Alright, go ahead and open your Bibles to the Prophet Obadiah. The Prophet Obadiah. This is after Amos. It is before Jonah. The Prophet Obadiah. As I said earlier, this is going to be serving as representative of the Minor Prophets as there's no way to cover all twelve books in one single lesson that I could find. But Obadiah does encapsulate well the major themes that are covered really in all of the Minor Prophets. And so I'm going to go ahead and read it and then we will work through it. The Vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom. We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations. Rise up, let us rise against her for battle. Behold, I will make you small among the nations. You shall be utterly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you. You who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, who will bring me down to the ground? Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord. Verse five. If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night, how you have been destroyed. Would they not steal only enough for themselves? If great gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings? How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out. All your allies have driven you to your border. Those at peace with you have deceived you. They have prevailed against you. Those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you. You have no understanding. Will I not on that day, declares the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom and understanding out of Mount Esau? And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Taman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter. 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 this 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. But in Mount Zion, there shall be those who escape, and it shall be 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 Negeb 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 Shephard 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 as far as the reading of God's word. So Obadiah, as you see, is a short book relative to some of the other prophets. It is only one chapter. In fact, it is the shortest book in the entire Old Testament. And it makes up a representative of what we call the minor prophets. The minor prophets, of course, not designated minor because of their significance. Every word of scripture is important, but rather they're minor in terms of their length, right? You've got Isaiah is 66 chapters. Jeremiah is 52 chapters. And then you've got guys like Obadiah with one or Habakkuk with three. They're just relatively shorter books. That's what the designation of minor comes from. Most commonly, God will send these minor prophets to speak to the people of Israel or to the people of Judah. But what is unique about Obadiah is who is this prophecy addressed to? Who is the prophet speaking to? Or who is God speaking to through the prophet, rather? Yeah? The people of Israel? No. Mr. Liang? people who are descendants of Jacob's brother Esau. That is correct. He's speaking to the Edomites, the descendants of Esau. And you see that in verse one, thus says the Lord God concerning Edom. Uh, now that ought to catch our eyes because as I said, typically the prophets are sent to Israel. Why would he send this prophet to speak to the people of Edom? Well, the people of Edom as, as Brian already told us, are the descendants of Esau, who is the brother of Jacob. And so they are not only, geographically speaking, neighbors to God's people, but they are relatives of God's people. The Lord himself considers them such. We see in verse 10, he says, because of the violence you, speaking to Edom, have done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you. Or God even tells the people of Israel in Deuteronomy chapter 23 and verse 7, speaking to the descendants of Jacob, you shall not abhor an Edomite. Why? For he is your brother. This command would obviously go both ways, but as anyone here with siblings knows, just because your parents say you are to be kind to your brother or sister does not mean that is always the case. And so it has been for the entire history of Israel and Edom. Uh, and they've got a very back and forth relationship. Um, David is warring against them at points. They refuse Israel passage through their land at points when they're journeying through the wilderness. It's a very contentious relationship. And the final betrayal occurs in 587 BC in the aftermath of the fall of Jerusalem. When what happens, and the prophet speaks about this a fair bit, is when Nebuchadnezzar from Babylon comes in and finally sacks Jerusalem. It's the people of Edom. that go and plunder and pillage them. Whatever small remnant of people escaped Nebuchadnezzar are then kicked into the dust by Edom. In other words, they are kicking their brother when he is down. And so what this prophecy lays out for us is three parts. First of all, in chapter one, verses two to nine, what God will do to these people. Second of all, in, not chapters rather, but verses 10 to 14, why God will do that to these people. And then finally, in chapter one, verses 15 to 21, when God will do this to this people. So you've got what God will do, why he's gonna do it, and when he will do it. But before we get into all that, there are three things that would probably be helpful for you all to know about the nation of Edom. I don't mean to presume ignorance, but I don't think we're great experts on this ancient nation and what made them tick, as it were. So I'm going to give you all a couple of bits of information that may help you. First of all, being just on the border of Israel, they're situated along many key trade routes. And the significance of that in the ancient world is if you are a land that people have to pass through to trade, you get to charge them for passing through your land. And so they became wealthy by charging people for using their land as a trade route. They were able to charge tariffs and fees for anyone who wanted to pass through, which was a lot because they were in the middle of a lot of economic activity in the ancient world. They were wealthy. Secondly, they were situated very high off the ground with well-fortified lands. One commentator observes, the central area is characterized by red sandstone cliffs that rise to the height of more than 5,000 feet above sea level. So they are very well protected. And then the third thing that's helpful to know about Edom, as you read this book, is that they were greatly associated with ancient wisdom. One commentator says, Edom was a known abode of human wisdom, prudent, discriminating, full of judgment. So to Edom's mind, they had more money than anybody else. They were better protected than anybody else, and they were smarter than anybody else. And so they were very puffed up in all of their resources. So what will God do to this rebellious people who have turned on Judah in their hour of need? They thought they were unassailable. And God says that their fate is actually already sealed. He says, a messenger has been sent among the nations. Rise up. Let us rise against her for battle. The idea is, Edom, you are so proud and you think that you are so in control. Well, now hear from the one who is truly sovereign overall. And the thing he says is he's raising up other nations to judge Edom for their sin, which he most certainly did within 200 years of this prophecy. So not that long in the scheme of things, the nation of Edom is wiped off the map, completely wiped off the map. There was no archeological record of this people found until the mid 1800s. So we're talking, about a period of 2,000 years that you couldn't find a shred. That's what you call total destruction, total annihilation. There was not even a fragment of something left of this nation. Note in verse two, he says, I will make you small among the nations and you shall be utterly despised. And what's interesting to note about that is if you have an ESV, you may have a footnote that puts that in a difference tense. I have made you small instead of I will make you small. That's because the Hebrew grammar there is a future, excuse me, a past tense action with a completed sense to it. In other words, God is speaking in the past about something that will happen in the future, but it is so fixed that it can't not happen. It's as if you've maybe heard someone say, now you're gonna get it. And depending on who that is, you know you've already had it, right? It's as good as done. And that's the tense that God uses here. From God's perspective, though this is a couple hundred years in the future, it is sealed. It will not change. Note also in verses three to four, he says, the pride of your heart has deceived you. You who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwellings, you who say in your heart, who will bring me back down to the ground? I will bring you down, says the Lord. God is saying, nothing will keep you safe. You're looking at your surroundings, you're looking at these high, naturally fortified city that you live in with high rocky boundaries all around them. Guess what? I made those boundaries. and nothing is going to keep me from destroying you. Verse eight, he says, will I not destroy on that day, declares the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom and the understanding out of Mount Esau. God is listing, he's working his way through all of those attributes that they had, that they were trusting in. All of those resources that they had, that they were trusting in, and God is saying, none of that will save you. And you'd think that the answer in such a situation is, well, let us repent and ask the Lord's forgiveness. And lest you think, well, they're a pagan nation, how would they know anything about that? It's exactly what the nation of Nineveh did in Jonah. They heard that wrath was coming and they put on sackcloth and ashes and they mourned and they repented and they turned to the Lord. But Edom won't do that. And verse three tells us why. Because the pride of their heart has deceived them. Pride is a very dangerous thing, and it's something we would all do well to investigate in our own hearts. What are we trusting in other than the Lord? There's a temptation, even in my own life, to think that my kids will turn out fine because I'm a relatively good dad, or that my wife will be okay because I'm a relatively good husband, or that my job is secure because I'm relatively good at it, or all these other things. But the reality is, apart from the blessing of the Lord, none of that will work. And also apart from the blessing of the Lord, I wouldn't have the gifts to do that. But nonetheless, there's a temptation to think that way sometimes. And we all have that. And if you're not sure where that is in your life, that should be extra concerning because that means it has deceived you. Be on the lookout for where pride is at work in your life. James Boyce said, nothing lies so much at the heart of the problems of the human race as the prideful desire to take over God's place or to pretend that we can do it without him. And so what God's going to do to this prideful people is he is going to judge them. Now, why would God do such a thing? This is verses 10 to 14. Why will God do such a thing? Well, in one sense, we've already said why. It's because of their pride. Pride is the wellspring of a great many sins. But this pride, in particular, manifests itself in verse 10. Because of the violence you have done to your brother Jacob. Because in their pride, Edom betrayed their brother Israel. God will absolutely destroy them. because of their pride and their violence that they had done to Israel. God will judge them. Now, what was the violence? Robert Chisholm explains, in Judah's day of distress, the Edomites allied themselves with Judah's enemies and exploited Judah's weakness to their own advantage. When the Babylonians invaded and ransacked Jerusalem, the Edomites gloated over Judah's defeat and then participated in the looting. And we see the Lord talk about this gloating, and he rebukes it in verses 12 to 13, which I won't reread for you again. But imagine the scenario, and maybe it's just my kids that are like this, but I suspect that's not the case. When one of them is receiving discipline from their father, the other one enjoys that discipline being administered a little bit too much, I think I see smiles of confirmation that we know what this is like. That's, on a very small scale, what's going on here. Yes, God is judging Judah. Yes, God is the one sending punishment via the Babylonians. But that does not mean that Edom gets to gloat over that, gets to rub it in as it were, because the purpose of the discipline is not harm, but restoration. The purpose of the discipline is instruction to lead to repentance. And so when you have salt being poured in the wound, that's when you know that the other sibling also is in need of discipline and God will send it. All right, racing through here to the last section, and I know some of the choir people have to leave, so Lord bless you and thank you for serving us in that way. Let's get to when the Lord will do this. And this is really one of the big, major themes throughout the Minor Prophets, is the day of the Lord. So let's look at it in verse 15. A lot of room freed up back there, didn't it? Let's look at the when, the day of the Lord. Verse 15, for the day of the Lord is near upon all nations. And we learn several things about the day of the Lord. First of all, that it is near. Now that might pose some interpretive problems for us because we know, at least I hope you know, and if you don't know, you will know now, When the Old Testament speaks of the day of the Lord, the primary referent there is the second coming of the Lord Jesus, which is what we are also looking for. So he says it's near, over 2,000 years ago, and here we are, and it is yet to come. We're about actually 2,600 years since this time. So in what sense Is the day of the Lord near to these people? How would we understand that? And now that I don't have to rush quite as much, I'm going to leave that open for y'all to answer. How would you understand the day of the Lord being near, despite the fact that it's been 2,600 years since he said this? Yes, Mr. Schwanbow. It's coming and we don't know what it is. So like we should be prepared for it. It's exactly right. It's near in the sense of being eminent. From a human perspective, you don't know. But it could be at any moment. God knows, and it is set and fixed in his mind, but from our perspective, it is near. The second thing we notice about the Day of the Lord is that not only is it eminent or near, but it's also universal in its application. See, he says, the Day of the Lord is near upon who? All nations. This is a coming day for all people. My generation and people that I know personally, and I would imagine this is the same in subsequent generations, will often say, please stop talking to me about Jesus and judgment and all these things, because I don't believe those things. So I don't need to worry about them. Nothing could be further from the truth. The day of the Lord is not only for those who believe, it is universal, because the Bible says it's coming for all people, whether they believe it or not. I said recently in a sermon, whether you believe a fact or not has no bearing on whether or not it is a fact. Does that make sense? A fact does not become so because I believe it, rather, hopefully I believe it because it is a fact. And if it is a fact, it is universally true. And the third thing we see about the day of the Lord is what it will bring. Verse 15 says, as you have done, it shall be done to you. Your deeds shall return on your own head. The point being that the day of the Lord brings justice. It brings perfect justice. That ought to be a comforting thought for us who are in Christ for at least two reasons. Can you think of why the day of the Lord bringing justice ought to bring comfort to God's people. Yeah. Okay. It shows how he's sovereign. Uh, yeah, he will. He, he knows all the deeds of man and he will repay them. It affirms our belief in God's sovereignty. How else might it be a comfort? Mr. Leathers and I'll get my, because he will tell us well done. Well done. Good and faithful servant because justice has been, satisfied on our behalf. That's a great comfort. What else? Reunited with loved ones. Reunited with loved ones. Yes, very true. These are all glorious things for us to look forward to about the coming day of the Lord. And also on that theme of justice, knowing that perfect justice will be done on that day is a very freeing thought to me because that means I don't need to right every wrong that's done against me. I can trust that the Lord will do that. God says, vengeance is mine, I will repay, Romans 12. Therefore you, be kind to your enemies, be gracious to them, be forgiving in long suffering. And then secondly, as was alluded to by several of you, on the day of the Lord, when perfect justice is brought, you, as a Christian, as a child of God, will be fully vindicated. You will be declared publicly not guilty which is something that I hope we all look forward to. Now let's talk a little bit about the next set of verses here, 16 to 18, we'll speak about specific events of the day of the Lord. Verse 16, would somebody please read that for us? Yeah, so so at first he's got the you in mind here who would be good No The Edomites. Okay, so the initial U is the people of Edom. But then he expands that to say that Edom is representative of all the nations. He says, as you have drunk on my holy mountains, so all the nations shall drink continually. And the significance is that as we've stated that there is real temporal judgment, that means real things will happen in time to the people of Edom at this point that are 200 years future, but that that is a picture. It's a, it's a type, it's a shadow of the coming day of the Lord when Christ will bring judgment against all of his enemies. One commentator explains that Edom serves as a paradigm for the nations. As Edom drank in rejoicing at Israel's sufferings, so she will drink continually, not this time in rejoicing, but from the cup of God's wrath. As Edom has done, so will the nations. Perpetuity of punishment is found elsewhere, so emendation is not necessary. I don't remember what that was about, I'm sorry. Nations will gulp down God's punishment so that they will be completely destroyed and as if they had never been. So that's one event at the coming day of the Lord, the utter and total destruction of the wicked. And no, this is not annihilation of the wicked. They do not cease to be, but he says you will continually drink of the wrath of the Lord. But there's another event that we're told about in about the day of the Lord in this passage where somebody please read 17 verse 17 those who escape and shall be holy in the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions. Yep. So just as Noah and his family escaped the wrath of God in the flood, just as lot and his family escaped the wrath of God on all except for lots wife. Don't look back. Just as Lot and his daughters escaped the wrath of God against Sodom and Gomorrah, so God's people will escape the desolation that comes on the day of the Lord. You are assured that you will not endure this. And then finally we'll look at the results of the day of the Lord in the remaining verses. And there are three results that were given in verses 19 to 21. And I would just encourage you to meditate on these things. They're relatively simple and straightforward. They don't need a lot of explanation once I tell you what they are. But if you reflect on them, they will be a balm to your soul. They will be a source of great spiritual blessing. They're simple thoughts, but profoundly rich. It's important to notice that none of these results include the wicked and their punishment. In other words, God doesn't take joy or delight in the destruction of the wicked. He is glorified in it. He will do it, but that is not his end goal. It is a purging away of the dross that he might richly bless his people. The first result we see in verse 20 is that Obadiah speaks of the people of Israel. He speaks of the people of Israel. Now, you might say, well, of course he speaks of the blessings from the people of Israel. There's a significance though, that's going on historically here. At this point in history, Israel doesn't exist, right? Remember after Solomon, the split between Rehoboam and Jeroboam, and you've got the 10 Northern tribes, and then you've got Judah and one other. And the 10 Northern tribes are taken into captivity in Assyria long before the Babylonian exile. And they actually never returned. They were in a sense bred out of existence. But he speaks of restoration for all of Israel, meaning that even though there may be separation from other Christians in this life, even though there's separation from loved ones who have gone to be with the Lord, or maybe separations that are based on family strifes that unfortunately we're unable to resolve, at one point or another, and at the coming day of the Lord, all of God's people will be reunited. Secondly, he says they shall possess the land, the land being symbolic of the great promises of the Old Testament, which is a type and a shadow of the new heavens and the new earth. At the day of the Lord, all of the promises of God, all of the blessings that he has told about in his word will be fully realized and will fully belong to the people of God. We're told in Matthew 5.5, blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. No longer will we be pilgrims wandering in a foreign land, but the land will belong to us. And then finally, We're told that the kingdom will be the Lord's. So we're going to be restored to right relationship with God, and we will serve him perfectly as his loyal subjects, and then he will rule and reign as our righteous king. Yes, he rules and reigns now, but at the day of the Lord, the creation, all of it, will ultimately respond appropriately. The kingdom shall be the Lord's. Let's pray. God in heaven, we give thanks to you for your prophet Obadiah and the wonderful picture that he paints for us of the day of the Lord. We thank you for the assurance that he gives us that you see us when we suffer wrong, even wrong at the hands of those that we ought to be able to trust and rely on. But Lord, you see and you know, and you will protect and avenge your people. We ask that you would bless us with these thoughts as we prepare to enter corporate worship. In Christ's name, amen.