A Study of Obadiah

by Doug Schofield

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, (3rd shortest in the entire Bible, behind 2nd  & 3rd John, respectively).  You’ll find it between Amos and Jonah, four books after Daniel.  Obadiah is classified as one of the 12 minor prophets – not because he or his prophesy was any less important than others, but simply because of the fact that his prophesy is brief.  In fact, Obadiah is very brief, consisting of only 21 verses. “Obadiah” means “servant of the Lord.” Obadiah’s service to the Lord was, at least in part, the reporting of this vision foretelling the destruction of Edom.  Edom is identified as the nation descended from Esau in Genesis 36:1, (more about them later).

Who was Obadiah?  There are 13 men in the Old Testament by the name of Obadiah, but we can not be certain which, if any of those, authored this prophesy.  Jewish tradition holds that it was the Obadiah of 1 Kings 18:3-16 – the events recorded here, however, occurred in approximately the middle of the 9th century BC, when Jerusalem was invaded by Philistines and Arabs during the reign of Jehoram (recorded in 2 Kings 8:20-22 and 2 Chronicles 21:8-20, some 280 years or so prior to the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem.

 Most scholars agree that Obadiah’s prophesy came proximate to the final cataclysm on Jerusalem and Judah by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC, perhaps just prior to the final assault.  The older period would mean that Obadiah was a contemporary of Elisha,  however, the later time frame appears most likely, and there is much more evidence to support it; such as the similarities between verses 1-9 to Jeremiah 49:7-22, and the prophesies of Ezekiel and Daniel against Edom.  It is more likely that Obadiah was a contemporary of these men and of Jeremiah. 

 The first 14 verses foretell the downfall of Edom, but the final verses expand the prophesy to include all of the enemies of God – then, and, perhaps into the future.  Our historical perspective enables us to see that it did indeed extend as far into the future as AD 70. 

 

The Edomites were descendants of Esau, while the Israelites were the descendents of his twin brother Jacob.  Recall that Esau had agreed to sell his birthright to Jacob for a boll of stew; and that later, with the aid of his mother, Jacob deceived Isaac into granting him the blessing intended for Esau.  Even though Jacob and Esau reconciled their differences individually, their descendants never did.  It is for their ongoing hatred and violence against Israel, that Edom is condemned. Rather than help Israel when the nation was being attacked, Edom helped the attackers and took part in the plundering of Israel.

The territory of Edom was a narrow strip of land south of the Dead Sea, north of the Gulf of Aquaba, southeast of Judah and just west of the country of Jordan, inhabited by descendants of Esau.  It is about 100 miles long and about 20 miles wide.  The area is very mountainous, with many crags, clefts and caves, adjacent to the Negev Desert. Their principle city was the famous mountain fortress named Petra, one of the wonders of the ancient world.  The land does not lend itself to agriculture.  Edom’s principle economy was caravan trade and, apparently, robbery.  They were known to export salt and balsam, about the only natural resources in their territory. 

 

Edom was a distinct and separate nation, not to be confused with the modern day Arabs who are descended from Ishmael.  There are no descendants of the nation of Edom alive today – just as Obadiah prophesied.  The first appearance of the name Edom is in Genesis 25:30 where Esau is called Edom (meaning ‘red’).  Next, we find the territory itself mentioned in 32:3, and its location given relative to the Seir mountain range.  The Bible is our primary source of information about this community of people, but there are references to Edom and its people in some of the contemporary literature of surrounding nations, particularly Egypt.  There has been archeological evidence for the existence of the nation as early as the 8th century BC for many years.  And, according to Genesis chapter 36, Edom had a king long before descendants of Jacob (the Children of Israel) had an earthly king, 1 Chronicles 1:43.

 

Bible critics have tried to claim that the Bible is in error because of the lack of hard evidence to support the ancient existence of Edom; but in 2004, the University of California at San Diego conducted an archeological dig in the area which discovered artifacts and evidence of a formal society, including copper works, as early as the 11th century BC,.  The book of Obadiah is one of the best documented in the scriptures, with 367 cross references to other passages.

 

In Deuteronomy 2:4-5 God gave instructions to Moses relative to Edom; “And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore: Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.”  However, in Numbers 20:14-21 we read of the king of Edom refusing to allow the Israelites to pass through the country on their way to the land of Canaan.  This sin against the descendants of Jacob would not be forgotten.

 

400 years later, Israel’s first king, Saul, defeated Edom in battle, and forty years later, as King, David defeated them again with his General, Joab.  According to Josephus’ History of the Jews, an Edmoite prince named Hadad escaped to Egypt, and remained there until after the death of David; then he returned and tried to start a rebellion but fled in failure.  (1 Kings 11:14-25).  During the reign of Jehoshaphat in 914 BC, the Edomites attempted to invade Israel, but failed, (2Chronicles 20:22).   Edom became a possessed territory of Israel from that time on, until after the death of Solomon and later under the nation of Judah.  The Edmoites were ever ready to give aid to the enemies of Judah, and joined gleefully in the plunder of Jerusalem with the forces of Nebucudnezzar. 

 

Edom was puffed up with arrogance.  They found their strength in the weakness and misfortune of others.  They trusted in the natural defenses of the mountainous area of their territory, difficult to reach, and with numerous places to conceal themselves.  But as is always the case with those who fail to put their trust in God, these trusted strongholds were but as dust to the will of God.  Human defences crumble as useless before the will of God.

 
The main theme of the book is the destruction of those who are enemies of God.  Who are the enemies of God?  Now, as then, it is those who will not submit to His will.  There are those engaged in the business of trying to get others to cast aside the authority of the scriptures in matters of faith and worship – they might be called modern-day Edomites.

 

Obadiah does not present the same kind of message as othe prophets, urging repentance, offering an opportunity to obtain redemption.  His message is a final judgement.  God’s final judgment is pronounced on those who will not turn from their rebellious ways.

 

God’s judgement against the children of Esau shows that His justice extends even to those of near kin.  Esau and Jacob (Israel) were the sons of Isaac and the grandsons of Abraham.  Genesis 25:19-23, “And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begot Isaac: And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.   And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.   And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD.   And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.”

We might draw a symbolysm between the two nations of Jacob and Esau, likening them to the conflict that takes place within man, the carnal nature struggling with the spiritual.  (Romans 7:19-21, 23; Galatians 5:17; James 4:1; 1 Peter 2:11).

 

 “Thus says the Lord…”, this or a similar term characterises the writings of the inspired prhphets of the Bible.  There can be no question that his message is from God.  Inspiration is without question, and the message is consistent with that of other contemperaneous prophets.  The inspiration of Obadiah is without dispute.  2 Peter 1:21, “prophecy came not by the will of man, but holy men of God spake” as they were “moved by the Holy Spirit.”  “Thus saith the Lord God…”, verse 1.  Of course, it begins with the words “The vision of Obadiah”  - prophets were sometimes called “seers”, 1 Samuel 9:9, “(Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spoke, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was formerly called a Seer.)”

 

Obadiah uses the plural pronoun “we” in the first verse; this lends strong evidence to the idea that he was aware of the prophesies of Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, his contemporaries.  Given the later date of writing, (587 – 586), he certainly would have been aware of other prophesies against Edom by David, Joel and others. The word rendered rumor comes from the Hebrew shemooaw which may be translated rumor, doctrine, news, report, tidings.

 

Edom is mentioned almost a hundred times in the text of the Old Testament.  This nation of people seemed to perpetuate a deep hatred for the descendants of the younger brother.  Read David’s prophesy in Psalm 137.  Read Ezekiel’s prophesy in chapter 35.  Verse 5 of that chapter mentions the perpetual hatred of the Edomites for the Israelites.

 

The evil intentions of Edom were destined to backfire on them, (verse 7); similar to their own deception of pretending to be an ally of Jerusalem, only to turn to plunder and looting once inside the city.  

 

Verse 14 speaks of their characteristic method of lying in wait as refuges fled the city to cut them off, rob them, and then present them to the enemy as a gift.  Edom may be considered a shadow of the enemies of the church, even those today, who despise the true brotherhood and go about to establish their own ways.

 “And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.”  (Malachi 1:3)  A brief paraphrased summary the complete annihilation of Edom begins with the attack by Nebuchadnezzar late in the 6th century BC, (probably somewhere around 581 or so).  (Ezekiel 36:5)  Edom was  attacked by the Nabateans and driven from their homeland to a region south of Judah.  Those who remained were attacked by a restored Judah, who after conquering them permitted them to remain in the region but required that they submit to circumcision and adopt Jewish law, (according to Josephus).  When Titus besieged Jerusalem in A.D. 70, the Idumeans joined the Jews in rebellion against Rome. Josephus says that 20,000 Idumeans "defended" the Holy City. However, once they actually entered the city, they proceeded to rob and kill, but these traitors received the same fate as the Jews when Rome took over Jerusalem. As assimilated Jews, the remnant of them was finally and completely destroyed by the Romans, except those who had become Christians, (history tells us that no Christians perished in the attacks by Titus of Rome).  Consider Amos 9:11-12, and Acts 15:13-19.  By the time of Alexander the Great there is no mention of Edom of Iduma (as it was called during the Persian empire), in any of the historical records.  As prophesied, Edom vanished from history after these events. 

The last verse clearly points to Jesus and His ultimate kingdom over all.  We learn from Obadiah that God’s promises are true.

 

The Text

 

Verse 1 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. “Thus saith the Lord…”, It seems that most people read this as if it were a line from a work of fiction, but it is a declaration that here is a message from the God of Heaven!  When you read the words that follow, you are actually reading the words of Jehovah God!  To deny this is to deny the inspiration and veracity of the entire Bible.

 

It is clear that Edom is the targeted subject of this bit of divne information.  ‘An ambassador among the heathen’? Assyria, Babylon, the Nabateans, the Chaldeans, the Maccabees, the Romans were all tools used by God to execute His divine retribution both against His own rebellous people, and against those who wronged His people. 

 

The fact that the first nine verses of Obadiah  closely resemble the writing of Jeremiah in 49:7-27 give rise to claims by some who have little regard for the inspiration of the scriptures, that Obediah simply borrowed text from Jeremiah, or at least that Jeremiah’s prophesy influenced his writing.  This is ludicrus!  It is not at all surprising that the Holy Spirit would insprie two different men to write the same message from different places and in different times.  Consider the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all relate many of the same events, (some with more detail, others with less), but all of the basic factual information is in perfect agreement and harmony from each writer; why?  Because they were all inspired by the same Holy Spirit!  Psalms 137:7; Isaiah 63:1-6; Jeremiah 49:17-22;

 

Verse 2 Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised. “Behold I have made thee small…”, note the declarative mood and past tense phraseology, indicating that this is an announcement of the declared will of God – not a threat nor a warning, not a call to repentance, but a fait accompli.  Luke 1:51-52

 

Verse 3 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 pride of thine heart…”.  What did Jesus say about the heart?  Mat 12:35  “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”   He pronounces blessings on those who are PURE in heart, (5:8).  But because of the condition of the heart of Edom, God’s judgment is invoked.  Was the selection of Jacob over Esau simply a capricious whim, or was it the will of God – because God knew the hearts of each.  The nature of Esau’s heart is noted in Hebrews 12:16.  God, in His omnipotence, could see the kind of man each would become.  Of course he gave each the opportunity to make their own choices, neither was compelled by any force outside of himself to act as he did.  They made their own choices, and God knew what those choices would be, and which man would fit His divine purpose in His great eternal plan for the redemption of mankind.

 

Placing trust in worldly goods, whether money or buildings, or other men provides no security, God is the only source of lasting security.  With no regard for spiritual matters, Edom trusted in her mountain fortress and in her ability to con her neighbors.  Who should bring them down indeed, except those people and things in which they wrongly trusted?

 

Verse 4 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.  Most of us mortals have a great deal of difficulty coming to realize that God is greater than all we might imagine to do by ourselves.  Amos 9:2

 

Verse 5 If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave [some] grapes?  This verse foretells the extent of complete destruction God has planned for Edom.  Even a robber will leave something; professional grape harvesters leave some grapes behind, even if not intentionally for the benefit of the poor, (Deuteronomy 24:21), or just by happenstance.  But the doom cast upon Edom is utter and complete annihilation. 

 

Verse 6 How are [the things] of Esau searched out! [how] are his hidden things sought up!  The city of Petra, situated as it was in the rock clefts and crags of the Seir mountains afforded numerous places to hide treasures, to stash loot, places that one might have thought certainly would be secure; but the prophesy is that all will be discovered and taken away.  Daniel 2:22; Matthew 6:19-20

 

Verse 7 All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee [even] to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, [and] prevailed against thee; [they that eat] thy bread have laid a wound under thee: [there is] none understanding in him.  Edom had managed to establish diplomatic relations with the Moabites and the Ammonites, even with Tyre and Sidon, and there can be no doubt that they tried to maintain ties with Babylon and with Egypt, because such was their nature to do.  Yet these confederates failed them, as did those of their own inner circle.  It is a well documented pattern of history that the greatest weakness of any nation is from within.  Those who give the appearance of being allies, even behaving as though they were friends turned out to be enemies.  In their pride and arrogance the Edomites were not able to recognize the treachery in their very midst.  We might write a similar narrative about the invasion of the Lord’s church and the way in which Satan’s workers are able to subvert once-faithful congregations.  Revelation 17:12-17; John 13:18.

 

Verse 8 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?  Edom was not without men who were wise, but wisdom does not necessarily make one righteous.  In Job 2:11 we discover that one of his friends is identified as Eliphaz the Temanite.  Teman was one of the principle cities of Edom.  (This does not offer much help in fixing a time frame for Job however, because Edom’s history extends back from Obadiah more than 1,200 years.)  1 Corinthians 3:19-20.

 

Verse 9 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.  Teman is a city named for one of Esau’s sons.  It was the hometown of Job’s friend, Eliphaz, (Job 2:11).  The armies of Edom were skilled and well experienced in warfare.  The term cut off is used a number of times in scripture to indicate an absolute end. 

 

Verse 10 For [thy] violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.  The violence against Jacob of course encompassed the entire gamut of evil perputrated against Israel over the centuries.  They refused to allow the Isrealites to pass through their country on their way to the Promised Land, (Numbers 20:14-21), they warred against Saul, and against David; Solomon managed to maintain a seaport on their coast, but they rebelled under Jehoram, (about the time of Obadiah’s prophesy).  The nature of their behavior toward Israel demonstrates evil in the heart.  Ezekiel 35:5-6; Amos 1:11

 

Verse 11 In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou [wast] as one of them. The Babylonian invasion of Judah is not the first time that Edom has behaved trecherously against the descendants of Jacob.  Here is given an example of Edom’s conduct on another occasion that took place about 143 years earlier when Jerusalem was attacked by the Philistines, (2 Chronicles 21:17; Joel 3:3; and Nahum 3:10). 

 

Verses 12-14 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. 13 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; 14 Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress.  Obadiah here invokes the perfect tense, not the past tense as though these things had already been committed, not the future tense as though they were anticipated, but pointing out a habitual manner of conduct, a way of thinking, a pattern of the heart.  It might be likened to the father of a teenager about to go out for the evening, the lecture might go something like this, ‘now I don’t want you spinning the tires, no speeding, don’t go anyplace you wouldn’t want me to find you, and be careful about whose company you keep.’  Like giving a set of standards that would qualify one for punishment, then after-the-fact, a reminder of the reasons for punishment that was forthcoming.  Edom had a demonstrated proclivity to this kind of behavior, so the message from God is, “…don’t look on their suffering, don’t rejoice over their destruction, don’t speak boastfully over their distress…don’t go in at their gate, don’t ambush refugees at the crossroads, and don’t hand over survivors to the enemy.”  Edom was about to enter a prolonged period of punishment for their sins, and they would not cease from such behavior until they were ultimately wiped out.  Jude 16-17

 

Verse 15 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.  It is almost as if we can see the prophet turning from the crowd and pointing his finger down the corridors of time to deliver the same warning to all succeeding generations, warning of the coming judgment of the Lord and the consequences of disobeying God.  This warning might be applied with equal force today to those who deal treacherously with the people of God, be they the muslim enemies with whom we are presently at war, or the agents of change inside the very body of Christ, the church of our Lord.  The term “Day of Jehovah” or “Day of the Lord” is used frequently in the Old Testament to refer to points at which God’s retribution against those who do evil would come to pass.  Some such days were certainly, the flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorroh, Ninevah, Tyre & Sidon, the destruction of Samaria capitol of Israel, the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem, and others.  In the New Testament, one such day foretold was the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem; and there can be no doubt that 2 Peter 3:10 uses the term to refer to the final judgment at the end of time.  "For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10).  “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12).  While the term “Day of the Lord” may strike fear in the heart of one who is in rebellion against God, it rings a message of hope and joy to the faithful Christian.  Habakkuk 2:8; Matthew 7:2.

 

Verse 16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, [so] shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.God’s message might be worded like this, ‘as you have drunk in the joy of seeing the calamity of God’s people, you will drink the bitter cup of divine retribution for your sins.’  It was common practice for those celebrating a victory or the downfall of an enemy to drink in celebration, (Daniel 5:1-3).  In Matthew 26:39 our Lord prays in reference to the cup of suffering of which He is about to drink.  In Matthew 20:22 He makes reference to the same drink.  The cup which Edom was to drink would be not just their downfall, but their ultimate and absolute demise.  Look at the History Channel movies today about the city of Petra, and except for the intriguing stone edifices there is no other evidence that the place was ever inhabited.    

 

Verse 17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. “Mount Zion” is spoken of here metaphorically, meaning of course spiritual Zion, the seat of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Revelation 11:15 declares that “…the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”  The house of Jacob – spiritual Israel, the Lord’s church – and what possessions could possibly be in view?  None of the material treasures which Edom had hoarded will survive, only those possessions of a spiritual nature will endure.  The possessions of the Lord’s church are of course the souls of those people who choose to be faithful to God.  There is no indication that any material possessions or land is to change hands, but clearly the promises of spiritual blessings in Christ.  Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” In fact, God’s great eternal plan of salvation is in view – Mount Zion = Jerusalem; deliverance = redemption, salvation in Christ; holiness = the state of Christians;  house of Jacob = the church … (consider through verse 14 of Ephesians 1).

 

Verse 18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, 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].The triumph of righteousness over evil is here assured.  Just as stubble cannot resist nor stand against fire, so the evil works of men will be swept away and burned up by the Kingdom of Christ.  “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” 2 Peter 3:10.  That which does not produce good fruit will be cast into the fire, Matthew 7:19; Those who do not continue faithful to Christ will be cast into the fire, John 15:6. 

 

Verse 19 And [they of] the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and [they of] the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin [shall possess] Gilead.   This verse is a synecdoche, using a part to represent the whole, indicating that the lands and territories of Edom will be taken over completely by others.  This may be seen to extend further as does Isaiah 54:3 in stating “…thy seed shall possess the nations…”; meaning, of course, in a spiritual sense.  There has never been even the slightest hint anywhere in scripture that Israel will possess any political or geographical region, (other than the temporary, limited and conditional granting of the land of Canaan, which was taken away).  That the seed of Israel shall possess the nations is a prophesy that the influence of Christianity will invade and hearts of men of all nations, and that ultimately spiritual Israel will triumph over all earthly domains.  Luke 1:17

 

Verse 20 And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel [shall possess] that of the Canaanites, [even] unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which [is] in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.This verse continues the representation begun in the previous verse. There is an almost amusing amount of speculation among many respected scholars as to the specific meanings of each of the localities mentioned.  Some try to move pieces on a game board, as it were; saying that these will possess that and those will possess the other, etc.  God had promised through Jeremiah to restore Israel to their land after the 70 years of captivity– NOTE: He did not promise to restore the land to them, but them to the land!  Never again did the Children of Israel possess the Promised Land in sovereignty.  Verses 19 and 20 are simply indicating the ultimate and complete triumph of spiritual Israel, (the church), over all of the nations and powers of mankind. 

 

Verse 21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S. “Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviors, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.”(Nehemiah 9:27).

Saviors, many of them, offered the way of the Lord to sinful man form Jerusalem, Mount Zion.  Priests, prophets and preachers proclaimed the word of God, culminating with the very Son of God Himself, and His followers who preached the gospel of salvation.  Yes, Jerusalem did indeed once again ascend to prominence in the “fullness of time”, (Galatians 4:4).  It was in Jerusalem that our Savior was crucified, and from there he said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32). 

 

“And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.”  This is the great culmination of all of the affairs of man – the Lord is king, those who are faithful subjects of His kingdom will inherit eternal life, nothing else matters.  “For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and he is the governor among the nations.”  Psalms 22:28.  “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen”, Matthew 16:13.  “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom” Psalms 45:6, and quoted in Hebrews 1:8.

 

 

 

 

 

Lessons:

1.                 God is in control.  By His divine Providence He influences nations, He alone determines their destiny.  He foretold the events that would shape the world in Daniel, for example; the fate of Israel, Judah, Babylon, and Edom.

2.                 Pride is deceptive, and leads only to disaster, because it ignores God.  Luke 16:15, "What is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God."  Pride can separate us from God’s mercy.  

3.                 God has provided a way to escape the pitfalls of sin. (verse 17).

4.                 We must not ignore the opportunity to help others.

5.                 Strongholds are not strong – earthly security is not secure.  Trust in God is the only certainty.