Over the next couple weeks, we're gonna be looking at the book of Obadiah, but to approach this book, it's helpful, I think, to get some historical background from other portions of scripture. So tonight, as an introduction to the book of Obadiah, I ask that you turn to Numbers chapter 20, verses 14 through 21. Numbers 20, 14 through 21. Now as you turn there, perhaps you're aware that the country of Edom, which will be addressed in the book of Obadiah, is another name for Esau. And there is perhaps no deeper grievance than the dispute that often occurs between two brothers. Now the first of these disputes in scripture led to fratricide, the killing of one brother to another, that is Cain and Abel. But this dispute between Jacob and Esau may be a dispute that is no greater, no greater documented with such terrific consequences as that between Jacob and his twin brother Esau. You see, as we begin a study of Obadiah, it's important to review this history of Edom, both with God and with his brother Israel. And so I've chosen to turn to this historical event. By this time, Jacob and Esau are not just individuals. They are now, their descendants form the nations of Edom and Israel. Israel has come out of Egypt from the Exodus and they are on their way to the promised land. And here we encounter this passage as they are on the border of Edom. Follow along as I read from Numbers chapter 20, verse 14. Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. Thus says your brother Israel, you know all the hardship that we have met, how our fathers went down to Egypt and we lived in Egypt a long time. And the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our fathers. And when we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard or drink water from a well. We will go along the king's highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory. But Edom said to him, you shall not pass through lest I come out with a sword against you. And the people of Israel said to him, we will go up by the highway. And if we drink of your water, I and my livestock, then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more. But he said, you shall not pass through. And Edom came out against them with a large army and with a strong force. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory. So Israel turned away from him. As we consider this passage, let us look to the Lord briefly in prayer. Lord, this is your word. It's for our benefit, inspired by the Holy Spirit. It shall stand forever. Lord, we pray that you will help us to have ears to hear it and hearts to understand it. We pray that you might apply it to our lives, that we might serve you. When necessary, repent, and when necessary, rejoice in your promises. Lord, I pray that everything thought, said, and done here would be pleasing in your sight, consistent with your word, or else pass away. never to be heard from again, we pray in Jesus name, amen. Well, if you remember the history of Esau, it is one of dashed hopes and divine mystery. Scriptures tell us that before Esau was born, that he was not the chosen one. Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. Esau was his father's favorite. He was the guy who went out and was the great hunter. He was the outdoorsman. He was the one whom his father loved. And yet Esau despised his birthright, giving it away for a bowl of soup. He coveted his father's blessing. But lo and behold, his brother Jacob, whose name means he cheated, cheated him out of his birthright, or of his blessing. Esau married pagan women around him, two Hittite women, but when he found out that his parents did not like his marriage situation, he married a third wife in order to try and please his parents. It was a tumultuous relationship between Jacob and Esau and between Esau and his family. And in the end, after his brother had cheated him, he said that when my parents are gone and dead, I will kill my brother. Yet he was prevented from doing so, both by his brother being sent off to family far away and also by God's prevention. this contentious relationship between Jacob and Esau. Note the order, we always say Jacob and Esau, and yet Esau was the firstborn. We don't say Esau and Jacob. This contentious relationship was passed down through the generations. And yet God never forgot Esau, though he was rejected. In fact, with this passage, as we look at the historical introduction, To the book of Obadiah, we see and find Israel on the border of Edom at Kadesh, and we look at their engagement with their brother Edom, and finally, their obedience regarding Edom. Here are the circumstances. They're on the border of Edom at Kadesh, sometimes known as Kadesh Barnea, and they're on the border in the wilderness. They have been dancing around, or should we say wandering around, the mountain called Mount Seir in the wilderness. This is after the disaster they had in the hill country. If you know your history, you know that as they approached the promised land in the wilderness, Moses had sent out 12 spies. The spies come back. The spies report that the people in the land of Canaan were Wonderful multitude of people with great fertilization, great crops, wonderful land, but the people were so large that we seem like grasshoppers in their sight. And the people of Israel rebelled against God's command to go into the promised land out of fear. And they were chastised. And then the people decided they would go on into the land anyway after their chastisement, and they were defeated in the hill country. And so right after this, in the journey, they approach not from the south, the land of Canaan, but now to go east. And so they have traveled around Mount Seir, and they're on the way to Canaan, the promised land. But here they are approaching Edom. Now what should they be doing? In your bulletin I've printed out for you a parallel passage to our text tonight from Deuteronomy chapter two as Moses recounts this history in his speech before the people of Israel when they're about to enter the promised land almost 40 years after the events that are described here in this chapter. And he said, the Lord said to him, you have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward and command the people you are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Israel who live in Seir. But let's pause there for just a moment. We looked at half a verse in our text, verse 14a, so to speak, in chapter 20 of Numbers. You have to remember where the Israelites are at this particular point in time. The people of God have been promised the inheritance. And how should they live their lives as they anticipate going in to attain their inheritance? Well, we too have been promised an inheritance, our inheritance, if we are in Jesus Christ. is the inheritance of eternal life in heaven, our Canaan, our spiritual Canaan, so to speak. And we are reminded throughout the New Testament that like the Israelites in the Old Testament, we are just passing through. In fact, I'm reminded of this every time I go down the street, it seems, and I see cars with license plates from other states. In fact, I followed one from Pennsylvania when I went home from church this morning. And as I was going down the road and I was looking at that person and their car, I realized that they didn't know where they were going. Because they would suddenly turn one direction or another trying to follow the course by which they were asked to go. But I thought, what are they doing in Myrtle Beach? Are they enjoying a good time? Are they visiting family? What are they doing? They're probably just passing through. Maybe they've moved here. I don't know. But how are they treating those here at the beach? How are they living their lives with those that might serve them in a hotel or a restaurant? How might they treat others as they go about their daily business? And here is the question, isn't it? How are the Israelites to treat their brother, Edom, despite their history, despite the past contention, despite everything that's going on? They found themselves of all places at the border of the land of Edom, that is Esau's descendants, as they seek to go to their land of inheritance. How are they to engage with their brother, Edom? Well, here's what Numbers records. Thus says your brother Israel, this is the messengers to Edom. You know all the hardship that we have met, how our fathers went down to Egypt and we lived in Egypt a long time and the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our fathers. You see here is the fraternal request, fraternal meaning brother to brother. A brother to brother request by these messengers sent by Moses at God's command. He says we just want to pass through. In fact, as we find out in verse 17, he says, we will go along the King's Highway. Now you may not know what the King's Highway was, but it was a well-known highway for all of the nations in that territory for probably hundreds of years by this point. It was well-known to everyone as they journeyed from one part of the world to another. It went through this particular part of the wilderness of the Middle East. And here it is, he says, we will go by this way and we just want to pass through. This was the request. Surely a brother would let a brother's people do that. We find out in Deuteronomy chapter two, it says about Edom, they will be afraid of you. Now, why would the people of Edom who have now at least established a territory, And we find out they even likely have a king or a leader, a chief of some sort who is called the king. And here in all of this, they evidently have weapons and an army that can come out against their enemies. Why would they be afraid of Israel? Part of this is the history between the two. But part of this is also, there's a lot of people here. The Israelites have hundreds of thousands of people here marching through the wilderness. So you can imagine lined up on your border is this great massive horde of Israelites whom you have heard through the grapevine and through the news of the day have actually escaped Egypt and have now come to a place where they're looking for a land of their own. And so these messengers, They give, first of all, a review of Israel's persecution by Egypt. They play, first of all, upon the relationship that has been established through history. They're distant relatives of these Israelites, after all. And they ask for common human courtesy to give this massive horde of people just passage through their land. But if that wasn't enough, Verse 16 reminds us that when the Egyptians had dealt harshly with them or persecuted them, then they cried to the Lord. He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. In other words, these messengers first review Israel's persecution by Egypt, and then they review the divine aid that they received and the angelic protection Why would they mention this? Well, in part, because even though these Edomites were not of God's chosen line, they yet had heard of the God of their fathers. After all, Esau had the same father as Jacob. If you remember, his name was Isaac. Isaac had that same father, Abraham. And here it is, they are descendants of Abraham and Isaac and they know the Lord and they know the stories. And in fact, it might be that here they are calling upon Edom through this message to consider the divine aid that they have been given and the miraculous deliverance from Egypt and that they might show the same kind of grace that God showed them. But of course, you see the reaction. Edom said to him, you shall not pass through. In fact, if you do pass through, I will come out with the sword against you. This is like the opposite of hospitality, isn't it? In fact, it was interesting. I know that normally we say that people are inhospitable with an I. I decided to use the word unhospitable and found out that my Spellcheck did not underline that word so it's a possibility too. They are the opposite of hospitable. They refuse to offer even the territory to let the Israelites pass through. And so here's what Israel does in response. Perhaps this is another commission of these messengers. Perhaps it's these messengers in negotiation. We don't know exactly. how this worked, but they heard the first refusal here in verse 19. The people of Israel said to him, we will go up by the highway. If we drink of your water, I and my livestock, then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more. In fact, in Deuteronomy, you find out that this is what God told them. He said they must. If they pass through, you shall purchase food from them with money that you may eat and you shall also buy water from them with money that you may drink. In other words, they say if it's not good enough for you to hear about our persecution and to take grace on us just like God took grace upon us, we promise not to trespass on your farms. We won't go in the fields. We won't go in the vineyards. We'll just stay on the highway. In fact, they've already said we will not pass to the right hand or to the left until we pass through your territory. We won't even go on your farms. And they also say this, we promise not to steal water from your wells. They've already said that, verse 17. We will not pass through field or vineyard or drink water from a well. In other words, we'll do everything we can to make it just easy for you. We're just going to pass through. We're going to do nothing else. And of course, what does that do? It brings a refusal. Counter to that refusal here was the promise. They said, we will pay for any provisions. In fact, this is what God told them to do. And then when it says here we will pass only through on foot, nothing more, this is a reminder they're saying to them there is the absence, an assurance of the absence of war material. They're not going to bring weapons. They're not going to act like conquerors. They're not going to seek vengeance upon them as they walk through the territory. They're not going to steal things. They're not going to take even water from the well. Of course, the most precious thing in the desert is water, is it not? They will not even take those things. If they need it, they will offer to pay for it. What does God tell them to do with Edom? He says to treat the enemy. Even when the enemy has been your brother, and there's a longstanding, lifelong division amongst you, to treat the enemy with the respect he deserves, as made in the image of God. We're in election season, and I don't know, I'm so glad I don't live in a so-called swing state, because I don't think I could handle all the commercials. We talk about it being political mudslinging and name-calling and putting the other person down. In fact, sometimes we know more about what a person thinks about his opponent than what that person is actually going to do in office. In our country, it has become such a standard to have mudslinging and name-calling and putting the opponent down that it has become an accepted political practice and there are pundits And there are experts who will tell you the best way in which to do so. And lest we think this is new in the last 10 or 20 years, this happened in the first actual race for the presidency between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. After all, we are a people divided politically. But what does God desire for us as Christians to do? Fair treatment according to his standards not ours. For both the native that is for those within the church who are fellow believers and for as scripture would say in the Old Testament the alien within our gates those that are outside our group. God desires for us to treat them fairly and with respect. Remember, this nation, Edom, is a nation that is descended from the man God said he hated. And yet, how does he tell the Israelites to deal with them? To be reminded, first of all, they're your brothers. Secondly, I have designs for them. Thirdly, Treat them with the respect of a nation that maybe even doesn't deserve that respect. Pass through their territory. Pay for anything that you use. All of those things. Why? Because God desires, through faith, obedience. You see, God also said this in Deuteronomy. 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, ah, I've lost the phrase there. It's not all recorded there. So Deuteronomy 2, because, let me read the rest of it. That's what I get for reading the bulletin there. because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. Do not contend with them for I'll 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. In other words, God gave Edom that land around Mount Seir. When God gives a land to a people, it's not for other people to take it away from them. unless it's by God's justice because of their disobedience. You see here, God gave Edom the land. Here's Edom, remember. The people of Esau, the people of Edom are not the chosen people of God. They're not the ones who received the law and the blessings and all of those things. It's certainly possible that they were still practicing circumcision as descendants of Abraham. It's possible that they still heard some of the stories about the Lord in the world because of the tradition that was passed down to them from their fathers. And yet this people, estranged from God, contentious against Israel, yet God gave them a land in the present of the day. And he says to Israel, Edom's land is not part of your inheritance. not even enough of the land in which the sole of your foot would tread. In other words, not even a square inch of your land or of Edom's land is for you. It is not your possession. God's command was not to contend with them. In Israel, unlike many of the other parts of their history, their submission to the Lord was in part based on This, God also said, I've blessed you. For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows you're going through this great wilderness. These 40 years, the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing. He says in Deuteronomy chapter two. In other words, Israel's submission to the Lord is in part based on God's provision and grace. He has provided for them. There is evidence here for that, for God's work amongst his people. How dare we then seek to rebel against the God who has provided for them every step of the way. And their submission is also in the context of their past defeats, especially as they rebelled against God periodically through the wilderness times and in the context of their future wars. In fact, if you know the rest of the Old Testament history, you know that Esau or Edom became a nation that was opposed to Israel when Israel had accomplished the conquering of the promised land and had gone on in and claimed the land for themselves. Edom became one of their enemies. At times they were allies, at times they were foes. In fact, there were occasions where David and another king, Amaziah, went in and actually conquered and defeated thousands of Edomites. In fact, three times in scripture, there is a reference to David defeating the Edomites, killing 18,000 of them in the Valley of Salt. But here it is. Israel is called to submit to them. And despite the fact that Edom here has refused for them even to go in and pass through their land with nothing else, just to pass through their land, and they've refused them, yet they're not to take vengeance. They're not to take that particular refusal and say, I won't have it. Why? Because it's God's command. You see, the fraternal dispute was never settled. It's a reminder of Jacob and Esau. You know the story. Jacob and Esau, two brothers, so alike their twins. Yet by God's prophecy, even to their mother, the older will serve the younger, even before they were born. Jacob getting the provisions and the blessing and the double inheritance and everything that came with all those things. Esau being estranged from his family. and receiving not the promises of his inheritance. The future battles of these nations, two nations opposed to each other that will battle each other for hundreds of years after these events in the book of Numbers. And of course, here is the pretext for the book of Obadiah. Because it is Edom that is addressed, not Israel. Edom is addressed in the book of Obadiah because of their reaction to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. We just finished the study of second Kings and by the end of second Kings is the fall of Jerusalem and the fall of the kingdom of Judah because of their sin and their disobedience. And then the reaction of Obadiah is such that God calls a prophet to just address the reaction of Edom to that particular event in history. You know, if I'm Israel, I want to say, boy, I have a right to feel bad about Edom. They never could get along. In fact, Jacob, when he's going back and he's coming home to the promised land from acquiring his wealth. and his wives and his family and all his children. He's coming back down through the promised land. He comes to understand he's going to encounter Esau and he's afraid of Esau because he thinks Esau is going to take vengeance upon him and fulfill his vow that he would kill him. And yet God provided even in that. And yet here, what is God's plan? It's not always for us to settle old grievances. You know, we all have them. Some person in the past who treated us badly, maybe it's not a family member, maybe it's not our brother or our sister, but maybe it is. I remember visiting our first church after we had moved away and recognizing that there were certain individuals in the church who, in some ways, as a pastor, were a nemesis to things in the church. And yet, when we went and visited, it was a great privilege to say hello and to encourage one another in fellowship. You see, God's plan is not for us to settle old grievances. What does God say in the midst of telling us in the chapter that was read earlier in Romans 12, he said all those things about being hospitable and being kind to others and all those things. He said this, vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. You see, there's a difficulty of really letting old grievances go. We want to hold a grudge. We want to get back. We want to do those things. And here's Esau, Edom, who has this great history of contention against Jacob, the vow of death from brother to brother, now nation rising up against nation. And yet, in God's wisdom and providence, he tells Israel, do not contend with them. Why? They deserved it. They could have by right done this. They had been aggrieved particularly in this request just to pass through their land. Basic human graciousness would give them the ability to show kindness to their brothers. And yet we're reminded of this. 1 Corinthians 5 verses 12 to 13 says, for what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? In other words, we sometimes will deal with the sins of those within the church. But then Paul continues, God judges those outside. He tells the Corinthian church, purge the evil person from among you. But this is a reminder, the way we treat others is important. It's not our job. To judge all those outside the church is our job to proclaim the truth and with kindness and gentleness, warn them of the consequences to come, but to recognize it's God who judges and not us. Now, could you imagine being among the people of Israel in the wilderness? You've escaped from Egypt. You perhaps remember those times when you were called as slaves to make bricks, sometimes even without the necessary ingredients. You remember the disgruntlement at being in the wilderness. There were those who would complain about the lack of water, the lack of food, or the lack of meat, or whatever it might be, the lack of leadership that they wanted. You were involved in the chastisement of a rebellion when God brought disease upon you and allowed many people to be killed in the wilderness because of rebellion against him. And now as you approach a people that you're related to, that you have a history with, that you want to establish as a new nation coming out of Egypt, perhaps you want to establish fraternal relations with that people once again. And they say no. Waiting for God to address their lack of hospitality. In other words, waiting for God to address Edom. And he will address them. in Isaiah, in Jeremiah, in Ezekiel, in Amos, and in Obadiah. He addresses them over and over and over again. And yet, during this time period, how hard it must have been for Israel, who had a need to go on to the promised land, who had a decade or decades, actually, of traveling through the wilderness ahead of them. This is early in their journey. There's going to be another, we think, 38 years in the wilderness after these events. But they're waiting for God to address Edom's lack of hospitality while trusting God to provide the promises of their inheritance. Isn't that where we are? We're in this already not yet time period, this dichotomy of already being given the promises of the kingdom of heaven. If we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, if we have repented of our sins, trusted in Christ for eternal salvation, he has promised that we will have eternal life. And yet right now, people are going to treat us badly. Sometimes even those we think are our brothers and sisters, are going to treat us in inhospitable ways. Sometimes there are going to be those old grievances that weigh us down. And sometimes it will seem like there's no way to turn anticipating these blessings. And yet what does God want us to do? To trust Him. To obey Him. To recognize that vengeance is His. And to treat others with respect. Even as we tell the truth. and even as we in kindness warn them of the dangers to come. Let's pray that God might help us with these things. Father, perhaps we are like Edom and we are unhospitable to those who request things from us. Help us to repent of these things. Lord, perhaps we do have even good and right grievances against those in society around us. Lord, it's not always wrong for us to exhibit our rights, but Lord, let us be reminded that final judgment comes from you and not from us. Father, help us to treat others with respect. Help us to be reminded that you have a plan for these people. And Lord, you might even have a plan to rescue some of them, for we know that there will be Edomites in heaven because every tribe, nation, and language will have people that have trusted in you. Lord, help us to be reminded to be kind to one another and to exhibit the fruit of the spirit, even as we fight the battles all around us that we have because we are followers of Christ. We pray these things in Jesus name, amen.