Obadiah
Summary of Study
Obadiah prophesied of God’s judgment on the Edomites and the possession by Israel of its God given territory.
Edom is charged with arrogance. It is also charged with acting aggressively against Israel in its time of distress, when Israel is invaded.
The arrogance of Edom is displayed in considering that it can never be displaced from its territory. However, Obadiah prophesied that Edom would be thoroughly ransacked and dispossessed of their land.
God further warns Edom not to act aggressively against the Israelites at the time when Israel is invaded. God knows that Edom will not heed this warning. The outcome will be their utter destruction at the hands of Israel.
The sovereign God will bring His chosen people to fully possess the land He intends for them. The Lord will reign in their midst.
The main issue in these two events is the time when each of them takes place.
Another issue concerns the one who will dispossess Edom from her territory.
Background
Obadiah names himself as the recipient of the visions. The meaning of Obadiah is servant or worshiper of God. However, scholars do not know much about him.
There are several Obadiahs mentioned in the Bible. But there is nothing in the book of Obadiah to link the writer with any of them.
In 1 Chronicles 7:3, an Obadiah is mentioned as being one of the chief men from the tribe of Issachar, probably during David’s reign.
1 Chronicles 12:9 names Obadiah as one of David’s men from the tribe of Gad.
1 Chronicles 27:19 speaks of an Obadiah whose son was a chief officer of the tribe of Zebulun during David’s reign.
In I Kings 18:3, we see an Obadiah who was over the household of Ahab. Ahab reigned from 874-853 B.C.
2 Chronicles 17:7 records Obadiah as one of those whom Jehoshaphat sent to teach in the cities of Judah. Jehoshaphat’s reign was from 870-848 B.C.
2 Chronicles 34:12 tells us that one of the foremen who oversaw the repair of the temple during the reign of Josiah was Obadiah from the sons of Merari. Josiah reigned from 640-608 B.C.
There is no indication that any of them is the prophet who wrote the book of Obadiah.
There are six other mentions in the Old Testament of a person, Obadiah. However, we can omit them from our current consideration, as they were those who lived in the post-exilic period of Judah. The dispossession of Edom would have already taken place.
Time of Writing
There is also no indication in the book itself concerning the time of writing. However, it must be prior to the time when the Edomites were dispossessed of their territory. Otherwise, there would be no merit in the prophecy in speaking of such a dispossession.
One possible indication of the time of writing is the position of the book amongst the twelve minor prophets. The books of the twelve minor prophets were probably arranged chronologically in the Hebrew Bible based on the date of writing. Obadiah is placed with books written in the time of Uzziah.
The first five of the twelve books of the Minor Prophets are Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah and Jonah.
Hosea 1 tells us that Hosea received the word of the LORD during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah;
the time was also during the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash. Uzziah was king from 767-740 B.C.
For the book of Joel, there is no explicit indication in the book on the time of writing.
Amos 1:1 tells us that Amos received God’s words in the days of Uzziah; it was also in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash. Amos specifies further that it was two years before the earthquake. Scholars estimate the date of the earthquake as between 762-760 B.C. So his prophecies could be dated between 764-762 B.C.
There is no explicit indication in the book of Obadiah on the time of its writing.
There is also no explicit indication in the book of Jonah on the time of its writing. Jonah was mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25 as saying that Jeroboam II would recover land for Israel. Jeroboam II reigned from 786-746 B.C. He recovered Damascus and Hamath between 760 and 750 B.C.
We can only say that Obadiah probably wrote in the time of Hosea, Amos and Isaiah.
If this is so, when we examine the dates relating to the other Obadiahs whom we had previously recognized, it is unlikely that he was one of them. They lived much earlier than the one who wrote in the time of Hosea, Amos and Isaiah.
The prophet Obadiah uses the words of Balaam, of a psalm of David, of Joel and Amos. We can make the following comparisons:
Obadiah 1:15 and Psalm 7:16 – Your dealings will return on your own head
Obadiah 1:17 and Joel 2:32 – But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape
Obadiah 1:10 and Joel 3:19 – Because of violence to your brother
Obadiah 1:19, Numbers 24:18 and Amos 9:12 – possess
He does not use the language of later prophets.
Author’s Concern
The reign of David was the historical high point of Israel. Israel reached the greatest extent of its territory in the reign of Solomon. Yet he was also the reason for the subsequent dividing of the kingdom into Israel in the north and Judah in the south. God brought about the division because of Solomon’s unfaithfulness in being involved with the worship of the gods of his foreign wives.
The prophets of God must have been very aware of the decline of Israel from the heights it attained in the reign of David and the first part of the reign of Solomon.
The northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, each on its own, must have been considerably weaker against the surrounding nations than a united Israel.
However, they were actually no less secure since God, rather than their united strength, was their security. Even when they were subjected to external threats, it was God calling their attention to Him.
Judah inherited the capital, Jerusalem. Jerusalem was sited within the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. God had retained the loyalty of the tribe of Benjamin to the kings descended from David.
The prophets of God must have foreseen the further spiritual decline of the nations of Israel and Judah. They must have foreseen the consequential judgments in the form of harassments from the surrounding nations.
Besides this, God gave them visions of the attacks and destructions that would happen to Jerusalem. These visions gave them much agony and brought about much questions over the fate of Israel and Judah. We see that God comforted them assuring them that He would surely restore Jerusalem and the nation as a whole. The nation that harassed them would be subject to judgment.
The two nations of Israel and Edom reflect two providences. One of God’s choice and His commitment to keep and bless. The other of God’s rejection and His judgment for their arrogance, indifference to God and self-will.
We can face uncertainties, vulnerabilities and threats with quietness and confidence in knowing God’s commitment to keep us as those whom He has chosen. He will endow us with the glory which will be revealed at the time of His coming.
Conflicts occurred between Israel/Judah and Edom over the years.
Edom lay to the southeast of Israel. The Edomites took this territory from the Horites/Hivites. In Deuteronomy 2:22, Moses said God gave this territory to the sons of Esau.
Israel was God’s chosen people. She was to be the witness of the true God and His instrument of salvation.
There were conflicts between the two nations over the years.
Obadiah 1 – 9
Ransack of Edom and Its Dispossession
Obadiah speaks of the dispossession of Edom of her territory. He gives the reason as their arrogance. It is the Lord who accomplishes this dispossession.
At the same time, Psalms 137:7 and Lamentation 4:21 tell us that Edom had rejoiced over Jerusalem’s fall to the Babylonians. Lamentation 4:21 also warned Edom of their coming judgment:
Rejoice and be joyful, daughter of Edom,
Who lives in the land of Uz;
But the cup will pass to you as well,
You will become drunk and expose yourself.
Obadiah declares in verse 1, “This is what the Lord GOD says concerning Edom”.
In continuing what he began to say, Obadiah uses the plural ‘we’ in ‘We have heard a report from the Lord’. Perhaps he is referring to other prophets as well. Obadiah speaks together with other prophets. The report or news comes from the LORD. Probably the point is that God not only knows but He has determined what is to happen.
Verse 1b continues to say:
And a messenger has been sent among the nations saying,
“Arise, and let’s go up against her for battle”
This tells us that the invasion of Edom was being planned amongst several groups.
When did this event eventually take place? Most likely it was during the time of the expansion of the Qedarite Empire.
This group approach indicated in the phrase, ‘let’s go’, fits the fact that the Qedarites were a tribal confederation.
Notes on Kedar
Kedar was a son of Ishmael. This was mentioned in Genesis 25:13.
Isaiah 21:17 speaks of the bowmen and warriors of Kedar.
Jeremiah 49:28 tells us that Nebuchadnezzar would devastate Kedar. Nebuchadnezzar conquered the Arabs in 599 B.C.
Subsequently the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon. They took the city of Babylon in 539 B.C.
The Persian Empire did not war against the Arabs. One of their objectives was Egypt. They even sought the help of the Arabs in their conquest of Egypt.
Cambyses, who succeeded Cyrus as the Persian king had good relations with the Arabs. He needed them to guide his troops through the desert in his campaign against Egypt. This was in 525 B.C. The time of the Persian Empire was a time of a resurgence of the Arabs.
There is little historical information available about the Qedarite takeover of Edom. However the maps show that in the fifth century B.C., the Qedarite Empire stretched from northern Arabia, encompassed the territories of Edom, southern Judea, the Sinai Peninsula and a portion of Egypt.
In Obadiah 2, God takes responsibility for the defeat of Edom:
They falsely prided themselves. But God shows them that their arrogance was displaced. The ended up being despised by others.
In Obadiah 3, we see that Edom had a false sense of security over its location. They were living among the clefts of the rock and the heights of the mountain. This terrain afforded them protection and was easily defended. They were confident that no one could penetrate their defenses.
It seemed that even David in his days could not breach Edom’s fortress. In Psalm 108:10-13, he lamaented:
Who will bring me into the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
In verse 4, God scorns their confidence. Even if they were much, much higher than where they were, God would be able to bring them down.
In Obadiah 5, Edom is warned that she would lose everything. The two illustrations in this verse speak the same idea.
Edom is being reminded that thieves and robbers would take till they had enough. Grape-pickers would also leave gleanings.
The suggestion is that Edom would suffer something worse. Nothing would be left for them.
This idea is supported by what verse 6 says:
“Oh how Esau will be searched,
And his hidden treasures searched out!
Obadiah 7 speaks of the dispossession of Edom of her territory:
“All the people allied with you
Will send you to the border,
They would be sent to the border. Their territory would be seized and they would be driven out.
The irony is that it would be the people allied with them who would do this.
By the mid-sixth century B.C., Ammon and Moab had been absorbed by the Arab tribes. Most likely, those allied with Edom would be the surrounding Arab tribes. There had been no conflict between Edom and these tribes. This probably ended with the Arab invasion of the Transjordan region, which is where Edom was also located.
In Psalms 120:5, ‘those from Kedar’ are used to represent those who are deceitful.
Obadiah 7 and 8 tells us that Edom was overpowered by deception. Esau treated their would-be conquerors as friends. Esau had entertained them. And so, Obadiah commented that Edom had no understanding.
However in Obadiah 8, we see again that God takes responsibility for Edom being deceived. God declares that He would eliminate wise men from Edom and take away their understanding.
Obadiah 9 tells us the warriors of Edom would be filled with terror. The enemy would unexpectedly turn on them. In that instance of realizing their supposed friends would kill them, the warriors of Edom would be terrified.
Why Babylon Could Not be the One to Dispossess Edom
Commentators have considered that the prophecy of Obadiah in Obadiah 1:1-9 was fulfilled by the Babylonians.
Babylon was the dominant power in the region from 605 B.C. to 539 B.C. It was actively engaged in expanding its empire and had invaded even Egypt.
They also point to a Mesopotamian-style carved relief in the rock face at Sela. It portrayed an image of a Babylonian monarch on the cliff face. Unfortunately, the cuneiform text next to the figure has been worn out. Commentators suggest that the figure, symbols and cuneiform text were carved to commemorate the conquest of Edom by king Nabonidus of Babylon.
However, we have seen the way that Obadiah said Edom would be taken.
We cannot readily identify Babylon as the one to take Edom in the manner described by Obadiah.
In Jeremiah 27:8, Jeremiah warned Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon:
‘And it will be that the nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with plague,’ declares the LORD, ‘until I have eliminated it by his hand.
We see that if Babylon were the one to take Edom, it would be by means of a siege which would lead to famine and plague. Subsequently there would be an assault.
Most likely, Edom heeded the warning of Jeremiah. Edom may have submitted to Nebuchadnezzar and agreed to pay tribute. The relief may have been carved to honour Nebuchadnezzar.
Jeremiah’s words probably suggest the identity of the person in the carving on the rock face. It would be Nebuchadnezzar.
Who is Nabonidus?
Writers recognize him as an outsider who overthrew Neriglissar, the man who married Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter. Neriglissar in turn was said to be the one who overthrew Evil-Merodach, the son of Nebuchadnezzar.
Jeremiah’s prophecy in Jeremiah 27:7says:
All the nations shall serve him (Nebuchadnezzar) and his son and his grandson….
At this point, we may need to note that the original Hebrew does not say ‘grandson’, but son of his son. So Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson, i.e., Belshazzar, is the son of Evil-Merodach.
In Daniel 5:11, we see that the Queen said to Belshazzar:
…. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father – your father the king….
The custom of the time probably permitted her usage of ‘father’ when referring to Belshazzar’s grandfather.
We see that Jeremiah does not include others as being kings of Babylon. We can also see the careful insertion of the two conjunctions:
and his son
and the son of his son.
How do we reconcile what Jeremiah says with the kings list from history writers?
The kings of Neo-Babylon were recognized by writers as:
Nabopolassar – 626-605 B.C.
Nebuchadnezzar – 605-562 B.C.
Evil-Merodach – 561-560 B.C.
Neriglissar – 560-556 B.C.
Labashi Marduk – 556 B.C.
Nabonidus – 556-539 B.C.
Belshazzar – 553-539 B.C.
Fall of Babylon – 539 B.C.
The possibility is that Nabonidus was Nebuchadnezzar.
The writers of history recognized that there were reports of the insanity of Nabonidus and his recovery. However, they chose to consider that Daniel, in writing that Nebuchadnezzar became insane, was wrong or else chose to use a more renowned name to attribute the sickness.
However, we can place confidence in the biblical cannon. So even while Neriglissar and his son Labashi Marduk were supposedly kings in Babylon, the actual king was still alive although away in a town known as Teima in Arabia.
(Daniel may have followed King Nebuchadnezzar to Teima.)
History writers may have assumed that when Evil-Merodach took the throne, it was when Nebuchadnezzar died.
In II Kings 25:27 and Jeremiah 52:31 we have similar accounts of Evil-Merodach releasing Jehoiachin from prison. 2 Kings 25: 27 says:
Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison;
The exile of Jehoiachin occurred in 598/597 B.C. In the thirty-seventh year of his exile, Evil-Merodach became king in Babylon. and he released Jehoiachin. This should be about 562 B.C.
Historians have dated the death of Nebuchadnezzar as 561 B.C.
However, the writer of 2 Kings does not mention that Nebuchadnezzar had died before Evil-Merodach became king.
In Daniel 5:11, the queen spoke to Belshazzar:
And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father – your father the king –
When the queen repeated ‘your father the king’, there is a suggestion that she was referring to a present fact.
The king had led the Babylonian forces to fight the invading Persian forces. The Babylonian troops lost the battle. However, it was said that the Babylonian king was allowed to live.
Obadiah 10-14
Warning Against the Harassment of Israel
Obadiah also saw a particular manner by which Edom would assail Israel and Judah. He spoke against it in verses 10-14.
Obadiah 10 seems to be a continuation from Obadiah 9. However, it actually begins a new section.
Obadiah 1-9 speaks of Edom being dispossessed of her territories which was south-east of Israel. This dispossession was on account of their arrogance.
Obadiah 10-14 speaks of the violence which they would perpetrate against Israel at a later date. For this, the Edomites as a people would be destroyed. Their former territory would become a possession of Israel. Such an outcome as a result of their violence against Israel is spoken by Obadiah in verses 15-19.
The violence that Edom would carry out against Israel would be at a time when Israel would be invaded. The enemies would enter Jerusalem. (v11)
Albert Barnes makes the point that although the account seems to speak of something in the past, the original has no time reference with regards to Edom. He offers this translation:
“In the day of thy standing on the other side, in the day of strangers carrying captive his might, and strangers entered his gates and cast lots on Jerusalem, thou too as one of them.”
Edom is then warned against various behaviours and actions during this occasion:
– do not gloat and rejoice.
– do not boast.
– do not enter Jerusalem.
– do not appropriate their wealth.
– do not stand at the crossroads to eliminate survivors.
– do not hand over their refugees.
Commentators have considered that Edom was warned against taking action against Judah when Babylon sacked Jerusalem. They considered that Obadiah wrote before the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.
Commentators also considered that despite this warning, Edom would go ahead and do what she was warned not to do. This would incur them the judgment mentioned in Obadiah 15-18.
However, there are some points that suggest that Obadiah may not be referring to the time of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. The biblical accounts do not include Edom participating in the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem.
2 Kings 25:1
Now in the ninth year of his (Zedekiah) reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it, and built a siege wall all around it.
2 Kings 25:10
So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the bodyguards tore down the walls around Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:17
So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, 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 frail; He handed them all over to him (king of the Chaldeans).
Jeremiah 38:3
This is what the LORD says: ‘This city will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon and he will capture it.’”
Jeremiah 38:2
“This is what the LORD says: ‘Anyone who stays in this city will die by the sword, by famine, or by plague; but anyone who surrenders to the Chaldeans will live and have his own life as plunder, and stay alive.’
TIn Jeremiah 34:1, there was mention of other kingdoms that fought with Nebuchadnezzar. Edom was not mentioned specifically.
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army, with all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his control and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem and all its cities, saying,
In Jeremiah 35:11, the Rechabites mentioned the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Arameans as fighting against Judah. They made no mention of Edom:
However, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come, and let’s go to Jerusalem away from the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Arameans.’ So we have lived in Jerusalem.”
Deserters who left Jerusalem to cross over to the Chaldeans were not in danger with the Chaldeans. They were accepted and allowed to live. This does not fit the picture of Edomites cutting down survivors or capturing them and handing them over to the Chaldeans.
The Babylonians retained control over Judah after the fall of Jerusalem. The poorest of the land were not in danger from the Edomites. We see this from Jeremiah 39:10:
But some of the poorest people, who had nothing, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard left behind in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at that time.
In Jeremiah 40:5, we see that the Chaldeans appointed Gedaliah, a Judean to be in charge of the cities of Judah:
… Go on back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah….and no conception!
Refugees who had fled to Edom were able to return to Judah from there. Jeremiah 40:11-12 records:
Likewise, also all the Jews who were in Moab and among the sons of Ammon and in Edom, and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.
Then all the Jews returned from all the places to which they had been scattered and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in great abundance.
The judgment mentioned in Obadiah 10 says:
Because of violence to your brother Jacob,
Shame will cover you,
And you will be eliminated forever.
The biblical records do not speak of violence perpetrated by Edom at this time. Besides, Edom was not eliminated forever after the destruction of Jerusalem. They had taken areas belonging to Judah even before their displacement from their own territory. That area had been referred to as Idumea from as early as the 6th century B.C.
The records concerning them continued even to the time of Christ, when Herod who was an Edomite became king of Judea.
When then would Edom take action against Jacob in the manner of Obadiah 10-14?
Ezekiel 35:5 speaks of the time of the end when the Edomites will turn over the sons of Israel to the sword:
Since you have had everlasting hostility and have turned over the sons of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their disaster, at the time of the punishment of the end,
When the Qedarites displaced Edom from Edom’s territory, we see that the Edomites established Idumea in territories formerly belonging to Israel.
Sometime in 125 B.C., John Hyrcanus conquers Idumea and forced the Edomites to convert to Judaism.
In the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, the Edomites fought on the side of Israel against the Romans.
The Bar Kochba revolt from A.D. 132-135 resulted in Jews from Judea encountering death, enslavement and exile. There is no mention that Edom was involved in fighting the Romans.
Palestine was under Roman control (except for a brief period between A.D. 270 – 272).
In A.D. 330 the capital of the Roman empire was transferred from Rome to Constantinople. The empire became known as the Byzantine empire.
Palestine saw a series of invasions and the land came under various administrations.
We can only consider the major changes over the centuries.
The beginning of the several Islamic caliphates which ruled Palestine was in A.D. 637/8. Caliph Umar Ibn el-Khatab established the Rashidun Caliphate. Jews were permitted to return to Jerusalem after a ban that lasted 568 years.
A brief period of Crusader conquests with limited success took place between 1098 and 1187.
Thereafter, Palestine again came under Muslim empires. The last of which was the Ottoman Empire lasting from 1517 to 1918.
Britain gained control of Palestine as a result of the Ottoman Empire entering the 1st World War in 1914 on the side of Germany and its allies. An event known as the Balfour Declaration was made on 2 November 1917. It comprised a commitment by Britain to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
We may consider that the Edomites largely remained in Palestine over the centuries. Beginning from A.D. 637/8, the Jews began trickling back to Palestine.
Genetic studies report close relationship between Jews and Palestinians. This might have come about through a common ancestor, Isaac.
The probability is that at the time of the Antichrist invasion of Israel, a significant part of the population within Israel would be in the situation that Obadiah prophesied.
We see that verse 11 says:
On the day that you stood aloof,
On the day that strangers carried off his wealth,
And foreigners entered his gate
And cast lots for Jerusalem –
You too were as one of them.
Those living right within the country would be placed in a position to do all the things which Obadiah warned against.
We understand from scriptures that in the invasion by the Antichrist of Israel, the Israelis are to flee to their mountain shelter. This makes verse 14 especially apt:
“Do not stand at the crossroads to eliminate their survivors;
And do not hand over their refugees on the day of their distress.
Verses 15 – 16: Edom and Nations to be Judged
The likelihood is that this invasion of Israel spoken by Obadiah would be an end-time event.
Immediately after the warnings given to Edom, Obadiah 15 speaks of the day of the LORD. It affects all the nations.
We know that the Antichrist will gather allies to invade Israel. Subsequently, he senses an invasion from the east and summons all the nations to gather for the battle.
It is shown that Edom would not heed what Obadiah warned them not to do. So the judgment would be a return to them of what they had done to Israel. Edom will lose what they hold. God will take back from her what she had taken from Israel. As they had cut down the fleeing Israelites, they would be cut down by Israel.
In Obadiah 16, Edom and all the nations are warned. They had drunk on the holy mountain. We know that the Antichrist will desecrate the sanctuary of God.
But the forces of the Antichrist and the nations gathered by her will be destroyed. Obadiah says they will become as if they had never existed. Daniel 11:45 is probably one of the verses that also speak of the end of those who would invade Israel in the last days:
And he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
The forces of the Antichrist would occupy the mountains around Jerusalem.
Besides them, there would be a host of armies gathered from the countries of the world. Daniel 16:13-14 tells us that the Antichrist would gather them to himself:
And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs;
for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the entire world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.
These forces would probably gather in the former territory of Edom. Their destruction is probably spoken twice by Isaiah in Isaiah 34:6 and Isaiah 63:1-6.
The end of Edom is also mentioned in Malachi 1:2-4 and Ezekiel 25:12-14.
Verses 17 – 21: Israel Will Consume Edom and Israel Will Possess Her Territories
The nations come with overwhelming force to attack Israel. Edom does not spare the fleeing Israelites but hunts them down.
However, both groups of aggressors will be utterly destroyed.
On the other hand, the victim, Israel, will have those who escape.
Finally, Israel’s eyes will be open and they will be sanctified. Zechariah 12:10 says:
“And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of pleading, so that they will look at Me whom they pierced; and they will mourn for Him, like one mourning for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.
Obadiah 17b says, ‘And the house of Jacob will possess their property.’
The land that God promised to give to Abraham’s descendants will become theirs.
In Obadiah 18, we see that Israel will be the one to consume Esau. The victory will be overwhelming. Obadiah 18b says, ‘So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau.’ This might refer to those Edomites who are on the battlefield.
Whoever remains of Esau would probably be absorbed as part of Israel. This might be seen in Amos 9:12 that says, ‘So that they may possess the remnant of Edom’.
In Obadiah 1:18c, we see the sovereignty of God being affirmed in the words, ‘For the LORD has spoken.’ All that Obadiah had prophesied concerning the end will happen. God is the One who determines.
Obadiah 19-20 tells us that at the same time, Israel’s possessions will be fully restored to her. This clearly establishes the time as that of the end.
Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau (verse 19a)
God, who earlier prohibited Israel during the time of Moses from touching Edom, now gives the territory of Edom to Israel.
The Shephelah, mentioned in verse 19b, is the western foothills of the Judean mountains.
It is just north-west of the Philistine plain. Israel could not take the Philistine plains from the Philistines. However, Obadiah reveals that it will be possessed by Israel.
They will also regain Ephraim, Samaria and Gilead. The territory of Gilead, on the eastern side of the Jordan River, would be also possessed by Israel.
Obadiah 20 speaks of the exiles of Israel and Judah returning to the cities of the Negev. During the exiles some of them were displaced to Zarephath. This is a place north of Tyre. Others from Jerusalem were displaced to Sepharad. It has been identified as Sardis, currently in Turkey.
Obadiah might have written before the exile of Israel and Judah. But he was able to tell of their final return to the land of Israel. This probably covers a span of more than 2740 years.
Jeremiah ties the restoration of Judah and punishment of Edom together in Lamentations 4:22:
The punishment of your wrongdoing has been completed, daughter of Zion;
He will no longer exile you.
But He will punish your wrongdoing, daughter of Edom;
He will expose your sins!
The prophecies of Balak would also be fulfilled.
Numbers 24:18-19 says:
Edom shall be a possession, Seir, its enemies, also will be a possession, while Israel performs valiantly. One from Jacob shall have dominion, and will destroy the remnant from the city.
In Obadiah 21, we have the deliverers ascending Mount Zion. These would probably be the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph mentioned in Obadiah 18. Their government will be on Mount Zion.
Christ would have also come at this time and having destroyed the enemy would also have His throne on Mount Zion.
The plan of God for Israel and the nations would be accomplished. Christ would also establish His millennial rule on earth.