We today are finishing our two-part series in the book of Obadiah.
So if you have a Bible, I'd invite you to follow along if you can find it.
It's an Old Testament, it's a sliver of a book, the smallest book of the Old Testament,
in fact, just 21 short verses.
It's toward the very back end, I think it's 918 or so in the Pew Bibles, the big ESVs.
And last week, just to kind of refresh for anybody who may not have been here last week,
we heard this oracle of the Lord against Edom, pronouncing judgment and ruin upon this brother
of the people of Israel who had both cheered, profited, and contributed to Israel's own destruction
of judgment from God.
So it was a heavy week last week and it was warm in here and if you're here today, there's
good news that though it's still hot, this is the upswing of the book of Obadiah and there
is really, really sweet news for us to benefit from together today.
So maybe you've heard some of these types of statements, maybe you've uttered them yourself
in the midst of difficult circumstances, things like, well, think positively or nothing's ever
really as bad as it seems.
Think on the bright side.
Or one of my favorites, everything will work out in the end.
We know that even our best efforts to cheer others up who are in the midst of hard situations
and we know that when people have tried to cheer us up when we've been in the middle of
hard situations, these kind of statements can leave this hollow feeling.
We know like, well, it's the best I can offer and yet it doesn't really satisfy.
People are in misery and suffering and this just seems like something kind of nice to soothe them
for a moment, but it's not lasting.
Imagine the people of Israel who have just been exiled, seen Jerusalem, walls torn down,
their own temple of worship burned to the ground and now they're in exile in a foreign land
with a foreign king being tasked with worshiping foreign gods.
Imagine if we just came up to these Israelites and said, well, just don't worry, be happy.
How unsatisfying that word would be.
And in fact, proves kind of unkind, doesn't it?
Because it ignores the realities of the situations that Israel is going through and that we ourselves
know so well, a situation in which hope seems nowhere to be found.
Where can we find any lasting comfort in the midst of such a perplexing world?
In the midst of suffering and difficulty,
when God seems silent, distant,
or even the cause of our pain and suffering,
where is hope?
Well, we learn from Obadiah that God has an answer to these questions.
And his answer is,
hope is found with me.
So let's read Obadiah,
starting in verse 15 and going to the end.
Don't,
try not to get too caught up in all these place names
and these confusing people and places and locations.
We'll kind of explain the purpose of those things.
But listen for the one speaking and the promises to his people
and just how he's bringing all of this together
in spite of a situation that appears hopeless.
This is God's word to us today, friends.
For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations.
As you have done, it shall be done to you.
Your deeds shall return on your own head.
For as you have drunk on my holy mountains,
so all the nations shall drink continually.
They shall drink and swallow
and shall be as though they had never been.
But in Mount Zion,
there shall be those who escape
and it shall be called holy.
And the house of Jacob
shall possess their own possessions.
The house of Jacob shall be a fire
and the house of Joseph a flame
and the house of Esau stubble.
They shall burn them and consume them
and there shall be no survivor
for the house of Esau.
For the Lord has spoken.
Those of the Negev shall possess Mount Esau
and those of the Shephelah
shall possess the land of the Philistines.
They shall possess the land of Ephraim
and the land of Samaria
and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
The exiles of this host of the people of Israel
shall possess the land of the Canaanites
as far as the Zarephath.
And the exiles of Jerusalem
who are in Sepharad
shall possess the cities of the Negev.
Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion
to rule Mount Esau
and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.
Friends, God's message to us today
is very simple.
In fact, we can summarize it
in about five or six words.
Hope in your sovereign king.
We're going to walk through this passage today
looking at three truths about who God is
that confirm and support this call
for us, God's people,
to hope in the Lord.
So three truths.
First truth is this,
that our God is perfectly just.
We see this in verses 15 and 16.
If we remember that Edom's day
serves as this signpost.
The judgment that God said was near
for the people of Edom
is actually this sort of beacon
and warning to all the nations
because in verse 15,
we see that the day of the Lord
is near upon not just Edom,
but all nations.
Beyond a warning,
this statement is also reinforcing hope
for God's people.
Our God is just,
the prophet tells us.
We see in verse 15 that
as you have done,
it shall be done to you.
This eye for an eye
retribution principle
that governs the universe.
not because karma
is this thing that exists
and what goes around
comes around,
but because the God
of this universe
is a just God.
He will render judgment
upon all people
for what we have done.
This is such good news
to a bunch of exiles
who are carted off from Israel,
who would experience
God's righteous anger
at their own sin
and rebellion and idolatry,
and then,
on top of that,
been humiliated
by their brother Edom
from their high place
mocking and laughing
and looting the cities
of rubble.
And God sees it all.
And it's promised
that the guilty
will not go unpunished.
In verse 16,
we see that there's
this interesting shift
that happens here.
So far,
every time the word you
has been used,
Obadiah has been speaking
directly to Edom,
the you is singular,
and he's been talking,
you, Edom,
this is going to happen.
You've done this.
I'm going to do this to you,
et cetera.
But here in verse 16,
the you becomes you all,
all of you.
And I think Obadiah
peels back the curtain
a little bit,
and he's speaking now
to the exiled people
of God
who are in a situation
that is completely hopeless.
And he says,
just as you've drunk
on my holy mountain,
so all the nations
will surely drink.
So he speaks this message.
You know my judgment,
and you know how harsh
and extreme it can be,
and yet there is hope
because I'm not done
with you,
and I'm not done
with the nations
who have become
your enemies
and harmed you.
God says,
surely I will bring judgment
upon the nations.
None of your enemies,
including Edom,
will miss out
on this cup of retribution.
See what he's doing?
Israel still had hope
because the Lord
was still in charge
of the situation.
Justice was still
his to bring.
It's still good news
for us today.
God is just today
and always forever.
Now, of course,
we know this, right?
We know that God is just.
We say this to ourselves
and to each other.
But if we're honest too,
right,
we can tend to live
sort of untethered
from this reality,
sort of in our heads
going,
yes, God is just,
but then with our lives
we can say,
maybe he's not.
Maybe I need to
kind of take action
into my own hands.
So to help us,
let's run a little diagnostic
and show that
while we might be prone
to retaliate
and demand immediate
response of payment
for wrongs done,
while we may hold grudges,
we might try
and self-justify,
kind of minimizing
our own sin
and over-inflating
other sin.
Let's run this diagnostic
asking the question,
am I living in the good
of the truth
that God is just?
Am I living in the goodness
of the truth
that God is just?
Just three principles
to keep in mind,
to live in the good
of this reality
this morning
and always.
first,
we're to value
all people the same
because they're
God's image bearers.
We're prone
to favoritism,
which is unjust.
James chapter 2
tells us of this example
where two guys
come into a house
of worship
and one guy
has gold rings
and he's got
really fine clothing
and has the latest
Calvin Klein cologne on
and he walks in
and another guy
comes in
with tattered clothing
and barely any shoes
on his feet
and maybe he smells bad
because he hasn't
had a chance
to shower recently.
And James points out
how the people
treated one man
as royalty
and brought him
to a seat of honor
and the other man
said,
well,
can you get down here
on the floor
and I'd actually like
to put my feet
on top of you
for my own comfort.
James says,
we're not to show
that kind of partiality.
We're not to be
unjust like that
because our God
is a God of justice
who values all human life
the same.
So likewise,
we look to affirm
and uphold the dignity
and worth of all people.
Second,
diagnostic,
see if we're living
in the goodness
of the truth
that God is just.
So we love our enemies.
We pray for those
who persecute us.
We don't go around
retaliating
and sort of
enacting our own retribution
for wrongs committed
against us.
We love
and we bless
and we pray
for those
who persecute us.
First Peter
unpacks this so well
for us
in chapter 3,
verse 9,
he writes,
do not repay evil
for evil
or reviling
for reviling.
but on the contrary,
bless
for to this
you were called.
In his reasoning,
he goes on
to kind of lay out
is that
both those
who initiate
the reviling,
who begin
the injustice
and those who
retaliate
against that injustice,
that's evil
on both sides.
So whether you're
perpetrating it
or you're being
the victim initially
and then lashing out
in response,
it's evil.
He says,
so don't do that,
bless.
Your holy nation,
bless,
always,
regardless.
And he says,
ultimately,
because God is just
and God will bring
judgment upon evil.
Instead,
be like Jesus
who in chapter 2
of 1 Peter,
Peter says,
when he was reviled,
he did not revile
in return.
He didn't retaliate.
He continued
entrusting himself
to the one
who judges justly.
So we love
our enemies,
living in the good
of God
being so just.
And 3,
we are quick
to forgive
those who sin
against us.
we know
that as recipients
of the grace
of God
and the forgiveness
that only God
can provide,
that no person
could ever
wrong us
anywhere near
the degree
that we have
wronged
and offended
our God.
So we long
for even the worst
of our enemies
to experience
the grace
and forgiveness
of a loving
father.
we forgive
so that we can
shine his light
and to show
how grateful
we are
for the mercy
that God
has extended
to us.
From Jesus'
lips himself,
we realize
that it is
unjust
to have received
the grace
of God
for ourselves
and then
to demand
justice
from our brothers
when they
wrong us.
Give what
has been given.
We've been given
mercy so we
give mercy
freely
without reservation.
That's to live
in the goodness
of the reality
that God
is just.
God will repay
all people
for what they
have done.
So God,
let God,
church,
let God bring
justice.
He is just
and he's faithful.
Our reason
to hope
in our sovereign
king this morning
just keeps getting
more clear now
as we move back
into the text
and we start
looking again
at this second
reason
to hope
in your sovereign
king this morning.
It's because
God keeps
his promises.
God keeps
his promises.
We've already
seen this promise
that the day
of Edom
was near
and that all
the nations
will be judged
according to
their deeds
but now
in verse 17
it turns
and we see
this word
but
in Mount Zion
there shall be
those who escape.
we have a God
who has told us
in 2 Timothy
2.13
that even
if we are
faithless
he remains
faithful
for he cannot
deny
himself.
It's a God
who in
Proverbs 30
verse 5
reveals that
every word
of God
proves true.
He is a shield
to everyone
who takes
refuge in him.
We know
and worship
and love
a God
who keeps
his promises.
So when we see
promise
after promise
in Obadiah
our hearts
should be filled
with hope.
Verse 17
the phrase
translated
those who escape
should really
be seen
as deliverance.
It's not talking
about group of people
it's talking
about delivering
but in Mount Zion
there shall be
deliverance
and the mountain
shall be holy.
There's the first
promise here
we see that
deliverance is coming
in the very place
that God established
for his people
to dwell
with him
forever.
It's in rubble
and yet he still
makes this promise
and we hear
the whisper
of covenant.
covenant.
We move on
and we see
at the end
of verse 17
that the house
of Jacob
shall possess
their own
possessions.
It's talking
promised land
the land
promised to
the patriarchs
Abraham,
Isaac and
Jacob
the land
of Canaan
in this case
God promises
that they're
going to retake
what was lost
to them
after the
backside
of this
judgment
that they
received.
And we hear
the sound
of covenant
again.
Verse 18
there's this
promise of
triumph and
victory over
all of the
enemies of
God and
his people.
The house
of Jacob
shall be a
fire,
the house
of Joseph
a flame,
Esau
will be
stubble.
It'll be
the chaff
that only
serves to
expand the
flame.
God's
people will
be the
fire,
and their
enemies will
be burned
up and
destroyed.
The Lord
has spoken,
we see at
the end of
18.
It's certain.
God promises
that his
people will
be victorious
over all of
their enemies.
Covenant
again.
now we
return in
verses 19
and 20
to this
idea of
possession
and taking
possession of
all this
different
territory.
And here's
where we get
all these
names that
most of us
probably have
barely ever
heard of.
Some of
which aren't
even known
locations.
We don't
even know
where the
likes of the
Sephirad is.
people are
going to
see.
But what the
prophet is doing
here is sort
of drawing this
compass.
In 19, he
starts with the
Negev, which is in
the southern part
of Judah, and
then he goes
east, north,
west, full
circle.
You draw a
compass and you
hit all the four
starred points on
it, north,
south, east,
west, and you
will see that each
one of the
directions of the
compass will be
occupied by God's
people again.
Verse 20, it's
similar, but
instead of the
four points, it's
the tippity-top
recesses of
Israel to the
very, very
bottom reaches of
Judah.
Again, the
exiles of the
host of the
people of Israel
shall possess the
land of the
Canaanites as
far as
Arafat, as
north as God
ever promised
his people, and
likewise in the
south to those
exiles of
Jerusalem.
God's people are
going to retake
possession of what
God had promised
to them.
Now God's kind of
talking crazy, isn't
he?
I mean, north,
south, east, west,
God, from the far
north to the far
south, the fullness
of restoration to a
group of people
carted off to a
foreign land?
It seems crazy.
not to mention, we
see that now he's
even bringing the
northern tribes of
Israel back into
the equation.
That people who,
when the Assyrians
came in at 722 and
exiled all the ten
tribes, and then
they drop out of the
radar of our
Bibles.
In verse 20, it
says the exiles of
those people, of
the people of
Israel.
Israel will
repossess land.
So God has to do
this huge work to
orchestrate this kind
of promise keeping.
But he keeps his
promises.
He's had this great
track record, right,
throughout the history
of the Bible to
Israel, to all the
nations.
And there's no
Assyrians or
Babylonians or even
stiff-necked
Israelites or any
amount of wrongdoing
that's going to
prevent our God from
following through for
his people and
keeping all of his
promises.
We see shortly
after Obadiah was
written, year 553 BC,
Edom is besieged and
ceases to be a
nation.
Then just 15 years
later, we see it
recorded in the book
of Ezra, chapter 1,
King Cyrus, this
foreign king, allows the
Jews to return home and
to start rebuilding
their temple, to
re-fortify their
cities.
And we see God meant
what he said.
He keeps his
promises.
We rejoice today, too,
because if he kept his
promises beyond the
destruction of Israel,
beyond the exile of his
people, he did so so
that Christ would be
born, that Jesus would
be born into a world
through the line of
Abraham, through the
line of David to rescue
humanity from the grip
of sin.
So there is hope, real
and lasting hope, because
our God keeps his
promises.
As people, we need to
cling to this hope.
Not a wishful thinking
kind of hope, not just
this pleasantries that
kind of tides us over,
not this hollow sort of
isn't really true hope,
but real hope, because
Jesus is alive.
So let me just encourage
this morning that in
light of the promises
of God, that if you
haven't done this
already, that you
start kind of making
this mental Rolodex.
Maybe you write them
out on a three-by-five
card, but you start
writing out the
promises of God, and
you keep them near,
because no doubt,
there's coming times,
and you've experienced
them plenty already.
There's day after day
after day when we need
God's promises.
We need to recall
them to mind, so that
we don't get discouraged,
so that we don't lose
hope in his promise
and in his goodness.
For example, is anybody
feeling condemned and
defeated by sin?
Bring the promise of
1 John 1, 9 to mind,
that he who is faithful
and just, when we
confess our sins, he
will forgive us and
cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
Put that promise in your
Rolodex.
Maybe you're overwhelmed,
and you don't know how to
pray, and you remember the
promises of Romans 8 that
says, the Holy Spirit
helps us in our
weaknesses, and when we
don't know how to pray,
he intercedes and prays
for us.
Anybody need that promise?
Maybe you're feeling
alone for God.
You pull out the promise
from Hebrews chapter 13
verse 5 that says,
behold, I will never leave
you nor forsake you, and
you say, that's my God.
He keeps his promises to
me.
Maybe you're questioning
salvation, or you've
questioned in the past,
and you pull out the
promise that says,
everyone, everyone,
everyone who calls upon
the name of the Lord will
be saved.
And you say, amen.
I never have to wonder.
God is faithful.
He keeps his promises,
and that one's for me.
Cling to his promises,
church.
Not in wishful thinking,
but by faith, knowing
that Jesus is alive and
on the throne.
And every promise of God
is yes and amen in him.
Hope in your sovereign
king, church, because he
keeps his promises.
Finally, as we move back
to the text, we see a
third truth about God.
It stirs our hearts full
of hope.
It's found in this verse
21, this kind of last
phrase of Obadiah.
It's his truth, that his
kingdom is forever.
His kingdom is forever.
It seems like all along,
the prophet Obadiah has
been speaking to his
people, hey, appearances
can be deceiving.
Right?
In the ancient Near
Eastern culture, the
strength of a nation's
deity, their God, was
seen in military victory
and in prosperity and
wealth.
And here God's speaking
to Israel after they've
been exiled.
Saying, appearances can be
deceiving.
God ends this oracle saying, the
kingdom shall be the Lord's.
And again, he's not just
talking crazy, but now he's
got some explaining to do.
It appears as though the
Babylonian's deity is much
stronger than Israel's.
That Yahweh has finally met his
match and he's defeated and his
people are undone.
But it's not so, God says.
Dominion and authority have
never changed hands.
And they never will.
Our God is in the heavens.
He does all that he pleases.
Psalm 115.
So we know that whether God is
speaking to exiles who have been
recently conquered and shipped off
to Babylon, or if he's speaking to
the 21st century church being
persecuted in every corner of the
world, or speaking to you in your
personal battle with disease or
conflict, God's kingdom is forever.
He is on the throne.
And all of history is moving toward
the day when we will see him.
When appearances align with reality.
We never have to wonder again.
Every eye will see him on that day.
The book of Obadiah begins, if you
remember from last week, it begins
with this, thus says the Lord God.
It begins with the one true living God
who rules over all things as he wills.
Who has no rival to his throne and will
one day fully vindicate his name against
all unrighteousness.
And the book ends the same way.
The kingdom, the dominion, the rule, the
authority, the power will be the Lord's.
And in the middle of the book, you guessed
it, it's the same.
Over and over and over again.
In verse 2, Almighty God promises to
bring this proud and arrogant nation of
Edom down from his mountainous pride.
Verse 7, Yahweh says, I'll turn
Edom's allies into his enemies.
He won't know where it's coming from,
but his armies will be dismayed and
they will be crushed.
God says, surely on that day, in verses
8 and 9, I will cut off the nation of
Edom.
And he did.
He did.
Because his kingdom is forever and he
will not, he will not abide any sort of
enemies to that.
Verses 10 to 14, it just goes on and the
Lord says, I know, Edom, I know all of
your transgressions against your brother
Israel.
And he names them one after the other,
after the other, after the other.
It started in your heart and it just is
displayed and even turning God's own
people back toward their captors.
Rejoicing over their suffering.
And so he says in verses 15 and 16 that
justice is coming, not just upon Edom,
but upon all the nations because God
knows all things and is above all things
and he alone is judge.
He then promises deliverance and
restoration and victory and he means it.
And he's able to do even far more
abundantly than all that we ask or think
because he's God and he has no equal.
So he says to Israel and he says to us
today that appearances may be deceiving,
friends, but God's word is always true.
He is in control.
His kingdom is forever.
What appeared to be the end of the nation
of Israel was actually God ensuring that
his will would be done for Israel and for
all the nations.
Little less than 600 years after Obadiah
wrote this oracle, our Jesus was born.
He was the son of Abraham, son of David.
God promised over and over and over again
that his Messiah would come.
He would come from Judah in the line of
King David.
He would sit on David's throne forever.
He would be given dominion over all things.
His name is Jesus.
He is right now seated at the right hand of
majesty on high.
He right now is upholding the universe by the
word of his power.
He has promised to come again to judge all
people in all nations according to what they
have done.
And when he comes, the victory that he brings,
he will gather people from all the four
compass directions, from the four corners
of the world, he will gather his people to
himself forever.
Deliverance will come for the people of God.
Jesus will bring it.
Listen to Revelation 5 and this scene of
worship after Jesus has come back.
And John writes this.
Then I looked and I heard around the throne and
the living creatures and the elders, the voice of
many angels numbering myriads of myriads and
thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice,
worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and
wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and
blessing.
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and
under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them
saying to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb be
blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever.
And the four living creatures said amen and the elders fell
down and worshiped.
Through and through in our Bibles we see that our God's
kingdom is forever.
Should give us great hope in the midst of adversity and
suffering and the perplexities of life.
God's kingdom is forever and Jesus is king forever.
Christ the king today, store this word in your heart.
Abide in this goodness that we are to hope together in our
sovereign king.
We are to hope in him because he is just, because he keeps his
promises, and because his kingdom is forever.
Let's pray.
Father, would you impart faith by your spirit that we might go
away satisfied in Christ.
Help us to hope in you despite appearances.
Give us grace for everything we need.
We worship and adore you, God.
Pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.