Obadiah

Read Today's Passage

Obadiah is very small as a book. There is one oracle here to reflect upon, and it is very simple to understand. Or is it?

This is not the first time we have seen Mount Zion referred to in the Old Testament. It is the Jewish belief that Zion is where ultimately we will all end up (those of us who are among God's chosen people, anyway). We see a prophecy against Edom (the descendants of Esau) of how God will cut them down from their lofty high horse. He also gives them a warning against taking advantage of His people in their day of disaster.

What is really interesting about this prophecy to me is that instead of a prophecy to the people of Israel here, we have a prophecy specifically to the descendants of Esau of how they are too proud and should stay away from Israel when she falls. Yet they are told about the Day of the Lord in which all people of God will celebrate together. They are shown what that might look like and told essentially that they will have no part in it. They have had their time, and now that it is almost over, there will be no more time for them.

Very finite, don't you think?