Obadiah 1:1-4

Edom Will Be Humbled

¹The vision of Obadiah.
Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom--
We have heard a report from the LORD,
And an envoy has been sent among the nations saying,
"Arise and let us go against her for battle"--
²"Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You are greatly despised.
³"The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
You who live in the clefts of the rock, In the loftiness of your dwelling place,
Who say in your heart, 'Who will bring me down to earth?'
⁴"Though you build high like the eagle, Though you set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down," declares the LORD.

The section summary says, "Edom will be humbled," so you already know, if you have done any reading or heard any Scripture, that what follows is not going to be pretty. [Interesting to note that Jeremiah 49: 14-17 echoes these very passages of Obadiah.]

Obadiah has received a vision from God, and he emphasizes the source of his speech through his use of "Thus says the Lord God...."

An envoy, or messenger, brings news to the nations that they should rise up against Edom. Why? Did other nations have something against Edom? Sure, every nation has enemies. But to go to battle...right now? Truly, God was the one who had something against Edom, and He was the one with the sovereign power to control the situation (i.e., convicting Edom's enemies that "now is the time").

God turns His focus directly to Edom in verse 2: "I will make you small among the nations...." Small. The King James Version says "small among the heathen," which refers to Gentile nations. God said He despised Edom. The roots for the English word despise come from roots that mean "to look down upon" and to look upon as a "spectacle." As we continue to read through this short book (and the words from the other prophets) and discover what happened to Edom, we will see clearly that God chose His words with great intent.

Verse 3 brings us, literally, to the heart of the matter--"Arrogance of the heart." Pride. Edom had built up its own sense of security. It was located in a very high and rocky place. Rock climbers with gear might reach the city of Petra (which means rock), but Edom was otherwise its own impenetrable fortress. It took the luxury of its physical position for granted and its blossoming self-reliance led it to sacrifice any reliance upon God in the process.

Pride is not one of those things God takes lightly. Note Proverbs 16:18--"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Edom was one of the worst offenders. The people who proclaimed, "Who will bring me down?", not expecting an answer.

But God answered, through Obadiah, that He looked down upon Edom--literally, figuratively and in every other way! The bird of prey with its aerie in the starry skies--no match for the God who created them and everything else.

As we read on, God unveils His plans for the destruction of Edom. 'Til next Wednesday!

A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing....
Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing....
Lord Sabaoth, his name,
From age to age the same,
and He must win the battle.

--from "A Mighty Fortress is Our God," Martin Luther

Photo: blog.bibleplaces.com/2006/12/visiting-jordan.html

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Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.

I also use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).