The World according to Obadiah

Sermon for North Hill Adventist Fellowship, Sabbath, July 24, 2010

The shortest book in the Old Testament begins: “The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Lord says . . .”
Nothing particularly surprising so far. Then comes the bomb: This is what the Lord says . . . concerning Edom.

The entire prophecy of Obadiah is about a small insignificant country southeast of Judah. Sure, the prophet makes references to the Jewish people and the temple, but the primary focus of Obadiah is Edom. What's up with that?

The people of Edom were relatives of the Jews, in a sense. The founding ancestor of the Edomite people was Esau. The founding ancestor of the Jews was Jacob. Jacob and Esau were twin brothers. (This is going back hundreds of years before Obadiah wrote his book.)

The Edomites were never a super power like Babylon, Persia, the Assyrians or Egyptians. They were not major players on the world stage. While we would probably call them heathen, since they did n ot worship Yahweh, the God of Israel, they were not famous (or infamous) for their idols or their worship practices.

So what's up with an entire book in the Bible devoted to this obscure desert nation of distant relatives of the Jews?

The first and most important idea highlighted by the book of Obadiah is explicitly stated by the Prophet Malachi in his own prophecy about Edom. He announced a dreadful judgment on the nation of Edom, then concluded his message with these words: “You will see it with your own eyes and say, 'Great is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel.'”

The Bible focuses on God's work among the Jewish people. King David and his descendants, Jerusalem and the temple, the history of the Jewish people and the visions of the prophets recorded in the sacred scrolls, these things form the great foundation for Jewish and Christian theology. There would be no Messiah and no gospel apart from the foundation of God's special work among the Jewish people. But God's work in the earth was not limited to the Jewish people. It was not limited to Palestine. It was not “contained” in the temple or the Jewish royal line or the Jewish nation. What God did among the Jews was a lesson for the world. What God promised the Jews, was promised, in effect, to the world. The warnings God gave the Jews applied to all humans, not just a particular group.

Obadiah's message concerning Edom is a dramatic illustration of God's engagement with the whole earth. All peoples are God's people. Which sometimes is good news and sometimes is bad news.

Obadiah's message, at least on the surface was bad news for the Edomites.

It began with an announcement of an approaching invasion.

“An envoy was sent to the nations saying, “Rise. Let us go up against Edom.”

God goes on to say through the prophet, “Look, I'm going to make you small among the nations. You will be utterly despised.”

Ouch!

The prophet continues, “Your pride has deceived you. You thought you were impregnable, invincible. Fact is, even if you soar like an eagle . . . even if you make your nest among the stars . . . God will bring you down.”

Just how bad is it going to get?

“If thieves raided your house, they would take only what they wanted. They wouldn't take EVERYTHING! But when judgment comes, you will indeed lose everything.

“What's more, your allies, the very people you have counted on for protection and cooperation, the people you yourself have helped, they will join the attackers. They will take part in the looting.”

Why was God pronouncing such a severe judgment on Edom? What crimes were they guilty of? Primarily this: Callous disregard of the desperate straits of their relatives.

The prophet speaks of the Edomite pride. Their pride was what got them into trouble. It appears that it was their pride that somehow allowed them to be sucked into the cruelty and treachery for which they were going to be punished. They were not punished for their pride. They were punished for the damnable evil their pride opened the door for.

When the Jews marched out of Egypt headed for the the land of Canaan, their natural route went through the land of Edom. God told the Jews, “Do not give any offense to the Edomites. They are your brothers. Buy any food you need. Pay for any water you use. I will not give you an inch of the Edomite territory” (Deuteronomy 2).

When Moses asked the Edomites for permission to cross their territory, promising to pay for everything they used or damaged, the Edomites refused. God told the Jews to go around instead of fighting.

Over the next couple of hundred years there were wars between the Edomites and the Jews but the prophets never allowed the Jews to forget the Edomites were relatives and had their own special relationship with God. That special relationship with God required a special respect for the Edomites.

The special relationship the Edomites had with God and with the Jews became the basis for stern judgment by the prophets when the Edomites acted badly toward the Jews. Special relationships never bring only privileges. They always also confer responsibilities.

Obadiah the prophet announced terrible disaster for Edom precisely because they failed to act in harmony with their special relationship. The Edomites failed to carry out the duties of relatives. When foreign forces attacked Jerusalem and broke through their defenses, the Edomites cheered. When Jewish refugees came looking for sanctuary, the Edomites captured them and sold them as slaves. The Edomites even joined the foreigners in looting Jewish homes.

In view of this cruelty, Obadiah thundered, God was going to act. “As you have done, it will be done to you. Your deeds will return on your own head.”

God would eventually rescue Jerusalem. God would turn back the foreign occupiers. God was going to restore the fortunes of the Jews. But because of their cruelty to their Jewish relatives, the Edomites were doomed.

It is a sober message.

One of the most recurrent themes in the Bible concerns God's response to evil and injustice. Bad things will happen. There is no glossing over this fact. There will be bad times and conflict and trouble and injustice and suffering. Then God will step in. Judgment day is coming.

The kingdom—the authority and power to order the world—will be turned over to God. God will rule. Bad news for the bad guys. Good news for the good guys.

The prophet Daniel described the ups and downs, in and outs of human political sytems. Kingdoms come and go, come and go. Then God steps in. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, a kingdom that will never be destroyed.

Hannah spoke of the grand reversal that is the hope of oppressed people through the ages: “The Lord will raise the poor from the dust and lift the needy from the manure pile, giving them seats among the nobility, and a legitimate claim to the throne.”

Mary sang of the same great reversal: “God will bring down the rulers from their thrones and lift up the humble.”

In the grand climax of Scripture, the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John writes that God will eliminate pain and grief. He will put an end to evil and evildoers and seat his people with himself on the eternal throne. God wins. And we with him.

In harmony with this symphony, Obadiah ends his book with these words: The kingdom will be the Lord's.

God wins. Justice wins. Faithfulness wins. Compassion wins.

How does this apply to our lives? First, remember, God is watching. If you are breaking faith, watch out.

Do not steal from your family. Don't shame your children. Don't disrespect your parents. Don't mock your spouse. Don't neglect your relatives. Don't cheer when annoying people get the trouble they deserve. God was watching the Edomites. Even though they were an insignificant nation hiding in the desert mountains in a remote part of the world, God was watching. And God is watching us. There are no free passes when we gain our pleasure at the cost of other's pain.

A second implication of the truth that God is watching: Take courage. If you have been wounded by others breaking faith with you, be sure that God was watching and he will see justice done. God saw what was done to you and God makes himself the guarantor of justice. Which frees you to go and live. Don't waste your life resenting those who have done you wrong. Don't allow evildoers to define your identity through engaging you in lingering hatred.

There are a couple of very different ways to use the doctrine of judgment. One is try to join God on the bench. When he points at people and pronounces them guilty, we are right there beside him, pointing with our crooked little fingers and squealing in our puny voices, “Guilty.” Then we busy ourselves looking for ways to make sure the guilty pays.

When we do this, the doctrine of judgment becomes an unbreakable chain tying us forever to our miserable past and our tormentors. As long as we hold ourselves responsible for making sure they experience justice our minds and hearts are possessed by our enemies.

This view of our connection to judgment is actually pictured here in the book of Obadiah. The prophet writes that the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph will be a fire burning up the house of Esau. Which is poetic language for warfare by the Jews against the Edomites. Over time Jewish writers and then supremely, Christian writers, moved away from this vision of human participation in judgment. It does not lead to happiness, fulfillment, satisfaction, health or, paradoxically, even to justice. We cannot create justice by punishing evildoers.

To be sure, in human society there is a place for punishment. Some actions must be met by forceful reaction. But even in civil society we have found it is better to have systems do this instead of individuals. That is why we have police and courts and prisons and fines. When individuals or families try to bring about justice by imposing sanctions on evil doers, usually what happens is that evil multiplies.

A much better use of the doctrine of judgment, at least on the personal level, is to turn over the business of judgment and enforcement to God and get on with living the rich life God intends for us. You are not a victim of abuse. You are not a neglected spouse. You are not an unloved child. You are not a betrayed lover. You are not a victim of robbery. In the eyes of God your identity does not come from the evil that happened to you. Instead you are nobility. You are the daughter or son of God. You belong to a family of winners, lovers, artists, scholars, saints, missionaries, doctors, saint-makers (i.e. parents and teachers).

Abuse, neglect, betrayal happened. They were evil events. They are not the definition of who you are. They are not guides for how you are to use your energy, creativity and mental power. Leave the evil ones to God. Your job is to live. To love. To thrive. To create. To worship and take delight in God and God's world.

Obadiah (speaking for God) is clear: Breaking faith. Gloating over the misfortune of others. Failing to practice compassion in the face of human suffering. All these things are wrong. They are evil. And God IS WATCHING. No one gets a free pass. Ever. So let God take care of it and you get on with doing what God created you for—loving, caring, growing, creating.

Letting go of evil, releasing it into the care of God applies in our personal lives and in the world of politics. Do not get caught up in the cultivation of rage that appears to be the common characteristic of both the political left and right. Rage is not a wise guide.

If you cultivate fury at political parties or political personalities, you are giving them too large a place in your life. Where you can voice an opinion about what policies you believe should be adopted by government, do so. Write your senators. Give money. Make phone calls. But don't get sucked into the culture of rage and outrage.

In both our personal lives and the worlds of politics and business and international relations the bedrock truth is the final words of Obadiah's prophecy. The kingdom will be the Lord's.

Since Jesus is going to win, don't get too bent out of shape if the world doesn't operate the way you think it should. Since Jesus is going to win, if you yourself experience a loss, even if it is a serious loss, take courage. Truth and justice are still on the path to victory.

Our job is to cooperate with God in his work toward that goal. Engage in business with an eye toward making the world a better place. Go to school and acquire skills or insight or ideas that you can use to bless people, to help people, to advance the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus is going to win. So will you, if you work with him.