Ensign: Obadiah's Story

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. Isaiah 18:3

AN ENSIGN ON THE MOUNTAINS 7 March 2014

[I had several system glitches this week as I was composing the Ensign I had planned to release today. In fact, I had it nearly done yesterday and then a virus threatened to creep in; I saved the text right after I saw the warning, but when the computer I used reset, said text was a casualty of war. I remember most of it and doubtless it will appear, if the Lord tarries, next Friday. Or not.

The name “Obadiah” came into my mind after said event yesterday, and out of the archives – I originally wrote this message February 3, 2006, in the midst of a series I was writing on the Old Testament's Minor Prophets (Hosea through Malachi) – I bring forth this little treasure. For truth be known, I forget what I wrote a heck of a lot! But what I need to learn from it stays with me. Perhaps it works that way with some of you too. Have a great weekend, David]

Considering the length of the book for the fourth "minor prophet", the title of today's devotion might be a misnomer. But these twenty-one verses got into the biblical canon for a reason -- and it's a much better reason than showcasing God's judgment on a nation. The vision of Obadiah concerning Edom, the central topic of this book, goes back to that country's first mention in the Bible, Genesis 36:1. Edom is equated with Esau who founded the country. Despite the fact that Esau had forgiven his younger brother Jacob for stealing his birthright and his blessing before they met for the last time as recorded in Genesis 33, he most likely had not forgotten. In one of the earliest practical applications of the adage "good fences make good neighbors", Jacob – from whom the people history knows as Israelites would descend – settled toward Shechem and Esau returned to mount Seir.

Fast forward a thousand years. When the Israelites left Egypt as recorded in Exodus, Edom was a grand kingdom the Israelites had to pass around in order to reach (or you could say return) to the Promised Land. Over the centuries, though, Edom got whittled away bit by bit – first by the monarchy under David and Solomon, then by Judah itself. By the time Obadiah was most likely written, both Israel and Judah had fallen to outside powers, and the refugees received no mercy from their country cousins. "Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape." (14)

But behold! After being "small among the heathen" already (2), God prophesies through Obadiah the fall of Edom anyway. Bullies tend to be that way too; the problem with being a bully on the playground or on the international stage is that the same grouping that does something for your benefit is acting first on its own. And when someone or something bigger than you is on the prowl . . . you become a tempting target. Our history is full of examples when people and nations stood by and let others get taken over because what happened hundreds or thousands of miles away didn't affect them. Unfortunately, that lack of compassion bears down on those who didn't render it as well.

I admit that a lot of Obadiah's vision makes more sense if you understand the context in which he's writing. But we tend to look at famines and disasters happening far away (sometimes even in our own communities) as not affecting us either. God will judge us as individuals and nations (21) for looking down on the poor, the sick, and the oppressed. We don't necessarily have to become Mother Teresas, but what we can do, we should do to ease that suffering. There's more to this twenty-one verse message than depicting the fall of nations. It depicts our fall without compassion for others, and that is Obadiah's story for us.

Sincerely yours,

David

P.S. I write this weekly devotional to keep in touch with all of you in my address book, and I hope to be an encourager to action too! If you find that I'm not or you want me to get lost, just let me know -- thank you!

Thank You, Lord, that we can still come to you in prayer, that You provide for all our needs -- even when we don't know what they are. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem on both sides of the fence in that region and around the world.

Thank You, Lord, for everyone in leadership and service, both here and abroad. Thank You for the opportunities we have and the promise of new life! I pray that we all seek and have a blessed week! Amen.