OBADIAH LESSON 1


     Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. It is
primarily speaking of the condemnation and destruction of Edom from
God. The prophet Obadiah was the penman. The name "Obadiah" means
servant of Yahweh. It was penned about 586 B.C. The Herods of the New
Testament are of Edomite heritage. Edom was enemies of Israel, even
though they were related by blood. Their hatred for them went back to
Esau losing his birth right to Jacob.

     Obadiah 1:1 "The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD
concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an
ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up
against her in battle."

     The one message that Obadiah was sent to deliver was actually
sent to Israel, but was about Edom. Obadiah had a vision from God
which revealed this to him. The heathen nations are called to battle
against Edom. When God gives someone a vision of this nature, he is
compelled to tell it. Notice, "Thus saith the Lord GOD". The words
that Obadiah speaks are not his own, but the Words of God in Obadiah's
mouth. Edom, in the spiritual sense, is representing the power of the
world that are in opposition to true religion. It appears in the
vision, that Obadiah actually saw the heathen world summoned to come
against Edom.

     Obadiah 1:2 "Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen:
thou art greatly despised."

     They were physically small, but perhaps, this goes further than
that. The world around had observed their bitter hatred for their
relatives the Israelites, and especially Judah. They had even sided
against Judah when the Babylonians attacked. It seemed, they took
every opportunity to do evil to Israel.

     Obadiah 1:3  "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou
that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation [is] high;
that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?"

     Their pride went back to their belief, that the birthright was
theirs through Esau. They forgot that Esau had no regard for his
birthright, and sold it to his brother Jacob for a bowl of soup. They
were deceived with their hatred. They dwelled in the mountains where
they thought they were safe from the enemy. The word that "clefts" was
translated from means refuge. They arrogantly thought they were
impossible to defeat. They had forgotten the power of Almighty God.
No one can defend against a judgement of God.

     Obadiah 1:4 "Though thou exalt [thyself] as the eagle, and though
thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down,
saith the LORD."

     An eagle makes his nest in the highest place he can find. There
is no place so high, that God cannot bring it down. Even the eagle's
nest can be reached, if it is God who wants it.

     Obadiah 1:5 "If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how
art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if
the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave [some] grapes?"

     In this verse, Obadiah is showing that in a raid, the robbers do
not take everything. They just take what they want and run. When
grasshoppers come on the crop, it is the same thing. They do not
destroy the root of the plant, just the vegetation on top. They would
even leave some grapes on the vine, if it were just a plague of
grasshoppers. This is given to contrast the greatness of the
destruction that will come on Edom, as a judgement of God.

     Obadiah 1:6 "How are [the things] of Esau searched out! [how] are
his hidden things sought up!"

     The natural enemy might not find the secret places, where Esau
had hidden things, but God is aware of all those secret places.

     Obadiah 1:7 "All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee
[even] to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have
deceived thee, [and] prevailed against thee; [they that eat] thy bread
have laid a wound under thee: [there is] none understanding in him."

     The people, who Edom thought to be their friends, will, now, be
their enemies. Edom was a treacherous country itself and it would reap
that same treachery. The allies, spoken of here, are probably
countries like Moab and Ammon. The Ammonites and the Moabites were
very evil themselves.

     Obadiah 1:8 "Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even
destroy the wise [men] out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount
of Esau?"

     Wisdom is a gift from God. It is God who destroys the wise in
Edom. Their counsel is of no use anymore. When God removes their
wisdom, they make terrible decisions. This judgement is spoken of God.

     Obadiah 1:9 "And thy mighty [men], O Teman, shall be dismayed, to
the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by
slaughter."

     Teman was the southern part of Idumea {Edom}. One of Job's
friends was a Temanite. Generally speaking, the men of Teman would
have stopped the attacking army, before it got to the mountain
stronghold.  Nothing will stop this destroying army, that the Lord
sends against Edom. They will be slaughtered.

     Obadiah 1:10  "For [thy] violence against thy brother Jacob shame
shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever."

     The bitter feelings of Edom went back to Esau's hate for his
brother Jacob. They had even refused the Israelites passage through
their land into the promised land. They even sided in with Babylon
against Judah. They were eager to destroy their relative Judah,
anytime they could. God did not look kindly upon them for this hatred.
After this battle, Edom, as a nation, fades from history and is heard
from no more.

     Obadiah 1:11 "In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in
the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and
foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even
thou [wast] as one of them."

     This, again, is speaking of their joining in with Babylon to
destroy Judah.

     Obadiah 1:12 "But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of
thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest
thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their
destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of
distress."

     They should have mourned over the problems that Judah had,
instead of being glad. Matthew 5:22 "But I say unto you, That
whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger
of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall
be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall
be in danger of hell fire."  God will not overlook their hatred
against Judah.

     Obadiah 1:13 "Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my
people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have
looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid
[hands] on their substance in the day of their calamity;"

     Not only had they gone in, after Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and
Judah, but they actually took things belonging to Judah home with
them.  They looted Jerusalem and Judah.

     Obadiah 1:14 "Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway,
to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have
delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress."

     They lay in wait for those of Judah and Jerusalem, who were
fleeing to safety. They did not help them, as a near relative should
have done. They actually turned them back to their Babylonians.

     Obadiah 1:15 "For the day of the LORD [is] near upon all the
heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward
shall return upon thine own head."

     Since they sided in with the heathen nations to destroy Judah and
Jerusalem, they will suffer the same punishment as the heathen
nations. They deserve their destruction God has spoken upon them.

     Obadiah 1:16 "For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, [so]
shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and
they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not
been."

     These heathen nations, they had sided with against God's people,
are the very ones God will send to destroy them. They had drunk on
God's holy mountain in Jerusalem. Now, God will send destruction to
them. They drink of the cup of the wrath of God, and are destroyed.

     Obadiah 1:17  "But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and
there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their
possessions."

     This is a complete change from the message against Edom. This
speaks of restoration to God's people. Israel shall come home to
Jerusalem and the holy mountain of Zion. Zion, also, speaks of the
church, spiritually. This speaks of a spiritual restoration through
Jesus Christ, which comes from God's holy mountain. Deliverance comes
through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

     Obadiah 1:18 "And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the
house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they
shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be [any]
remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken [it]."

     In a spiritual sense, the house of Esau speaks of the world who
is opposed to God and His people. The fire of the house of Jacob is
speaking of Israel being full of the fire of God. When the house of
Joseph is spoken of together with the house of Jacob, I believe it is
speaking of physical Israel {Jews} and spiritual Israel {Christians}.
This fire of God will destroy the enemy of God. God, Himself, destroys
the enemy of His people.

     Obadiah 1:19 "And [they of] the south shall possess the mount of
Esau; and [they of] the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess
the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin [shall
possess] Gilead."

     This is speaking of the land of Edom {Idumea} being turned over
to Judah for a possession. The land of Ephraim will be possessed by
the Judeans. Benjamin will possess the other side of the Jordan. This
is a re-apportioning of the land.

     Obadiah 1:20 "And the captivity of this host of the children of
Israel [shall possess] that of the Canaanites, [even] unto Zarephath;
and the captivity of Jerusalem, which [is] in Sepharad, shall possess
the cities of the south."

     This is speaking of the Ephraimites coming back and possessing
the land of Canaan. This is happening in Israel today. God restores
His chosen people to their land and to their God.

     Obadiah 1:21 "And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge
the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S."

     Saviours, in the verse above,  is from a word that means they
that are saved.  This speaks of a time when God's children will take
over this land. This could be looking into the far future, when Jesus
will reign as King of kings, and His followers will reign with Him.
This is speaking of that Lion of the tribe of Judah, who will come and
reign upon this earth for one thousand years. He will be headquartered
in Jerusalem at that time. This is that throne of David, which will be
established forever. This is that King of Peace, which rules the whole
earth. Our prayer should be, even now, Come quickly Lord Jesus. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. The One
we know as Jesus will be KING of kings and LORD of lords. He will have
absolute rule. Philippians 2:10 "That at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things]
under the earth;"  Philippians 2:11 "And [that] every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father."





































                          Obadiah 1 Questions


1.  Obadiah is the _________ book in the Old Testament.
2.  What is this book primarily about?
3.  Who was the penman?
4.  Approximately, when was it penned?
5.  The _________ in the New Testament were of Edomite heritage?
6.  How far back did their hatred of Israel extend?
7.  How did Obadiah get the message from God?
8.  Who was the message sent to?
9.  How do we know this message is from God?
10. Edom, in the spiritual sense, is representing whom?
11. Who would come against Edom?
12. Who had they sided with against Judah?
13. The ________ of thine heart hath deceived thee.
14. What does "clefts" mean?
15. Where does an eagle build his nest?
16. What is verse 5 given in contrast to?
17. Why did Edom not fear the people who came against them?
18. Wisdom is a _______ from God.
19. Where was Teman located?
20. Why will Edom be cut off forever?
21. Quote Matthew chapter 5 verse 22.
22. What had they done, after Babylon took Judah?
23. What had they done to those that fled for safety?
24. Upon mount Zion shall be _____________.
25. What is verse 17 speaking of?
26. What is the fire speaking of in verse 18?
27. Who are the saviours in verse 21?
28. How long will Jesus reign upon the earth?
29. Who will reign with Him?
30. Quote Philippians chapter 2 verses 10 and 11.