Lesson2-ObadiahChapter1Continued
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THEBOOKOFOBADIAH
Lesson2,Chapter1Continued
LasttimeweweretogetherwehadanintroductiontoObadiah,thesmallestbook
intheOldTestament.Itsone-chapter,21verseprophecymightseemtobe
insignificantinthefaceofamassivebookofprophecylikeEzekiel,orJeremiah,
orIsaiahwithits66chaptersandscoresofthousandsofwords.Ihopetoshow
youthattheMinorProphetObadiahhasmuchvalue,andbringsneeded
informationaboutwhatisjustoverthehorizoninworldhistory.Thisisbecause
itssubjectmatterdirectlyconcernstheperiodoftimewehavelikelyenteredas
westandupon,orhavetakenthefirststepover,thethresholdintotheEnd
Times.
TheentiresubjectmatterofObadiahisEdom;butObadiahishardlytheonly
propheticbooktodealwithEdomandwhatGodhasinstoreforthese
descendantsofJacob’stwinbrotherEsau.We’llbringsomeofthoseother
propheticbooksintoplayaswegoalong.
Weleftoffinthe1
st
verseofObadiah,andIwanttoreturntoit.So,tobegin
Obadiahwehavethesentence:hazonoved-yahkohamaradonaiYehovehle
edom.“Obadiah’svision;thusspoketheLordYehovehtoEdom”.Considerthis
carefully.GoddidNOTspeakthistoObadiah,nordidHegiveObadiahan
instructiontotakethismessagetoEdomortothenations.Rather,wearetold
thatYehovehspokethistoEdomandthenations.Howarewetounderstand
this?
Thesecondhalfofverse1says:
CJB
Obadiah1:1...Asamessengerwasbeingsentamongthenationssaying,
"Comeon,let'sattackher,"weheardamessagefromADONAI:
So,whiletheentiretyofverse1iskindofariddletounpack,it’sthislasthalfof
verse1thatistherealissue.Whoisthis“messenger”beingsentamongthe
nationsthatsays,“Comeon,let’sattackher”(meaningEdom)?Then,whoisthe
“we”thatislisteningtothismessagefromGod?Iwillsayrightupfrontthatthere
arealeast2or3reasonableinterpretations,andwhileIleantowardsoneof

Lesson2-ObadiahChapter1Continued
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them,bynomeansamIrigidaboutitbecausethesewordsarejusttoocryptic
tobecertain.ButbeforeIaddressthis,hereiswhatcanbenoticed.Obadiahis
notbeingspokentobyGod.GodisalsonotgivingObadiahanoracletodeliver
totheleadershipofIsraelashappenswithsomeProphets.Rather,Obadiahis
givenavisionthatclearlyismeantforhimtowritedownforposterity.Thatis,
Obadiahisbeingallowedtoseeandhearsomethingthatisgoingon,butit
doesn’treallyinvolvehim.Forlackofabetterillustration,thinkofacourt
reporter.Acourtreporterisinnowaypartoftheproceedings.Nothingabout
whatisgoingoninvolvesher.Thatperson’sonlyjobistobesilent,agood
listener…almostinvisible…andtofaithfullyrecordwhatallpartiessayinorder
thatanaccuraterecordofitcanbemadeforfuturereference.
So,ObadiahisbutawitnesstoGodspeaking,buttowhomisGodtalking?Oris
thisspeechakindofgrandioseGod-speakthatismerelyrevealingHismind
aboutsomethingandisonlyspeakingrathertheatricallytonooneinparticular?
Forme,itcertainlyseemsasthoughsomeoneelsemustbepresent…maybe
evenmorethanonesomeone.ItalsoseemsthatsinceGoddwellsinHeaven,
thesewordsHeisspeakingarebeingdirectedtosomeonethereandnotonearth.
So,ifHeactuallyisspeakingtosomeone,thenunlessthisiskindofafantasy
speechorrhetoricalthenthissomeonecanonlybeaspiritualbeing.IknowI’m
usingwordsthatareabitelastic,butthat’sthebestwecandowiththe
informationwehavebeengiven.ItismyleaningthatGodislikelytalkingtoHis
DivineCouncilofelohimspiritualbeingsthatlivesinHeavenwithHim.Perhaps
itiswithsomehigh-rankingangels,instead.SothatyouknowwhatImeanby
DivineCouncilofelohimI’lltakejustamomenttoexplainit.GotoPsalm82in
yourBiblesandfollowalongwithme.
CJB
Psalm82:1-8ApsalmofAsaf:Elohim[God]standsinthedivineassembly;
therewiththeelohim[judges],hejudges:
2
"Howlongwillyougoonjudging
unfairly,favoringthewicked?(Selah)
3
Givejusticetotheweakandfatherless!
Upholdtherightsofthewretchedandpoor!
4
Rescuethedestituteandneedy;
deliverthemfromthepowerofthewicked!"
5
Theydon'tknow,theydon't
understand,theywanderaboutindarkness;meanwhile,allthefoundationsof
theeartharebeingundermined.
6
"Mydecreeis:'Youareelohim[gods,judges],
sonsoftheMostHighallofyou.
7
Nevertheless,youwilldielikemortals;likeany

Lesson2-ObadiahChapter1Continued
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prince,youwillfall.'"
8
Riseup,Elohim,andjudgetheearth;forallthenations
areyours.
ThisPsalmtellsussomethingthatcanbealittleunsettling,becauseonlyrarely
isitevertalkedaboutexceptintheologicalacademiccircles.Itisthatthe
ScripturesclaimthatinHeaventhereisadivineassemblyordivinecouncilof
high-categoryspiritbeingsthatGodinstructsorinsomewayscollaborates.They
clearlyaretheretodealwiththenationsoftheearth(aswellastobesortofthe
administrativeclassofbeingsoverHeaven).And,inthisPsalm,Godisgiving
themagooddressing-downbecausesomearenotdoingright.Somehave
becomecorrupted,andtheyaregoingtopaythepricefortheirevil,forwillfully
defyingGod’swill,bydyinglikemortalsinsteadoflivingeternally.
Let’stakethisanotherstep.InGenesis,wegetthisstrangeverse.
CJB
Genesis1:26
26
ThenGodsaid,"Letusmakehumankindinourimage,inthe
likenessofourselves;andletthemruleoverthefishinthesea,thebirdsinthe
air,theanimals,andoveralltheearth,andovereverycrawlingcreaturethat
crawlsontheearth."
IcallitstrangebecauseclearlyGodistalkingtosomebodyaboutmaking
humankind.TheChurchhasforcenturiesclaimedthatthisisGodspeakingtothe
Trinity…thatis,oneattributeorpersonofGodistalkingtoanotherattributeor
personofGod.But,thisisanideathatisnowherepresentintheOldTestament.
Inotherwords,theacceptedtraditioninChristianityisthatGodisessentially
talkingtoHispluralself.IchallengethisnotionbecausenowhereelseintheBible
dowehaveaconversationbetweenGodandanotherselfinHeaven.Rather,a
muchbetteralternativeisthatHewasspeakingtoHisDivineCouncilofelohimin
Heaven,whichwearetoldexiststhere.So,backtoObadiahverse1.Ithinkthe
“we”thatwefindhereisthesameasthe“us”ofGenesis1:26.And,whywould
weexpectotherwise?ItisGodagainspeakingtoHisDivineCouncilandthistime
He’stellingthemwhatHewantsdonetoEdomandthenationsandwhy.Thinkof
itthisway:whoisgoingtotellthegovernmentleadersofthemanyindividual
nationsoftheearthto“come,let’sattackEdom”?Obadiah?Certainlynot,
becauseObadiahwon’tbelivingintheEndTimes,andbesides,heisn’tbeing
askedtodothatbecauseheisn’tevenpartoftheconversationinHeaven.Not

Lesson2-ObadiahChapter1Continued
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onlythat,itishardtopictureacoupleofhundredhumansintheleadershipofthe
world’snationsallspontaneously,andeachoftheirownaccord,havingthesame
idea,adoptingthesamemindset,atthesametime.Rather,theonlywaythiscan
happeniswithanoutsidespiritualinfluence.SincewearetoldintheBiblethat
thereisadivinebeingassignedtoeachnation(andhowexactlyadivinebeing
dealswithhisassignednationIdon’tknow),andwithaverygoodexampleof
thisrecordedinDaniel,thenitislogicalthatwhatwearereadingaboutinverse
1(accordingtowhatObadiahishearingandrecording)arethosedivinebeingsof
theDivineCouncilbeingassignedthedutytofomenttheworldleaderstoactin
concerttoattackEdom.But,notuntilacertaintime(ortimes)inhistoryarrives.
Let’smoveon.
Toprefacewhatcomesnext,let’sputsomethingsinperspective.Esau,the
founderofthenationofEdom,andEdomitself,wereatfirstnotspokenofinthe
Bibleasinherentlynegativeorwicked.EarlyoninGenesis,althoughEsauwas
deceptivelydisinheritedbyJacobasthefirstbornofIsaac,nonethelessEsauwas
notcursed.WhileitistruethatthelandEsauwasdestinedtosettleinwaslargely
arid(locatedmostlysouthoftheDeadSea,bothtotheeastandwestsidesofit),
therewaswealthtobehadinit(copperatfirst),andithadsufficientarableland,
water,andgrazingareasforEsauandhisdescendantstogrowandprosper.And,
let’salsobeclearthatevenveryearlyonnotallthepeoplewhoformedthe
nationofEdomweredescendantsofitsfounder(whichcanbesaidforanynation
andpeople).TheissueaboutEdomisthatbeginningwithEsautherewasthis
pricklyrelationshipbetweenthetwinbrothersJacobandEsau.Jacobfearedthat
Esauwouldretaliateforthebirthrightmatterandbehisenemy,butEsau
comfortedJacobandtheyreconciledtoadegreesuchthatwhiletheywere
certainlynotcloseasbrothers,neitherweretheyviolentadversaries.However,
astimewenton,theadversarialnatureoftheirpersonalrelationship,andthen
thatofthetwonationstheyspawned,increasedtothepointthatwhenJacob’s
descendantsfledEgypt,Edomrefusedtoevenallowthemtopassthroughtheir
landtogettoCanaan.
Astimepassed,andtheeraoftheProphetsbegan,wefindthemtalkingabout
Edomandthetalkmovesfrommerelypricklytonegative.Thatis,theissueof
Edomnotbeingpartofthecovenantpeople…astatusthatwashandeddown
fromAbrahamtoIsaac,andthenfromIsaactoJacob…itcreatesadefinite

Lesson2-ObadiahChapter1Continued
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divisionanddistinctionandsotheProphetsbegintoportraytherelationship
betweenIsraelandEdomasusversusthem.ThisnegativeviewtheProphets
presentintheirwritingsescalatesseverelywhenEdommakestheunwiseand
fatefuldecisiontoaidandassistBabylonagainstJudah.This,now,turnsEdom
intoadownrightenemyanditputstheminthesamecategoryasBabylon.That
is,EdomandBabylonbecomenotonlywickedadversariesofIsrael,and
thereforeofGod,buttheyalsobegintobeportrayedastypes;theyare
sometimesdepictedasrepresentativetypesofallgentilenationsingeneral.
Therefore,becauseofwhatEdomdidinhelpingBabylonagainstJudah,Edom
haswrittenitsownepitaphofdoomanddestruction.And,inObadiahandin
otherProphetssuchasJeremiah,thisissueoftheEdom/Babylonconnectionis
usedastherationaleforGod’swrathbeingunleasheduponEdom.Thenthe
issuebecomeswhenwillthiswrathcomeuponEdom?Andasistypicalof
prophecy,oftenthepropheticactionhappens,andthenithappensagainfarlater
intothefuture.Inabitofaspoiler,Iwilltellyounowthatwhatwereadin
ObadiahisultimatelyabouttheEndTimesandwhenwegettoitI’lltellyouwhy
wecanknowthis.
So,inverse2wehaveGodpronounceHisjudgmentofdoomoverEdom.
CJB
Obadiah1:2"Iammakingyoutheleastofallnations,youwillbebeneath
contempt.
Unfortunately,theCJBleavesouttheopeningwordofthisverseaswefinditin
theHebrewScriptures:hinneh,whichmeans“behold!”.Itisawordthatsays
“listenup!”.Itmeansthatsomethingunexpectedandevenworldchangingis
abouttobeannounced.TheeventisthatEdomisgoingtotransformfrom
significanttoinsignificant.So,it’snotthatthenationsaregoingtoattackEdom
inorderthatitbecomeinsignificant,itisthatbecauseEdomisalready
insignificantsheisweak,andvulnerable,andnotrespected,andsoisworthyof
attack.Infact,thefinalwordsofverse2saythatGodwillmakeEdombeneath
contempt…orperhaps,despisedamongnations.How,exactly,Edombecomes
thispariahtotheworldisnotexplained.Wemustalwaysbecarefultorealize
thatgeopoliticsandtangibleeventsintherealworldwillbewhatleads
everythingpredictedintheBibleintobeing.Wedon’tknowwhatthesewillbe,

Lesson2-ObadiahChapter1Continued
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buttheapproximatewhenofitwecanknow:itisgoingtobenearorattheEnd
Times,andwe’llgetabetterideaofthisabitlaterinObadiah.Justkeepone
thinginmindasyoukeeponeeyeontheworldaroundyou:biblicalEdomis
moderndayJordan.And,alreadyJordanhasdescendedintoapoorandweak
nationwithoutmuchhopeofregainingtheirlostluster;anationthatisnot
currentlyhighlyregardedamongthenationsoftheworld.Notdespisedjustyet,
butcertainlynotamongthenationswithanyactualinfluence.We’lltalkabout
Jordanagaininafewminutes.
WhathappenedtoEdomthatopenedthedoortotheirdownfall?Verse3says
somethingproverbial:
CJB
Obadiah1:3Yourproudhearthasdeceivedyou,youwhosehomesare
cavesinthecliffs,wholiveontheheightsandsaytoyourselves,'Whocanbring
medowntotheground?'
Pride.TheProverbsarefullofwarningsabouttheeventualresultofpride,with
oneoftheoutcomesasbecomingself-deceived.Thatis,oneattachesmore
importancetooneself,andhasahigherestimationofoneself,thanmerited.
Biblically,itmeansthatratherthangivingGodthegloryfortheblessingsand
abundanceHehasgiventoyou,yougivethatglorytoyourself.Thisisdeception.
IwanttopausejustamomenttoremindyouofsomethingI’vetaughtonbefore.
Aproudheartmeansaproudmind.TheHebrewwordislev,andindeeditdoes
properlytranslateasheart.However,intheancientworldnocultureknewofthe
functionsofthebrain.Rather,whatwetodayknowtakesplaceinthebrain,they
thoughttookplaceintheheartmuscle.Theythoughtthatintellectualability,
reasonanddiscernment,memory,thehumanwillandmoretookplaceinthe
heart.TheGreeksthoughtthataswell.Associetiesandknowledgehaveevolved,
despiteusknowingbetter,westilltendtoascribeemotions…especiallylove…as
afunctionoftheheart.ThishasledtothetypicalChristianviewthatloveisan
emotionthatlivesintheheart…oritistoourheartthattheHolySpiritspeaks…
andsowhentheBiblespeaksoftheheartitisspeakingofwhereloveresidesand
divinespiritualguidanceandinstructionoccur.OneofthebetterthingsaBible
studentcandoistosimplycrossoutthewordheartwhereverweencounteritin
ourBibles,andinsertinitsplacethewordmind.So,Edomwilldevelopaproud

Lesson2-ObadiahChapter1Continued
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mindandanoverestimationofitself,whichisafalserealitythatwillleadtotheir
suddendownfall.
Thesecondhalfofverse3isfullofallkindsofhiddenimplicationsthatshowsup
whenweapproachitusingtheHebrewstudytechniquecalledRemez,which
meanslookingbeneaththeplainmeaningofthewords.Thatis,somethingis
hintedat,ortherearesomevagueconnectionsthatwewoulddowelltonotice.
WhenonegoestotheDeadSeaandlookstotheeast,weseemountains.These
mountainsarefullofcliffsandcavesandcragsandso,manypeoplelivingin
Edomlivedintheseplacesonthemountainswheretheyweremoreprotected,
anditgavethemavantagepointwheretheycouldseeanenemyapproaching
fromfaroff.Andbecausetheyfeelsoprotected,theythinkwe“wholiveonthe
heightsandsaytoyourselves,'Whocanbringmedowntotheground?'(Obad.
1:3CJB).
TheHebrewwordforheights(or,probablybetter,“lofty”)ismaon.Thisword
indeedcanmeantheheightsofmountainsbutthisalsoisusedbiblicallytorefer
tothecosmicheights…theplacewhereGodlivesandtheangelsroam.Therefore,
itisalsowheretheDivineCouncilresidesandadministratesthewholeofHeaven.
Thereisaconnectionweneedtosee,andsoveryoftenintheBiblesuch
connectionsaresubtlebecauseaspecificHebrewphraseorwordisusedinone
place,butonlyrarelyanywhereelse.So,whenweseethatrarewordorphrase
appear,thereissomelikelihoodofanearlierconnection.
Edomisdepictedasproudofheart,andthereforewicked.Soarecertain
membersoftheDivineCouncildepictedasproudofheart,andthereforewicked.
IstheresomeoneintheDivineCouncilthattheBibletellsusisjudgedbyGodfor
theirpride?Andtheninverse3ofObadiahweseearhetoricalEdomsaythat
sincetheyaredwellingonhigh,whocanbringthemdowntotheground(the
wordiseretz,whichmeansearth).ListentoIsaiah14:13-20andthenthink
aboutwhatwejustreadaboutEdominObadiah.
CJB
Isaiah14:13-20
13
Youthoughttoyourself,'Iwillscaletheheavens,Iwill
raisemythroneaboveGod'sstars.IwillsitontheMountofAssemblyfaraway
inthenorth.
14
Iwillrisepastthetopsoftheclouds,Iwillmakemyselflikethe

Lesson2-ObadiahChapter1Continued
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MostHigh.'
15
"InsteadyouarebroughtdowntoSh'ol,totheuttermostdepthsof
thepit.
16
Thosewhoseeyouwillstareatyou,reflectingonwhathasbecomeof
you:'Isthisthemanwhoshooktheearth,whomadekingdomstremble,
17
who
madetheworldadesert,whodestroyeditscities,whowouldnotsethis
prisonersfree?'
18
"Allotherkingsofthenations,allofthem,lieinglory,eachin
histomb.
19
Butyouarediscarded,unburied,likealoathedbranch,clothedlike
theslainwhowerepiercedbythesword,thenfalltothestonesinsideapit,like
acorpsetobetrampledunderfoot.
20
Youwillnotbejoinedwiththosekingsinthegrave,becauseyoudestroyed
yourownland,youhavebroughtdeathtoyourownpeople.Thedescendantsof
evildoerswillbeutterlyforgotten.
CanyouhearthesamesortofthoughtpatterninIsaiahasinObadiah?Oftenthis
IsaiahpassageissaidtobespeakingaboutwhenLuciferrebelledintheheights
ofHeavenandasaconsequencewascasttotheearth(totheground,tothe
eretz).Itprobablymakesmoresense(althoughwecan’tbecertainofit)ifthis
isnotLucifer(Satan)butratheramemberormembersoftheDivineCouncil
sincetheScripturessaythatGodregardedsomeofthemashavingbecome
wickedandcorrupt(Psalm82).Infact,thisviewthatitwasSatanthatisbeing
describedinIsaiahdidn’tcomeuntilmuchlaterinhistory.
TheJewishEncyclopediastatesthatthemythconcerningthemorningstarwas
transferredtoSatanbythefirstcenturyB.C,citinginsupportofthisviewancient
documentsnamedTheLifeofAdamandEveandtheBookofEnoch,where
Satanielisdescribedashavingbeenoneofthearchangels.Becausehecontrived
"tomakehisthronehigherthanthecloudsovertheearthandresemble'My
power'onhigh",Sataniel(Satan)washurleddown,withhisangels,andsince
thenhehasbeenflyingintheaircontinuallyabovetheabyss.Accordingto
Jewishthought,thepassageinIsaiahwasusedtoprophesythefateoftheKing
ofBabylon,whoisalsodescribedasaimingtorivalGod.
Eitherway,thepointisthatthevocabularyandtoneusedinObadiahreminds
themindfulreaderofIsaiah14…andcertainlyitwouldhaveremindedthe
HebrewsaliveintheOldTestamentera.So,weseeEdomandthisdivinebut
wickedspiritualbeinginHeavenfromIsaiahasbuttwopeasinthesamepod(as
mygrandmotherusedtosay).Thatis,thereisadirectandunmistakable

Lesson2-ObadiahChapter1Continued
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likenessintheircharacter,nature,anddesires…andintheirfates.Thisisfurther
proofofaconceptIcalltheRealityofDualitythatmakesadirectlinkbetween
whatgoesoninHeavenwithwhathappensonearthinakindofmirrored
reaction.GoddealtwitharebellioninHisHeavenlyfamily,andsoHewillhaveno
hesitationindealingwitharebellioninHisearthlynon-covenantfamily(Isaac’s
offspring…Esau).
Thus,GodrespondstoEdom’sarroganceinverse4.
CJB
Obadiah1:4
4
Ifyoumakeyournestashighasaneagle's,evenifyouplace
itamongthestars,Iwillbringyoudownfromthere."
So,saysYehoveh,itdoesn’tmatterhowhighupinthosemountainsyoubuild
yourvillagesandyourdefenses.Youcertainlycan’tbuildthematthedizzying
heightsthateaglesdo,andofcourseyoucan’tplacethemupinthehighheavens
wherethestarsreside.But,again,rememberthevocabularyandthelinkages
beingmade.Starsareofcoursethoseluminousobjectsinthesky,butstarsare
alsoatermforangels.Therewasstillabelieffloatinginthebackgroundthat
thosethousandsoflightsinthenightskywereangels.So,Godhasalready
shownthatHecanputdownrebelsfromHeaven;so,doingthesametoEdomis,
bycomparison,child’splay.
Verse5soundsalittleoddonthesurface,butthemeaningquicklyrevealsitself.
Thisspeaksofthievesthatcomeinthenight,andgrapepickerscomingat
harvesttime.Thisismetaphor.Theideaisthatwhenathiefcomesinthenight,
he’lltakewhathewants,andstopwhenheissatisfiedhehasenough.Normally
agrapepickerwillnotpluckeverygrapeatharvesttime,butwillintentionally
leavesomeclusters.Thethievesstoprobbingbecausetheycanneitherusenor
carryanymore.Thegrapepickersleavesomeclusterssothatthegleanerscan
comelaterandgetsomegrapesforthemselves.Bothactions,intheirownways,
aremerciful.However,GodwillshowEdomnosuchmercy.Edomwillbestripped
bareandloseeverything.
Let’srememberthatGodisnotgoingtosupernaturallyattackEdomand
supernaturallytaketheirpossessions.Rather,theDivineCouncilmembersare
goingtowhisperintothesoulsofthenationalleaderstheyhavechargeoverto

Lesson2-ObadiahChapter1Continued
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dothejobonGod’sbehalf.Certainly,thesenationalleaders’motivetoattack
Edomisnosuchthing;they’lleachhavetheirown.Buttheeffectwillbethe
same…thenationsaredoingGod’swilljustasAssyriadidGod’swillinconquering
theNorthernKingdom,andBabylondidGod’swillinconqueringtheSouthern
Kingdom.GodwasusingAssyriaandlaterBabylontopunishHispeople.He
alwaysusesnationsandindividualstobringaboutHiswillonearthwhetherto
blessortocurse.
Verse7continuesthisthought.
CJB
Obadiah1:7Yourallieswentwithyouonlytotheborder,thoseatpeacewith
youdeceivedanddefeatedyou,thosewhoateyourfoodsetatrapforyou,and
youcouldn'tdiscernit.
Edom,eveninthetimeoftheKings,wasnowherenearamatchmilitarilyforits
neighbors.Itsawitsonlyhopewastoformallianceswithstrongercountries.
Sadly,EdommadeanalliancewithBabylon.Ontheonehand,thisalliance
offeredthegreatestprotectionforEdom;butthereisalwaysan“ontheother
hand”inmatterslikethis.Babylondidn’tofferanallianceoutofthegoodnessof
theirhearts.So,whenBabylonbegantoraidJudah,theydemandedthatEdom
jointhemduetoEdom’sproximitytoJudah.Thisiswhathappenswhenyou
makeadealwiththeDevil.Youmaygetsomeearlybenefit;butintime,youare
goingtopayasteepprice.
Asacurrentexampleofthis,Icannothelpbutthinkinourmoderntimesabout
agoodportionofEuropemakinganenergyalliancewiththeirlong-timeenemy,
Russia.Europe,alwaysenergystarved,couldonlyseetheshort-termbenefitof
suchadangerousstep,andtheirpoliticiansdeceivedthemselvesandtheir
citizensintothinkingthatRussiawouldbecomemoredocileandagreeableover
timewiththisenergyalliancethattheysawasbeneficialtoallparties.Ashistory
quicklyshowed,Russiausedthatrelianceasachesspiecetoexertcontrol.They
attackedUkraineandsetoffawarthatdraggedEuropeintoalose-losesituation.
Russia’scalculuswasthatEuropewouldcaveinandlooktheotherwaysothat
theywouldn’tlosetheirprimaryenergysource.But,Europeultimatelyconcluded
theycouldn’tsupportRussia’saggression,orUkrainewouldbelostalongwith
theirenormousgrainsupplies,aswellasprovidingahugegeographicalbuffer

Lesson2-ObadiahChapter1Continued
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betweenalargepartofEuropeandRussia.Theycrossedtheirfingersandhoped
thatiftheysupportedUkraineonlywithmoneyandsupplies,thenRussiawould
notcutoffthatenergysupplythatEuropehadformedalltheirenergypolicy
aroundandwerenowcaptiveto,becauseRussia,too,wasenjoyingthebenefit
oftheenormousincomethatsellingthatenergyproducedforthem.Caughtina
catch-22,EuropehadtosupportUkraine,butRussiarespondedangrilyby
cuttingofftheiroilandgasexportstoEurope.Thisdid,andcontinuestodo,the
greatestharmtoEurope’seconomybecausethepriceofenergywentwayup,
evenfurtherthanithadeverbeenbefore(anditwasalreadysky-highcompared
totheUSAandotherpartsoftheworld).
Edomfounditselfinthesameimpossiblepositionafterformingadangerous
alliancewithBabylon.TheywerenodoubtreluctanttojoinBabyloninfighting
Judah,butwhatchoicedidtheyhave?Iftheyrenegedonthatalliance,Babylon
wouldsurelyhaveturnedtheirfurytowardsthem,andEdomwouldhavebecome
merelyavassalstate.Itseemsthatinthenearfuture,thisisgoingtoagain
happentoEdom…toJordanthatisthemodern-daynameforEdom.Thosewho
theytrusted,andprobablyfoughtalongside,arenowgoingtoseethemaseasy
pickings;theywillturnonthemanddecimatethem.Ihavenoideahowthat
mighthappenexceptforonething;andIadmitthatthisisonlybasedon
conditionsastheyexisttoday,notknowinghowtheycouldchangeovertime.
Myspeculationisthis:JordanishosttothousandsandthousandsofPalestinians
whomovedtheredecadesago,manyofwhomstillliveincamps,somesincethe
1960’s.ThesefolkswhowerelivinginIsrael,sidebysidewiththeJews,leftat
thebehestoftheArabLeague…Jordanincluded…whentheydeclaredtheywere
goingtousetheircombinedmilitariestoattackIsraelandwipethemoffthemap.
TheLeaguewantedtheIsraeliArabstobesafe,andsoenticedthemtoleaveby
promisingthemthatthewarwouldbeshort,andonceovertheycouldreturnto
theirhomesinIsraelortoanyformerlyJewishhometheyliked.Atthattime,
Jordan’sterritoryextendedtowellpasttheJordanRivertotheWest.Manyofthe
ArabevacueeswenttothispartofJordan,butmanyothersrelocatedtotheeast
sideoftheriverinJordanproper.ThelongandshortofitisthattheArabLeague
losttheirwarwithIsrael,andJordanwoundupwithhundredsofthousandsof
refugees.Further,JordanlostitsterritoryonthewestsideoftherivertoIsrael
(nowfamouslyknownasTheWestBank).Inarelativelyshorttime,anIslamic

Lesson2-ObadiahChapter1Continued
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factioncalledthePLOledbytheinfamousterroristYasserArafattookoverthe
WestBankrefugeecampasagangstertakesoveraneighborhood.But,when
ArafatwasforcedoutoftheWestBank,henaturallywenttotheremainingpart
ofJordantotheeastandtriedtotakeoverthegiantencampmentsthere.He
fomentedtrouble,andthenalongwiththousandsofthosepeoplenowcalled
Palestinians,triedin1970tooverthrowJordan’sgovernmentinabloodbaththat
becameknownasBlackSeptember.Helost,wasarrested,andthenexpelled
backtotheWestBank,whereheharassedIsrael.
Jordanisnowapoorernation,theirmilitaryadventurismhavingcostthem
dearly,andwithintheirancientEdomiteterritorialheritagetheyhavefewnatural
resources.ThePalestinianslivinginJordanaremostlypovertystrickenandthe
Jordaniansreallydon’twantthemthere,butnooneelsewilltakethemin.There
arefartoofewjobsinJordanforthenativeJordanians,andJordanhastoprovide
muchsupportandfreeservicestothesethousandsofPalestinianswholive
permanentlyasapeoplewithoutacountry.Isuspectthatthenowmuchweaker
Jordan,whoisn’tparticularlylikedbyotherMuslimnations,issoongoingtofind
itselfunderattackbythesePalestinianrefugeeswhohavenohope,butwho
mightbecomedesperateenoughtowanttotrytoturnJordanintoaPalestinian
StateruneitherbyFatahorHamas,whomtheymostidentifywith.Ireadily
admitthisisspeculationanditmightnotbethissituationthatisthecatalystfor
Jordan’sdownfall;butitwillbesometypeofreal-worldcircumstanceliketheone
Ijustdescribedthatfestersuntilitfinallyboilsover.
Verse8says:
CJB
Obadiah1:8"WhenthatDaycomes,"saysADONAI,"won'tIdestroyallthe
wisemenofEdomandleavenodiscernmentonMount'Esav?
ThisisthescenarioIwasjustspeakingabout.Jordan(Edom)isgoingto
(probablyalreadyhas)backitselfintoacorner,andhasnoideahowtoextricate
itselffromtheirpredicament.TheyareaKingdom,ruledbyaking.And,like
mostkings,heunilaterallydecidesonhisnation’spoliciesandcannotallowtoo
muchdissentinhisgovernment,sothewisestofhismenaren’theeded.So,
JordanisnotwellregardedbyeithertheWestortheEast.Evenafewyearsago
whenthekingrealizedthat,ironicallyenough,makingIsraelafriendratherthan

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anenemywouldbethebestcourseofaction,hisArabneighborswarnedhim
againstit,anditalsosetoffanumberofPalestinianterroristactionsinhisown
nation.So,hehadtoabandonthatstrategyandnowhegetsnohelpfromhis
Arabneighbors,andhealsohasanunneededadversarialrelationshipwithIsrael
(thathereallydoesn’twant)inordertoplacatetheMuslimworld.
ThisversealsopointsupthatancientEdomwentbyanumberofdifferentnames
withMountEsau(orperhapsit’s“themountainsofEsau”)asone.Edomwasalso
knownbythenamesEsauandMt.Seir,aswellasjustSeir.So,don’tget
confusedbyallthesedifferentnameswefindintheBibleconcerningEdom,they
allmeanthesameplace.
Pleasealsonoticetheopeningwords:“WhenthatDaycomes”.MostBible
translatorswillcorrectlycapitalizethewordDay,becauseitisbutan
abbreviationfortheDayoftheLord.TheDayoftheLordisatimeofGod’swrath.
TherehavebeenafewDaysoftheLordinBiblehistory,butthenextoneseems
tobeanEndTimesevent,anditisinthecontextofGod’swrathbeingpouredout
uponthegentilenationsoftheearth,withEdomincluded.And,hereinObadiah
weneedtotakeEdomasindicatingnotonlythespecificnationofEdom(Jordan),
butalsoasmoreorlessrepresentativeofallthenationsoftheworld(theonly
nationonearththatisnotagentilenationisIsrael)similarlyasBabylonisused
torepresentallnationsintheNewTestament.
Letmesumupwhatweknowsofar.ThebookbeginswithObadiahasawitness
towhatGodissayingtosomeoneinHeaven,probablytotheDivineCouncil.The
messageisanoracleandaninstructionaboutEdom,butalso(toadegree)it’s
aboutEdomasacollectivewholethatrepresentstheconditionandfateofallthe
nationsoftheearthexceptforIsrael.Yehovehisgoingtosendthiswordtothe
worldleaderstoattackEdomthroughHisdivinebeingsthatpopulateHisDivine
Council.
Edomwillalreadybeaslittleornothingofimportancetotheworld,sothe
nationswillhavesomeothermotivationtoattackherthatisnotyetapparent.
Edomdoesn’tbelieveit.Theybelievetheyareinvulnerableandstrong.Godsays
thatitisEdom’sdeceivedmindthatmakesthemthinkthisway.Doesn’tmatter;

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GodHimselfisgoingtobringthemdownusingtheworld’snationstodoso,so
whatEdomthinksofitselfisirrelevant.
YehovehusesvocabularytobringtomindthecorruptionofHisDivineCouncilin
Heaven,andthencorrelatesitwiththecorruptionthathaseatenawaythemind
ofEdom(andofallnationsforthatmatter).TheDivineCouncilispartofGod’s
Heavenlyfamily,andEdomispartofHisearthlyfamilyasdescendedfrom
AbrahamandIsaac…justnotthepartthatisthecovenantpeople.Firstitseems
thatEdomisgoingtoeitherbeattackedfromaninternalenemythattheyaretoo
unwisetosuspect,orfromanallythattheyfoolishlytrust.Latermorenations
willjoinin.Theresultwillbecompletedecimation,evenworsethanifarobber
brokeintoahouseandstoleeverything,orasthoughgrapeharvesters
harvestedsothoroughlythattheyleftnothingforthepoortoglean.
Whilethisnodoubthappenedinsomeforminpriorhistory(probablyaroundthe
timeoftheKings,andmaybeagainlater),thefinalandmostsavageattackthat
endsEdomasaviablenationwillbeattheEndTimesDayoftheLord.We’ll
continuewithObadiahnextweek.