Obadiah 01: God's Just Faithfulness

Obadiah delivers a powerful message about God's just faithfulness toward both Edom's betrayal of Judah and His ultimate plans to restore His people despite their suffering.

• Written around 586 BC when Babylon was destroying Jerusalem
• Edom either allied with Babylon or took advantage of Judah's downfall
• Obadiah's name means "servant of the Lord" though we know little else about him
• Contemporary with prophets Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel
• Central message: "As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you"
• Reminds us that God takes injustice seriously even when it appears to go unpunished
• Warns against pride and gloating when others suffer
• Reassures believers that God will ultimately set things right
• Points ahead to Christ as the true king in whom kingdoms belong
• Encourages us not to compare our calling with others but to faithfully serve where God leads

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Chapters

• 0:24 Welcome to Obadiah
• 1:30 Who Was Obadiah?
• 4:08 Historical Context of Edom's Betrayal
• 8:01 Reading Through Obadiah
• 12:32 God's Just Faithfulness
• 15:30 Our Unique Calling Matters
• 17:34 Closing Prayer and Final Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today. Obadiah, chapter 1. And today's title is God's Just Faithfulness God's Just Faithfulness. I am curious. I want to know, down in the comment section below, if you're watching this on YouTube, how many of you have ever read the book of Obadiah before. It is one chapter, very short, but I think it's very powerful. And there's a point I want to bring up about Obadiah that I think is absolutely awesome. But I want to know in the comments have you ever read through Obadiah before? If not, today's the day we're going to jump right into it. So if you want to get your Bibles open up with me to Obadiah chapter one, get your coffee, get your popcorn, all the good stuff. We're going to jump right into God's Word. While we're getting all that ready, make sure you take just a moment like share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you leave us a five-star review on the podcast. Make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown discussion on Facebook. There's an amazing group of people doing a wonderful job and you can get links to all of that at thebiblebreakdowncom.

Speaker 1: 1:01

Well, one of the things that I love about the first chapter or, in this case, the only chapter of a book of the Bible is. We have an opportunity to talk through some of the background and remember we were talking about the idea that Obadiah is called God's. We're calling it God's just faithfulness, because this is one chapter, but he is talking about what is about to come and why God is doing it, and the overall like. If we were to sum it up into one verse, it would be Obadiah 1, verse 15. It says the day of the Lord is near for all nations, and we're going to get into that in just a moment, but first let's kind of break down who he is and kind of what's all going on.

Speaker 1: 1:41

Well, first of all, obadiah. We really don't know exactly who he is. We know that his name means servant of the Lord, but we're not entirely sure what that actually means. We think it might be his name, but we're not entirely certain, and so it's an interesting idea to think that this could be an absolute anonymous. It's possible that this guy came up and he said I am the servant of the Lord, so call me Obadiah. We're not entirely sure, but if that was his name, his name was Obadiah. But beyond his name. We know very little about who he is.

Speaker 1: 2:16

We do know that this was written to Judah, the southern kingdom, because at that point, most likely, assyria has already taken over the northern kingdom and so it's just the southern kingdom that's left, and it would have been written around 586 BC, so really close to the time when they would have been overthrown as well. And it was written to Edom, and it's bad news due to their actions against Judah. So they have been oppressing Judah and all this, and so he is just writing and saying hey, the justice of the Lord is, he's going to be faithful, he's going to keep his word, both good and bad, he's going to keep his word. And it's also important to realize that he was writing this during the same time there were a lot of other prophets going about doing what God had called them to do as well, and some of his kind of contemporaries would have been Jeremiah, ezekiel and Daniel. And so he is back in, most likely back in Judah, writing at the time when Daniel is around. So it's very interesting about the timeframe that we have here.

Speaker 1: 3:19

The next thing is kind of the big idea of Obadiah is God will judge the pride and cruelty of Edom, but he will ultimately deliver his people and establish his kingdom, and so you'll get that in just a moment. He is mostly just talking against a lot of the evil that they have been doing, but also talking about the ultimate victory. Why is Obadiah important? Why is it that we don't want to skip through this one? Well, here it is. It reminds us that God takes injustice seriously. God doesn't just wink at evil that people do and just kind of let it go that, even when other people forget and kind of move on, god knows exactly what's going on, and for some of us, that's very helpful to remember that. Also, it warns us against the pride and the gloating when others fall. So I get how sometimes we see bad things happen to bad people and we want to celebrate that. We've got to be very careful not to do that, because God's not a fan of that.

Speaker 1: 4:13

Here's another one. It reassures believers that God will set things right, even when betrayal cuts deep. You ever felt like that. Bad people are winning and it's just not fair. God, where are you? Well, if you've ever thought that you're not alone, that's happened throughout history. But also throughout history, god has shown himself faithful to set things right, here's one more. It points out the coming kingdom of God, fulfilled in Christ. So it points to the goodness of God that's coming, and so let me give you some background.

Speaker 1: 4:44

We're going to jump right in. First of all, some background behind this is elsewhere in the world, babylon is the dominant power and they are in the process of having already destroyed. So it's right about the time that they destroyed Jerusalem when this was written. So that's kind of what's going on. They are just taking over everything. Another one is Edom allied or at least took advantage of Babylon's conquest, and so it's almost like Babylon is overtaking Jerusalem, and Edom, a neighboring country, is either working with them or just taking advantage of it. And it's almost like if a bully were attacking somebody and you've got his wingman just kind of laughing about it. God is talking to that wingman on this one and saying, hey, listen, you've allied with the wrong people. Another one is the region was full of instability, shifting alliances and brutality. A lot of people were just kind of out for themselves because Babylon was coming in and destroying everything, and the collapse of Jerusalem left Judah devastated. Obadiah's prophecy gave them hope. So with all that's going on, you've got Daniel being taken off to Babylon. You've got Ezekiel being deported, you've got Jeremiah still in Jerusalem. Obadiah comes in and he says hey, edom, hey, friend of the bully, god's got you on number two and don't worry, israel and Judah, god's got a plan for you.

Speaker 1: 6:02

A couple of interesting facts about Obadiah, and then we'll jump in. Number one is Obadiah's name means servant of Yahweh, and it may not even be his name, and the book is almost entirely poetic prophecy. So a lot of the you know, especially like Ezekiel, some of those you'll see a lot of that poetic, you know apocalyptic prophecy, but you also see a lot of narrative that's explaining what's going on. Well, this one is almost entirely like just a sermon of poetry that he would have said. And then here's one more Despite its brevity, obadiah points out, ahead to Christ rather, who is the true king in whom the kingdoms belong, and so he's also talking about the Messiah. And so, once again, as we get ready to jump into this, I want to kind of bring this to a point to realize what's going on.

Speaker 1: 6:47

So Judah is at the place where they have either been overthrown or they're in the process of being overthrown by Babylon, and in the process of this. There's just devastation happening everywhere. And Edom is a neighboring country, and either they have allied directly with Babylon or they're taking advantage of this horrible time in Judah's history. And Obadiah is looking at them and he's going hey, listen, you're not going to get away with this. God's going to judge you, just like he judges everybody else. And then also he looks at the people and he says, hey, listen, god's going to do something for us. We're not going to give up. God is with us. And how many of us need to hear that today? That even when bad things are happening by bad people, that even when bad things are happening by bad people and it looks like bad people are winning, god is sending people to say don't give up, god's going to help us. So here we go. Let's read this Obadiah the one and only, chapter, verse 1, says this of Edom we have heard the message from the Lord that the ambassador who sent to the nations to say get ready everyone, let's assemble our armies and attack Edom.

Speaker 1: 7:59

The Lord says to Edom I will cut you down to size among the nations and you will be greatly despised. You have been deceived by your own pride because you live in a rock fortress and make your own home high in the mountains. Who can ever reach us way up here, you asked boastfully. But even if you soar as high as the eagles and build your nest among the stars, I will bring you crashing down, says the Lord. If thieves came at night and robbed you, what a disaster awaits you. They would not take everything. Those who harvest grapes always leave a few for the poor. But your enemies will wipe you out completely. Every nook and cranny of Edom will be searched and looted. Every treasure will be found and taken. All your allies will turn against you and they will help to chase you from your land. They will promise you peace while plotting to deceive and destroy you. Your trusted friends will set traps for you and you won't even know about it. At that time, not a single wise person will be left in the whole land of Edom, says the Lord. For on the mountains of Edom I will destroy everyone who has understanding. The mightiest warriors of Teman will be terrified and everyone on the mountains of Edom will be cut down in the slaughter.

Speaker 1: 9:20

Because of the violence you did to your close relatives in Israel, you will be filled with shame and destroyed forever. When they were invaded, you stood aloft, refusing to help. Foreign invaders carried off their wealth and cast lots to defy up Jerusalem. But you acted like one of Israel's enemies. You should not have gloated when they exiled your relatives to distant lands. You should not have rejoiced when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune. You should not have spoken arrogantly in that terrible time of trouble. You should not have plundered the land of Israel when they were suffering such calamity. You should not have gloated over their destruction when they were suffering such calamity. You should not have seized their wealth when they were suffering such calamity. You should not have stood at the crossroads killing those who tried to escape. You should not have captured the survivors and handed them over in their terrible time of trouble.

Speaker 1: 10:19

The day is near when I, the Lord, will judge all godless nations. As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads. Yes, all you nations will drink and stagger and disappear from history. But Jerusalem will become a refuge for those who escape. It will be a holy place and the people of Israel will come back to reclaim their inheritance. The people of Israel will be a raging fire and Edom a field of dry stubble. The descendants of Joseph will be a flame roaring across the field, devouring everything. There will be no survivors in Edom. I, the Lord, have spoken. Then, my people living in the Negev will occupy the mountains of Edom, those living in the foothills of Judah will possess the Philistine plains and take over the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, and all the people of Benjamin will occupy the land of Gilead. The exiles of Israel return to Wow. And so what we have is we have the nation of Judah is being laid waste and Edom is actually standing aside and assisting the invading army.

Speaker 1: 12:08

Now, this would have been a time when Edom was always, it seems, like a thorn in the side of Israel. I mean have been a time when Edom was always, it seems, like a thorn in the side of Israel. I mean they were just not good things right, just bad things happening all over the place. But they take this moment, when Judah needs help the most, to really just push them in the dirt a little bit more, right, just really mess them up. And God is saying you're not going to get away with this. I know it looks like that you're laughing while everybody else is crying, but your day is going to come, and I'm just letting you know that one day, those who are beaten will win and those who look like they're winning will be beaten. God will judge and his justice will be fair and it will be faithful and it will be true. And so I want to leave us with two promises from Obadiah. Number one is to trust the Lord.

Speaker 1: 13:00

Can I tell you, one of the things that I deal with the most as a pastor is what we would call, in philosophical world, the problem of evil. And the problem of evil is that God could, god would, god should. Why didn't he, why didn't he do this, that or the other? And then why does God let evil go unpunished and all these different things? And those are great, great questions, unless you think more deeply about them and understand the goodness of God and understand that God is actually the standard of goodness. Therefore he has to be good, like he can't not be good. That's just who he is. And so if God lets something go for a season, there's a reason why he does, and that doesn't help when we're hurting. Let's be honest about that. If the answer is, god has his reasons, so trust him. That's fine and all, but I'm still hurting. So there's a different answer for that. We will talk about that in upcoming episodes.

Speaker 1: 13:53

But to realize God will bring justice. I love how Augustine says that in the, in the light of eternity, justice is always served. We think in a finite way. We think that if justice isn't served during our lifetime, then it's not served at all. God doesn't think according to our lifetime, he thinks according to history and eternity. And so, whether it's in this life or it's in eternity, justice is always served, and so we can rest in knowing that. And that's what Obadiah is saying. He's saying I know it looks like you got the last laugh right now Don't worry, god's going to take care of it.

Speaker 1: 14:26

And so the first thing is to realize. Obadiah is reminding these hurting people God is going to do what is just and he's going to be faithful. And maybe that's what you need to hear. Today. You're dealing with some unfairness. You're dealing with wondering God, I knew you could, I knew you should, I really thought you would, but you didn't do it my way. Can I tell you, not the first one, but God is faithful, and we know in history that's exactly what God does. He takes care of the nation of Edom and he takes care of everything. He brings the nation of Israel back. Jesus comes. I mean, all these good things happen, it's just happening in his timeframe.

Speaker 1: 15:03

Here's the second thing I want us to remember is think about the that. What we think of now is these heavy weights that were alive at the same time. You get got Jeremiah, you've got Micah, you've got Ezekiel, you've got Daniel. They were all alive at this time. Jeremiah has been talking to the people of Judah for years. Why in the world would I mean, how easy would it have been for Obadiah to be like man? I mean, jerry's been doing a great job for a long time.

Speaker 1: 15:31

We started hearing about these letters coming back from this guy named Ezekiel. He seems like he's got it going on. And, man, have you heard about this guy named Daniel? What have I got? Well, you know what you've got the calling of God on your life. And so, if we're not careful, we think that because God is moving in our life in a different way than somebody else, that why would God need me? Why would God need me to do anything? Well, you know what God needed Obadiah to tell this. Now.

Speaker 1: 15:57

Obadiah's got 21 verses, Jeremiah's got like 3 billion chapters, and so does Ezekiel and all this stuff. God needed them to do that ministry. He needed Obadiah to write 21 verses to remind the nation of Judah and to warn the nation of Edom that his justice will come. So can I encourage you with something? It doesn't matter what everybody else is doing for the kingdom of God, it doesn't matter what their influence is, what their reach is, what their family is doing, all these different things, you know. What matters is what has God put in your heart today, and are you willing to give that to the Lord and let him choose the results? Obadiah had probably no idea there'd be this thing called the Bible and that one day it would be in his sermon. His poem would be in there. But look at where it is Right.

Speaker 1: 16:46

During the time of these theological men of God, these heavyweights, were alive, there's a guy named Obadiah, and we're not even entirely sure that's his name. We're sitting there going. You know what? I am so thankful for all these other people of God doing great things, but God's called me to do something too, and I'm going to do it with all my ability. That's what our opinion and our goal needs to be as well. Let's pray together right now, god.

Speaker 1: 17:10

Thank you so much for today.

Speaker 1: 17:12

Thank you, lord, for the ministry of Obadiah. That not only reminds us that you have got a plan and that you are just and you are faithful, but already also stands as an example for us that we don't. In no way are we trying to compare ourselves with others. But if we were to compare, it would be that we all serve a great God and that your plan for my life is the same as somebody else's, and so I walk into every opportunity, not wondering how it stacks up against somebody else, but rather what an honor it is to serve and to realize, god, that you're always going to take what we have and do something amazing. I pray that we will step in to every day with confidence, knowing that you have called us and that's enough, and we celebrate that today In Jesus' name. We pray Amen. And what God's Word says in Obadiah 1, verse 15, the day of the Lord is near for all nations. God's justice is faithful and we can trust it. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for the Bible Breakdown Podcast.