God has enemies. This truth is difficult to stomach. It can be hard for us to square with other truths we read in our Bibles, truths like “God is love” (1 John 4:8). But don’t take my word for it. Consider Scripture’s testimony:
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.” (Ps. 66:3)
God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered. . . . God will strike the heads of his enemies. (Ps. 68:1, 21)
The LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. (Nah. 1:2)
Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)
God has enemies, and the book of Obadiah is a short prophetic oracle about God’s action against his enemies. Ultimately, however, it’s a message of hope for God’s people.
2 Boys, 2 Nations
In Obadiah, God’s enemies are the Edomites, and if we’re going to understand this short book, it’s important for us to know exactly who they are. Edom’s biblical history begins in Genesis 25 when Isaac and Rebekah become proud parents of twin boys: Esau and Jacob.
Brothers are frequently competitive, but these two are in competition from the womb (Gen. 25:22–23). The tension continues throughout their young lives. Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew (Gen. 25:29–34), and later Jacob steals the family blessing that should be reserved for Esau (Gen. 27). As a result of their conflict, the twins part ways, and the descendants of Jacob become the nation of Israel while the descendants of Esau become Edom.
The strife between the two boys continues in discord between their descendants. One prominent example of the strife between the two nations occurs when Edom refuses to give the wandering Israelites safe passage through their country (Num. 20:14–21). Perhaps their location encourages Edom’s arrogance in the face of Israel’s plight. Many Edomite cities sat atop mountains more than 5,000 feet above sea level. The narrow tracks that led to these cities made them almost impregnable to invading armies. Thus, there was no need to pity Israel.
Like their forefathers, these twin nations wrestle with one another. As Douglas Stuart writes, “Israel’s estranged brother nation opposed its kin at every possible point from the time of the exodus until the Babylonian conquest of Judah and Jerusalem, which it welcomed and abetted” (421). The strife even persists to the time of Christ when Herod the Idumean, a descendant of Edom, seeks to kill the newborn king of the Jews (Matt. 2:1–12).
Brotherly Betrayal and Glorious Hope
The prophet Obadiah reinforces the intimate, brotherly relationship between Israel and Esau. Their shared family history leads the prophet to see Edom’s actions as a family betrayal. While Jacob’s descendants in Jerusalem experience invasion, destruction, and exile, Esau’s descendants watch (Obad. 1:10–11), rejoice in the evil (v. 12), and even join in (vv. 13–14).
So, the prophet declares, “Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever” (v. 10). The proximity of the terms “violence” and “brother” in that verse should stick in our throats as we read. Just as Jacob once feared Esau (Gen. 32:7), so Israel now fears the Edomites who seek to hand them over to the Babylonians (Obad. 1:14).
Obadiah reinforces the intimate, brotherly relationship between Israel and Esau. Their shared family history leads the prophet to see Edom’s actions as a family betrayal.
But the day of the Lord is coming (v. 15), and with its arrival, Jacob’s descendants will enjoy deliverance from all God’s enemies—including Edom. On that day, God’s wrath will justly punish his enemies (vv. 15–16) and Jacob’s descendants will escape to Mount Zion (v. 17).
Zion was the name given to the area of Jerusalem where the temple stood. The temple represented the meeting point between heaven and earth, between God and humanity. It was there that God dwelt with his people. Mount Zion reminded the Israelites that God reigned supreme above and beyond the chaos of human history. He would be the One who would rescue them.
The rescue described in Obadiah reads like a geography lesson:
Those of the Negeb 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 Zarephath,
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
shall possess the cities of the Negeb.
Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion
to rule Mount Esau,
and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s. (vv. 19–21)
These words arrive as a glorious hope for the bruised, battered, and beleaguered Israelites of Obadiah’s day. God here promises to crush his enemies and rescue his people. Verses 19–21 are a description of the promised land. The places listed all surround Jerusalem: Negev to the south, Shephelah to the west, Ephraim and Samaria to the north, and Gilead to the east. The promise is that all the land around Jerusalem will belong to Israel, and the exiles, who were taken away by the Babylonians (with the aid of the Edomites), will again settle there.
Good News for Enemies like Edom and Us
The truth is we need a God who has enemies. As Scott Sauls writes:
If there is no judgement, then there is no hope for a slave, a rape victim, a child who has been abused or bullied, or people who have been slandered, robbed or had their dignity stolen. If nobody is called to account before a cosmic judgement seat for violence and oppression, then victims will never see justice. We need a God who gets angry.
We need a God who responds to the evil of enemies with justice. But how do we behave towards our enemies?
It would’ve been easy for Jacob’s descendants to thumb their nose at their Edomite enemies. The same danger is present for Christians.
Like spoiled children who know their parents will defend them in any and all circumstances, it would’ve been easy for Jacob’s descendants to thumb their noses at their Edomite enemies. The same danger is present for Christians. If, in the end, God wins by rescuing his children, why not gloat in the assured victory heading our way?
First, we must remember that we too were once enemies. Paul explains that “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,” (Rom. 5:10). Second, we must obey our Savior’s command to love and pray for our enemies (Matt. 5:44). A vindictive sneer will not evidence our sonship of our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:45). And then, we must hold out Jesus. Rather than hunting down God’s enemies in order to proclaim judgment over them, we should seek them out and declare: While we were still enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son. The same offer stands for you today.