Neighbours and Brothers

My NLT Study Bible has given me some insight into the animosity between Israel and Edom as described in the little book of Obadiah. And Eugene Petersen (The Message Bible) adds a wry touch when he writes "It takes the entire Bible to read any part of the Bible" as the opening of his introduction to this little book.

Three stories are helpful. Isaac and Rebekah's twin boys, Jacob and Esau, were the ancestors of the people of Israel and Edom respectively. Even though the brothers did eventually reconcile, it seems there was lingering animosity between their neighbouring countries. 

Later, when Moses was leading the children of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land, he requested permission from the king of Edom to pass through that territory. Unfortunately that permission was refused and the book of Numbers records that "the soul of the people was much discouraged..." (21:4). Moses got the blame for their having to now take a much more circuitous route.

Obadiah, verse 11(The Living Bible) indicates a further lack of neighbourliness when Israel was invaded by Babylon:

11 For you deserted Israel in his time of need. You stood aloof, refusing to lift a finger to help him when invaders carried off his wealth and divided Jerusalem among them by lot; you were as one of his enemies.

But the story doesn't end there. The final verse (21) says:

"Those who have been rescued will go up to Mount Zion in Jerusalem to rule over the mountains of Edom. And the Lord himself will be king!" (NLT 2nd edition)

It seems that hostilities ceased. Petersen writes: 

"...the last line of the prophecy takes a giant step out of the centuries of hate and rivalry and invective. Israel, so often a victim of Edomite aggression through the centuries, is suddenly revealed to be saved from the injustices of the past... ...instead of doing to others what had been done to them and continuing the cycle of violence ... they are presented as taking over the reins of government and administering God's justice justly. They find themselves in a new context--God's kingdom--and realize that they have a new vocation--to represent God's rule." 

Is this a clue that when we let God take the lead, hostilities cease?

Alleluia! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth! (Rev. 19: 6)

Julie Swannell

A man of humour

 I like a man with a sense of humour.  This is from Pastor Chuck Swindoll's blog Insight for Living:

"Who wrote the book?

"In this, the shortest book of the Old Testament, it seems the prophet Obadiah considered each word a high-priced commodity. Apparently, he was unable to afford any words describing himself or his family in any way. Therefore, while twelve other men named Obadiah appear in Scripture, Old Testament scholars cannot identify with certainty any of them as the author of this book. Though the ultimate identity of this prophet is shrouded in mystery, Obadiah’s emphasis on Jerusalem throughout this prophecy of judgment on the foreign nation of Edom, allows us at least to presume that Obadiah came from somewhere near the holy city in the southern kingdom of Judah."

Joyce Voysey ☺

Animosity?

Our new friend this month is Obadiah, a prophet who was probably writing around 580BC although my KJV Study Bible indicates a possible alternative date of ca 848BC.

The Bible mentions the name Obadiah 20 times, but all but two of these refer to other chaps, not our prophet.

Mr. Obadiah has an arresting opening paragraph:

The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. (Obadiah 1:1 KJV)

The NLT translates the Hebrew text like this:

This is the vision that the Sovereign Lord revealed to Obadiah concerning the land of Edom.

We have heard a message from the Lord that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say, “Get ready, everyone! Let’s assemble our armies and attack Edom!”

The reader of this short book will note a focus on the country of Edom*, located south of the Dead Sea. Wikipedia gives a "theoretical" map - reproduced below.

A short video explaining the topography of ancient Edom (now part of Jordan) is helpful. It's pretty rugged terrain and it was roughly 110 miles (117 kms) north to south. (As a comparison, the distance from Brisbane CBD to Maroochydore is about 103km.) 

So, why the animosity between two neighbouring countries? Why did Edom’s trust in the following (noted in my Study Bible) irk Israel?

• 1.    Geographical security (vv. 3-5)
• 2.    Diplomatic treaties (v. 7)
• 3.    The counsel of her famed wise men (v. 8 & Jer. 49:7)

One recent writer gives the reader something to hang on to when reading this rather difficult book:

“It helps to understand that [the Minor Prophets] were writing in deeply distressing times, when they believed that the life of their people was at stake.” (See "Obadiah—Spiritual Forth-teller" by Michael William Hamilton in The Christian Science Journal May 2008).

As I ponder how animosity can arise between neighbours, relations, and neighbouring countries, I am reminded of something written by Mary Baker Eddy:

Nothing will be lost, however, by those who relinquish their cherished resentments, forsake animosity, and abandon their strongholds of rivalry.
(The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 40:11–14)

Julie Swannell

*Edom is mentioned 97 times in the Bible – more research opportunities!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edom#:~:text=Edom%20(/%CB%88i%CB%90d%C9%99,century%20BC%20by%20the%20Babylonians.