Obadiah tells the story of the descendents of Esau, the brother of the patriarch Jacob. For centuries Edom had consistently attacked and bothered the nation of Israel, and God was no longer extending mercy. Now judgment was coming. Edom had always existed with a bit of arrogance. You see, they lived in the mountains and caves to the south of Israel. This position was a naturally easy position for defense and for warring against other nations. Edom also had a considerable number of allies. Because of their prosperity they had gathered several nations around them as their “friends.” Edom didn’t just have a good location and plenty of friends, they also had a phenomenal economy. Their food production was exceptional and they had need of nothing. However, they continued to harass Israel. In spite of the longsuffering kindness of God, they continued to mock and fight against God’s people. Obadiah eventually comes to them as the mouth-piece of God and tells them that no matter how secure they were in geography, politics, or economy, they would be brought low and destroyed because of their contrariness to His working in His people. God does not take it lightly that someone would interfere with the work He is trying to accomplish in His children. So, how are you doing? Do you ever interfere with the work of God? Are you the type of friend that God desires you to be? Or are you the type of friend that is contrary to the work of God in other’s lives? Let Obadiah’s warning to Edom be a sound warning to us.
Food For Thought: Why did God punish the nation of Edom? Why do you think that God did not just destroy the nation of Edom hundreds of years earlier?
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