Tonight, I want us to look in the manner of prophecy of Obadah. Obadah. Each year, for several years, I have tried to read through the Bible, reading three chapters in the Old Testament and one chapter in the New Testament each day. You may easily read through the Bible. I usually begin in the book of Genesis and go through that way, and I encourage everyone at least one time to read the Bible straight through. But this time I began with the Minor Prophets, reading the Minor Prophets on the first day, Hosea. And I read this prophecy last week. It's the shortest of these 12 Minor Prophets. It only has 21 verses. There's only two books in the whole Bible that are shorter than this, and that is 2 and 3 John, 21 verses in this prophecy. Someone might say, well, how do we know that this is the inspired word of God? We know this because The Apostle Paul asked the question, what advantage then hath the Jews? And he said chiefly, to them was committed the oracles of God, that is, the word of God. And so the books in our Old Testament were the books that the Jews accepted as being inspired. Never question about these Old Testament books, because the Jews recognized the inspiration. I think in some of the Jewish books, they had the 12 minor prophets as only one book, but we have them divided into the 12 prophecies. In reading through the scriptures, I know we always look for Christ. That's always our goal, to see if we can see Christ, because we know that all the scripture some way points to him or testifies to him. Our Lord told the Jewish leaders of the day when he was here in the flesh, he said, search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life. Well, when he told them to search the scriptures, this was part of the scriptures that he told them to search. And he said, and they are they which testify of me. Now, as you read through this letter or this prophecy of Obadiah, It is basically one of judgment, one of judgment. Obadiah is prophesying the judgment that God is going to bring upon Edom. But as I read through it several times, I said, well, where is Christ in this prophecy? And I believe we see him in verse 17, where the prophet said, but upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance. In other words, to the church, Mount Zion, the deliverer, the deliverance and the deliverer is promised. But after reading the prophecy several times, I think the key word, the key message for us is found in verse 18, where you read the very end, for the Lord hath spoken it. For the Lord hath spoken it. And that concerns all the scriptures. Whether it be prophecy of destruction, prophecies of judgment, or promises of blessings, all is going to take place, why? Because the Lord hath spoken it. God's Word is sure, no matter where we find it. Now, the prophecy begins in verse one, declaring that the vision, the prophecy, concerns Edom. The vision of Obadiah, thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom. And I want us to look at this prophecy today and four divisions. First of all, who was Edom? The vision, the prophecy, concerns Edom. Who was Edom? Well, the Edomites were the descendants of Esau. And the name Edom literally means red. This name was given to Esau. Because he sold his birthright for some of Jacob's red pottage. Esau, red. Look back with me into the book of Genesis. Genesis chapter 25. Genesis chapter 25 in verse 30. And Esau said to Jacob, feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage, for I am faint. Now notice, therefore, because of him desiring this red pottage, therefore was his name called Edom. And if you have a Bible with a marginal reading, you see in the margin, it means red. Also look in Genesis 36, Genesis 36, verses 8 and 9. We're answering the question, rather, who was Edom? Edom is the descendants of Esau. Here in Genesis 36, verses 8 and 9, Thus dwelt Esau in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom. And these are the generations of Esau, the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir. Also look with me in Deuteronomy chapter two, where we are told where they were given their habitation. In Deuteronomy chapter two, In verse number 12, the Orams also dwelt in Seir before time, but the children of Esau succeeded them when they had destroyed them from before them and dwelt in their stead. as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the Lord gave unto them. The Edomites, they dispossessed the Horems from the land of Seir." Now, the word Seir means hairy, hairy, H-A-I-R-Y, hairy, and it could It could not possibly be simply a coincidence that when Esau was born, he was given that name Esau because he was hairy. Look back to Genesis 25, 25 again. Genesis 25 and verse 25. Remember Esau was a twin, Esau and Jacob. Verse 24 says, and when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb, and the first came out red all over like an hairy garment. He was hairy. Esau was. And so he is given, he and his descendants are given a mountain range by the name of Seir, S-E-I-R, which means hairy. And this mountain range, it wasn't just one mountain. I know it's called Mount Seir, but it wasn't just one mountain that they were given, but it was a mountain range, which from what I read, lay to the south of the Dead Sea. So who was Edom? Obadiah, the vision of Obadiah, thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom. A second thing I wanted us to consider is when did Obadiah prophesy? Now, when you read through this prophecy, and it's very easy to read through it, much of it is spoken as if these actions of Edom had already taken place. Look in verse 11. In the day that thou stoodest, that is, Edom, you stood on the other side in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, that is, the nation of Judah, and foreigners entered into his gates and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger. Neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction. Neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress. Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity. Yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. Now reading those three verses, it sounds like what they did was already done. when Obadiah gave this prophecy. It sounds like what they were accused of doing, charged with doing, they had already done. But I believe that this prophecy of Obadiah took place sometime before Jerusalem was captured by Nebuchadnezzar and destroyed. We cannot be certain about that. There are 13 Obadiahs in the Old Testament. And none of them, none of the 12 other than this one, this could not have been any of those other Obadiahs. The one that I think most of us think of or remember the most is when Elijah met Obadiah. Remember, Elijah had told the king there would not be rain upon the earth for until he spoke his word. We know it lasted three and a half years. And at the end of that three and a half years, he came back. God sent Elijah back to Israel. And who did he come in contact with? Obadiah. But it wasn't this Obadiah. It wasn't this Obadiah. But I believe that this prophecy was prophesied sometime before these things actually happened. But it's written as though they had already taken place. And there again, it reminds us of God's word that it will come to pass no matter how long, no matter what takes place in the meantime. God's Word is going to be fulfilled. Heaven and earth may pass away, but not one jot nor one tittle of the Word of God is going to pass away until it is all fulfilled. Now why, why preacher, do you believe that this prophecy was given before Jerusalem was actually destroyed? I believe so because we know the prophet Jeremiah did prophesy before and up to the destruction of Jerusalem. And what's amazing about that is, or revealing about that is, Jeremiah quoted Obadiah. Jeremiah prophesied before Jerusalem was destroyed, and he quoted Obadiah. I wanna just give us one example, but if you look here in Obadiah verse four, the prophecy was, though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord. Now turn with me to Jeremiah chapter 49, And this is just one, there are several of these verses in Obadiah that Jeremiah quoted. So the prophecy evidently, most certainly was written, given before Jeremiah prophesied and he prophesied before Jerusalem was destroyed. But here in Jeremiah chapter 49, And just to show that this concerns Edom, verse seven says, concerning Edom, thus saith the Lord of Hosts. Now look down to verse 16. Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart. O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill, Now notice, though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle. Isn't that what we read in Obadiah? Absolutely. Though thou makest thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord. The Lord hath spoken it. That's what we see, the Lord has spoken it. And maybe Obadiah prophesied several years, many years before Jeremiah prophesied, and maybe people began to think, well, that prophecy's not going to be fulfilled. Time has gone on. But Jeremiah quotes the prophecy himself as to show that God's word will be fulfilled. The Lord hath spoken it. God's Word will certainly come to pass. Even if years pass, even if years lapse between Obadiah and Jeremiah, it makes no difference. God's Word is sure. Let God be true and every man a liar. And remember the words of the Apostle James in the New Testament. He made this statement, known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. And so before Jerusalem was destroyed and before Edom took advantage, they mistreated their brother, that is Judah, and God brought judgment upon them for their actions. God knew that from before the foundation of the world. So God could prophesy years before the prophecy comes to pass, but it's going to come to pass because known unto him are all his works from the beginning of the world. Now here's a third subject or matter, and I, I put down what important lesson should we learn from this prophecy? What is the important lesson that we should learn from this prophecy? And here it is. Those who suffer, those of mankind who suffer the wrath of God in hell, do so because of their sin. Everyone, everyone who suffers the judgment of God, everlasting destruction, separation from God, will suffer that penalty because of his or her sin. Obadiah prophesies the absolute destruction of Edom. Notice back here in Obadiah, verse nine, the absolute destruction of this nation. Verse nine, and thy mighty men, O Teman, that was a city in Edom where wisdom evidently was especially plentiful. Thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed to the end that every one, not most, not the largest percentage, that every one of the Mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter. And then notice down again in verse 24, excuse me, verse 18, And the house of Jacob shall be afire, and the house of Joseph aflame, and the house of Esau for stubble. And they shall kindle in them, and devour them. And there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau, for the Lord hath spoken it. But here is the lesson. When we think and read about the destruction of Esau, his descendants, we automatically think about the difference that God made between Jacob and Esau, these two twins. God said, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. Look with me in Romans chapter nine. Romans chapter 9, beginning with verse 11. For the children, that is Esau and Jacob, being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Now sometimes men will say, well that just means that he loved Esau less. The point is, God made a difference. God made a difference between these two men. He loved Esau, he hated Jacob. Or he hated Esau. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? That's what men automatically say, isn't it? When they hear this truth, when they hear the word of God, that's not fair. That's not fair. For God to choose one and not choose the other, that's not fair. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Is God unfair? Is God unjust? God forbid, the apostle answers, doesn't he? For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, why, why doth God yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay, but, O man, who art thou that replyest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had aforeprepared unto glory. even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles." Here's the lesson. When we think and read about the destruction of Edom, and our minds go back to the truth that God has declared concerning Jacob and Esau. Now it's clear from scripture, as one writer said, that vessels of mercy are vessels of mercy and shall never be vessels of wrath. And vessels of wrath are vessels of wrath and shall never be vessels of mercy. It is also just as clear from scripture that no one goes to hell because of God's purpose. God and I don't see Bill in here right now, but he was telling, there he is, he was telling me of speaking with someone not too long ago about God's sovereignty and the man said, well, I just can't believe God created any man to send him to hell. He didn't. He didn't. God did not create men just to send them to hell. All men are created for God's glory, first of all. Everything that He has created is for His glory. But vessels of mercy are prepared by grace for glory. But notice vessels of wrath are fitted, fitted to destruction. And man fits himself. He fits himself for destruction. Men, women, all who suffer eternally the wrath of God, do so because of their obstinate, willful rebellion and their unbelief. Esau, he is in hell today because he despised Christ, because he preferred the world to the Son of God, because he preferred a bowl of beans to gratify his flesh for a moment He preferred that to God's eternal inheritance of grace. Now, Edom would perish just as Obadiah prophesied. Edom would perish. They would be absolutely cut off, but for the same reason. Not because God purposed their destruction, but because of their hatred of God and His people, which is displayed in their conduct here. Edom would be and was destroyed. They were destroyed even before Christ came. They were destroyed, but they were destroyed for their sin. And I want you to notice where it all begins. where it all begins, the sin of Edom. Notice in verse 3. The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee. That's where it all begins. Esau, Edom, his thought was that he was invincible. His home or habitation was in the high cliffs, in the rocks, and he was convinced that they could not possibly be destroyed. But this is true of all men by nature, all men who perish under the wrath of God. Their hearts deceive them, the heart which is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things. And Jeremiah said, who can know it? And man deceives himself. He deceives himself because of his pride and because no doubt his refusal to hear the word of God, to hear the message of Christ. But notice the last thing here, the promise deliverer coming to Mount Zion in verse 17. I said, this is where we see Christ. The Redeemer shall come to Zion. That's from Isaiah 59 and verse 20. But upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance. And that verse, the Redeemer shall come to Zion, is quoted by Paul in Romans 11. And instead of Redeemer, it is Deliverer. There shall come out of Zion the deliverer, or there shall come to Zion the deliverer. John Gill said deliverer and redeemer have the same signification, really. In the law that God gave to Israel at Sinai, provision was made for people who needed deliverance. There was a year of Jubilee. The 50th year was a year of Jubilee, and that's when all debts were canceled, all property was restored to the rightful owners, and people were allowed to go back to their homes. The year of Jubilee. If you look with me in Luke chapter four, I believe it is. Yes, Luke chapter four. And verse 18. The Lord Jesus, you're familiar with this passage. When he came back to Nazareth after he had been baptized and tempted in the wilderness of Satan, he returned to Nazareth and goes into the synagogue on the Sabbath and they hand him the scroll. And he finds a place in the book where it was written, verse 18, the spirit of the Lord is upon me. Because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, and others, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." The acceptable year of the Lord, the year of Jubilee. And then notice in verse 21, the Lord Jesus said, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. So there was provision in the law for deliverance the year of Jubilee. Well, you say that only came around every 50 years. I understand that. But there was another provision in the law for those who needed to be delivered. And that was of the kinsman redeemer. If a man had in poverty sold himself into servitude, then he could be redeemed. His property could be redeemed. But there was three requirements for a man to redeem another man. Number one, he had to be kin to him. The Lord Jesus Christ became bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, that he might be our kinsman, redeemer. Number two, he had to be able. If he was in debt, he couldn't redeem anyone else. The Lord Jesus Christ, he had no sin of his own, did he? And number three, he had to be willing. He had to be willing. And all three of those we find in our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. And since our Lord came, this year of Jubilee has continued until tonight, until today. It is still the year of Jubilee. The Lord hath spoken it. All that come unto me, I will and no wise cast out. That's what he spoke. That's what he said. All that come unto me I will in no wise cast out. If a man doesn't come, he cannot blame that on God's purpose. He bears the fault himself. The Lord has spoken it, and everything that he has spoken, it is the truth. It shall come to pass. Well, I pray the Lord would make this a blessing to all of us here tonight. Obadiah. I don't know if I've ever preached from Obadiah before, probably never will again, but it's part of all scripture given by inspiration of God, isn't it?