Obadiah: War Is Coming

Obadiah proclaims that war with God is a losing proposition. The Lord indicts Edom, Israel's blood relatives, for their treachery. They stood by and cheered as the Babylonian Empire sacked Jerusalem. This betrayal was ultimately against God, who declared that Edom, the house of Esau, should serve Israel, the house of Jacob (cf. Gen. 25:23). By despising this yoke, Edom declared war against the Lord. As a result, God would raise up the nations to destroy Edom. Edom's fate is illustrative of the peoples and nations of the world that rebel against the yoke of God's lordship. The terrifying prospect for rebels is eternal conscious punishment in hell (e.g., Matthew 25:41, 46; Luke 16:24, 25; Rev. 14:11). The only hope for peoples and nations is Jesus Christ. All who believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). These new creation glories are for God's people who, with Christ, shall inherit the earth in the kingdom of God (e.g., Matt. 5:5; Rom. 8:19; Rev. 11:15-18; ch. 21). While the world seeks to cast off the yoke of God's lordship in the spirit of Esau, those who take on Christ's yoke by faith shall enter God's new creation rest now and forever.