What can we learn from "the vision of Obadiah [and the words of] the Lord God concerning Edom" through 21 verses in 2023?

1. God rules in the Kingdom of Men 

Obadiah 1:1-2,18 "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. Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised... there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it."

God reveals how he felt about Jacob and Esau and those that follow in their respective ways. Romans 9:13-14 says "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid." Promises were made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that spoke of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

God reminds us in Daniel 4:17 that "the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the lowest of men". If we as individuals, communities or countries go against God's will and ways we will be removed. 

2. God hates Pride

Obadiah 1:3 says "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?"

The Scriptures tells us in many places that "the Lord detests all the proud of heart" and "pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:5,18).

3. God is the Righteous, Wise and Mighty Judge and is in Divine Control of All

Obadiah 1:4-9 "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... Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter."

God is patient and longsuffering and gives us as individuals, communities and countries opportunity and time to follow his ways. He is in control and Romans 2 asks us to consider whether we can "escape the judgment of God?... But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds" (Romans 2:2-6)

4. God Cares for His People Israel and All Those Who Love Him

Obadiah 1:10 For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.

Zechariah 2:8-9 reminds us that "whoever touches you [Israel] touches the apple of his eye –I will surely raise my hand against them". If we try to frustrate the will of God we will not succeed.

5. God's Standard Requires Us to Be Compassionate

Obadiah 1:12 "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."

God's standard is one that is compassionate to the stranger and asks us to "not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles. Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him." (Proverbs 24:17-18). Jesus reminds us "if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:14-15).

6. The Day of the Lord is at Hand: Choose Your Side

Obadiah 1:15, 17  "For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head...But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions."

Obadiah reminds us that Israel and Jerusalem are at the centre of his plan for the earth (Genesis 12:2-3) and that no one can escape his will and purpose. Whether we are on the side of Edom or on the side of Jacob is for us to decide. Jesus is coming back (Acts 1:11)!

Inspired by the Bible Class by K. Crane and the 5 Powerful Lessons from the Little Book of Obadiah

Hymn 418 - FARSI - New every morning is the love - For understanding from WCF on Vimeo.

“Behold, how good a thing it is, And how becoming well, Together such as brethren are In unity to dwell.” 

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm 46 fills us with a sense of awe; one cannot avoid concluding it is a prophecy that has its ultimate application to the climax of the era in which we live, an age when God is ignored and is thought not to exist. We live in a time when people are saying, as Peter put, “all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation” (3:4) – a time when they deliberately ignore the records of God’s actions in the past, discounting them as fiction. [Read More]

Listen to our Christadelphian Kenyan brothers and sisters from Chwele Town Ecclesia performing hymns in Swahili. How many do you recognize?

Bwana tunapoachana: https://bit.ly/40Fk8KH

Hizo rehema za Mungu: https://bit.ly/3TJF80q Nitwae hivi nilivyo:

Anxious thoughts, threatening opponents and impending danger all seem so much more real and insurmountable in the darkness of the night, so sleep doesn’t always come easy to human beings, even to believers. Psalms 3 and 4 both assert that the terrors of the night can be conquered through faith, however, and in psalm 4 the particular angle is the psalmist’s faith in light of the frustrating naysayers that surround him. They threaten to sap both his energy and his confidence, but the Lord can be his stay.

[Read More]

Our walk and service should be done through faith, in love, humility, patience, self-denial, and resignation of will to the will of God as Christ modelled.

Service should be from the heart and cheerfully - not reluctantly or under the feeling of compulsion. Attitude matters.

Do all work heartily FOR God not man

Let is abound in the work of the Lord

How does the Bible describe itself?

The Bible contains what God wants man to know about him and the purpose He has with the earth - His creation. These two passages from the New Testament give us a good summary of the Bible, or Holy Scriptures:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:20-21

What did Jesus Say about the Bible?

Jesus says to the people of his day, For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? John 5:46-47

Jesus read his Bible and believed it to be God's word. That it was important to read to find out about his Father - our God and his purpose with the earth.

Jesus challenges us to:

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. John 5:39

Read the Bible each day!

27 November (6pm): Why read the Bible (GE Dawe)

4 December (2pm): Have ye not read?" - Jesus' challenge regarding the Bible (D Brown)

11 December (6pm): Bible teaching about Baptism (D Blacklock)

18 December (6pm): Can there ever be true justice? (P Crossley)