on God’s behalf, ignore them, or not listen?
Do we despise God’s Word, or do we delight in it?
Obadiah 10 through 16 is a comfort and warning for us. But that is not all.
12 through 14
Let’s go to the middle section, an appeal. There are eight things Obadiah tells Edom not to do. Look at this appeal with me in verses 12 through 14.
But do not gloat over the day of your brother
in the day of his misfortune;
do not rejoice over the people of Judah
in the day of their ruin;
do not boast
in the day of distress.
Do not enter the gate of my people
in the day of their calamity;
do not gloat over his disaster
in the day of his calamity;
do not loot his wealth
in the day of his calamity.
Do not stand at the crossroads
to cut off his fugitives;
do not hand over his survivors
in the day of distress.
These eight commands go from gloating to killing and show a way out. God is giving them an opportunity to repent. Obadiah echoes not just a word of comfort for the oppressed and warning for those who stray but also mercy. Jeremiah 49 parallels this judgment on Edom. In verse 11, we see this mercy in an interesting way.
“Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive;
and let your widows trust in me” (Jeremiah 49:11, ESV).
God promised Edom he would care for the fatherless Edomite children and encouraged these pagan Edomites to encourage their widows to trust in Yahweh, the God of Israel. God sees, is powerful, and cares.
APPLICATION
The word gloat is used twice in this list of eight commands. The Edomites watched their distant relatives suffer. It reminds me of a saying I heard in 2020, “silence is violence.” God has called us to speak up for those who can’t courageously. He cares about those who are defenseless, weak, and on the fringes of society. He has given us spheres of influence, circles. Edom seemed to watch and let evil happen. How might God equip us to stand up for those who can’t? How might God call us not to be neglectful or cowardly in a world of wickedness? Edom and Jerusalem experienced some degree of judgment, but the Day of the Lord is still yet to come. In our spheres or circles of influence, we have opportunities to pray daily for the lost, care weekly for the lost, and share regularly with the lost, the hurting, and the weak. We are the light of the world. Let us not boast about things going our way or sit back and be silent about evil.
REJOICE
Edom was not just silent; they were excited and rejoicing about the downfall of their enemies. Are we excited about comeuppance and retribution and revenge? It goes both ways, red and blue alike in America. Both parties take delight in the other’s downfall. I would remind you that we, the Church, are citizens of heaven. We are part of another kingdom. And although we have the privilege to steward our earthly citizenry wisely, our hope is not in a politician or party. God will bring a reckoning. He is our avenger.
HATRED
The Edomites were happy for their brother’s loss and aided and abetted the decimation. In verses 13 and 14, the last categories of sin, God confronted Edom for their violence. There is no room for antisemitism or racism in the Christian’s life. There is no room for revenge. I don’t think we are tempted to do that, but we can be violent toward people with our words.
SERMON ON THE MOUNT
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that anyone who called his brother an idiot, or any other name, is guilty of murder. Have we been murdering people with our words? Jesus invites us to love our brothers and pray for our enemies.
ROMANS
Turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 12. We will start at verse 14. This is important. In the letter to the Romans, God says we are to:
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:14–21, ESV)
Let those words sink in. Look at all those commands. Is there one God might have you work on this week? How about instead of making fun, we pray for them? What if we say a blessing for an enemy of ours this week? What would it look like to do something honorable? How can we pursue peace this week? How might we leave justice to the wrath of God this week? Could the Holy Spirit lead us to overcome evil with good this week? Turn away from sin to follow God’s ways.
WHERE IS THERE HOPE?
Judgment is coming. It is a comfort to those suffering, a warning for those who are sinning, and it can be mercy for those who can turn from sin to God. Malachi wrote of that judgment this:
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze,” says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act,” says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 4:1–4, ESV)
The Day of the Lord will be comforting to some and condemnation for others. How do we make sure we are on the right side of the Day of the Lord? Obadiah began with shame. A person can’t undo it. But God can. Do you remember the cup Obadiah mentioned? Jesus drank a cup on the cross entirely for his people. He mentioned one at the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was assaulted and robbed of his life and belongings. He was crucified for our sins. And by his death, he forgives our wickedness and removes our shame. The penalty is paid in full.
“For our sake he [God] made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV).
APPLICATION
Let me suggest a couple of things as we conclude.
Let us look to the LORD’s vengeance, which is not our own, regarding God’s justice. Our hope is in him. He will get the punishment right. Take comfort.
When it comes to God’s warnings, heed them. Let us follow God’s way, not the world’s. Let us pursue humility and love. Meditate on Romans 12. Learn from Edom and Israel. Turn from sin.
Regarding guilt and shame, let us hope in Jesus. He is so good and powerful that he drank the cup dry so we wouldn’t have to. Take hold of that good news. Find freedom and grace in knowing Jesus’s work on your behalf. I will pray. You can agree in your heart with me.
PRAY
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, we need you. Help our hearts that hurt. We trust in your justice. Give us comfort in our suffering. God, show us our sins and lead us in your ways. Take our shame. Thank you for dying in our place. Thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you for giving us your Son’s righteousness. Comfort, correct, and clean us up, in Jesus’s name, amen. We are going to stand and sing. If you want to discuss shame and Jesus taking the cup of God’s wrath on your behalf, I would love to talk with you after the service.
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