Obadiah - We're been watched.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, people of all ages and ancestry—black, yellow, white, blue, purple, and green—from wherever you're joining us and from wherever you're reading this, hallelujah and praise the Lord!

For those who may not know, "Hallelujah" is not an English word.

I'm excited to continue our journey through the Bible. This year our focus has been reading through the Old Testament, and I thank God that a number of friends came on board. Their participation has encouraged me to keep reading, studying, researching, and digging deeper—not only into what the Scriptures say, but also into what the biblical writers intended to communicate and, above all, what God Himself wants us to hear. This years focus is a shift from seeking revelation towards a realization posture. We intend to know the planner(God), the plan and find our place in that grand plan.

Our journey has now brought us to the book of Obadiah.

Obadiah is one amazing little book. It is so short that you can comfortably read it in under four minutes—even if you're a slow reader like someone we all know!

The name Obadiah appears about twelve times in the Old Testament. Two Obadiahs stand out in particular. The first is the servant of King Ahab who feared the Lord greatly. While Queen Jezebel was hunting down and killing the prophets of God, this Obadiah courageously hid one hundred of them in two caves and supplied them with food and water (1 Kings 18).

The second is the Obadiah we are about to study—the prophet. He appears at a crucial moment in Israel's history, in the history of the surrounding nations, and in God's unfolding story of redemption.

The name Obadiah simply means "servant of Yahweh" or "servant of the Lord." It comes from the Hebrew words 'oved (servant) and Yah (the shortened form of Yahweh). Apart from serving as a prophet, Scripture tells us very little about him. His background remains largely hidden. What remains is his message.

Before we read it, remember something we've been discovering throughout our study of the prophets. God communicated through His prophets in several ways. Sometimes they spoke His message, other times they lived it, sometimes they acted it out through symbolic actions and few times they wrote it down. Obadiah's message was first proclaimed and was later preserved in writing, allowing us to read it today. His audience was the nation of Edom.

Who were the Edomites?

They were the descendants of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob.

Their story begins with Abraham, who sent his trusted servant back to his homeland to find a wife for his son Isaac. God led that servant to Rebekah, who became Isaac's wife. After a period of barrenness, God blessed them with twins—Esau and Jacob.

Genesis tells us that Esau was born reddish and covered with hair (Genesis 25:25). Later, after selling his birthright for the famous red stew, he came to be known as Edom, a word meaning "red" (Genesis 25:30). His descendants therefore became known as the Edomites.

They settled in the mountainous region of Seir along the King's Highway, one of the major trade routes of the ancient Near East. We'll come back to the significance of that location as we continue our study.

As we open Obadiah, I want us to keep two questions before us that arise directly from the opening verses of the book.

"The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Sovereign LORD says about Edom: We have heard a message from the LORD: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, 'Rise, let us go against her for battle.'" (Obadiah 1)

Notice something remarkable. A messenger is first sent to the nations(plural), calling them to prepare for war against Edom. Yet the majority of the prophecy is addressed to Edom itself. By the time we reach the closing verses, we discover who some of those surrounding nations are. But before we get there, the prophet wants Edom to understand why judgment is coming.

So as we read this short but powerful book, I want us to wrestle with two simple questions:

First: What exactly did God say about Edom?

Second: Why did He say it?

The Edomites had crossed a line. They had done something so grievous that God declared, "This cannot continue." Since they refused to stop, God Himself would intervene. That is the story we are about to explore together.

With only twenty-one verses, the book of Obadiah is one of those books where every sentence—and almost every word—carries weight. Once the introductory statement is out of the way, the prophecy wastes no time getting to the point.

"See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised." (Obadiah 2)

That is the declaration.

Notice that God says among the nations, not simply against one nation. Edom had sinned against one people, but the judgment would be witnessed by all peoples. The nation that considered itself untouchable would become an example before the rest of the world.

The Lord continues:

"The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?' Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares the LORD. (Obadiah 3–4)

These verses are more than poetic language. They describe the very landscape in which the Edomites lived.

Earlier we mentioned that Edom occupied the mountainous region of Mount Seir along the King's Highway. What made them different from many other nations was not only where they lived but how they built. Most people take stone from the mountain and use it to build houses elsewhere. The Edomites did the exact opposite. Instead of breaking the rocks apart, they carved their homes into the rocks themselves. They built magnificent dwellings inside cliffs. Others built on top of the rocky heights. Their roads(a siq) wound through narrow passages between towering walls of stone. Even today, archaeologists continue to marvel at what remains of these cities. A visit to the region leaves little doubt as to why they felt secure.

When Obadiah says, "you dwell in the clefts of the rock" and "your habitation is high," he is describing reality, not merely using symbolism.

Their confidence was understandable. Their homes rested on foundations they had not laid with human hands. They lived surrounded by natural fortresses. Looking around, they could easily ask, "Who can bring us down?"

The tragedy, however, was not that they lived among the rocks. The tragedy was that their location became the source of their confidence. Pride has a subtle way of doing that. It quietly transfers our trust from the Giver to the gift, from the Creator to the created, from God to the things that seem to make us secure. The Edomites believed their mountains made them untouchable.

God simply replied, "Even if you build your nest among the stars, I will bring you down." No fortress is beyond His reach.

As you continue reading, especially from verse 6 onwards, you'll notice the prophecy begins alternating between the names Edom and Esau. This is an intentional reminder from the prophet that these are not strangers. The Edomites are the descendants of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob.

Which naturally leads us to the next question.

Why would God pronounce such a severe judgment?

Why would He say, "I will make you small among the nations. You will be greatly despised." The answer is given plainly in verse 10: "Because of the violence against your brother Jacob..."

Everything that follows unfolds from those few words. The issue was not simply political. It was not merely territorial. It was deeply personal. It was family.

Verse 10 gives us the reason for God's judgment in one clear statement: "Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever." (Obadiah 10)

The next question is obvious. What was this violence?

Many Bible readers immediately think of the time the Israelites journeyed from Egypt toward Canaan and requested permission to pass through the land of Edom (Numbers 20:14–21). The Edomites refused.

Moses even assured them that Israel would pay for any water they drank or any damage they caused along the way. Yet Edom still refused them passage. Israel could have fought. Humanly speaking, they probably would have won. But God had instructed Israel not to fight the descendants of Esau, and they obeyed.

That event revealed the tension between the two brothers' descendants.

Obadiah, however, is pointing to something even darker. Beginning in verse 11, the prophet takes us into the day Jerusalem fell.

• While foreign nations planned against Judah... Edom watched.
• When invaders entered Jerusalem... Edom watched.
• When lots were cast over the city... Edom watched.

They stood on the other side, did nothing, no warning to their brother and no aid. They simply watched. Then it became worse. Verse 12 says they rejoiced over Judah's destruction. They mocked their brother in the day of his distress. Instead of mourning with those who mourned, they celebrated their downfall. Then they crossed another line.

Verse 13 tells us they entered Jerusalem after the city had fallen. They walked through the gates of a defeated people. They gazed upon their affliction and joined the looting, laying their hands on the possessions of those who had already lost everything.

As if that were not enough, verse 14 says they stationed themselves at the crossroads. The word is literal.

Israel lay at the crossroads of the ancient world. Major trade routes connecting Africa, Arabia, Asia, and the Mediterranean passed through the land. Later, Galilee would even become known as "Galilee of the nations" because peoples from every direction travelled through it.

Those crossroads became places of escape. As survivors fled the invading armies, hoping to disappear into neighboring lands, the Edomites waited for them there. They intercepted those trying to escape. Those who managed to hide were hunted down. Those who survived the invasion were handed over to the enemy.

This was no ordinary conflict between neighboring nations. This was family.

Esau's descendants stood against Jacob's descendants. Brothers watched brothers perish and that is where one truth kept pressing on my heart as I read this book - God was watching.

Every act - Every decision - Every opportunity to show mercy - Every opportunity to remain silent.

God saw it all.

Long before He was known to Israel as Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who provides, He had already revealed Himself to Hagar as El Roi —"the God who sees" (Genesis 16:13).

Obadiah reminds us that El Roi never stopped seeing. Unlike other gods(idols), His eyes see.

He saw when Edom remained silent while nations planned against Jerusalem. He saw when they stood and watched. He saw when they rejoiced over another people's pain. He saw when they entered the city to enrich themselves. He saw when they blocked the roads. He saw when they handed survivors over to their enemies. Nothing escaped His notice. He saw Esau.

I could not help but wonder whether that same truth is one of the great lessons of Obadiah to our present day reader.

God watches how nations treat other nations. He watches how tribes treat other tribes. He watches how families treat one another. He watches how neighbours treat neighbours. He sees it all. He is El Roi.

In our own context, He watches how Americans treat Arabs. He watches how Arabs treat Africans. He watches how Africans treat Asians.

Closer to home, He watches how Kambas treat Kikuyus, Kikuyus treat Kalenjins, Kalenjins treat Luos, Luos treat Luhyas, and every other community He has made.

The Tower of Babel scattered humanity into many nations. It did not give us permission to hate one another. Love your neighbor as yourself. The sin of hate is is equated to murder by The Lord.

Tribalism, racism, prejudice, and every form of hatred strike at something precious to God because they are directed against people made in His image.

Yet the matter goes even deeper.

Throughout the Old Testament, God called Israel "the apple of His eye." To touch them was to touch Him. In the New Testament, Jesus extends that same intimacy to His Church.

"Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40)

When Saul persecuted believers, Jesus did not ask, "Why are you persecuting them?" He asked, "Why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4)

The Lord so identifies Himself with His people(Israelites/Church) that our treatment of one another becomes our treatment of Him.

Perhaps that is why Paul urged believers to be especially devoted to doing good to "those who belong to the family of believers." (Galatians 6:10)

Even Proverbs says, "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord." (Proverbs 19:17)

God is not distant from humanity. He is personally invested in those He made in His image.

That is why Obadiah's message is so sobering.

• While Edom remained silent... God was watching.
• While Edom mocked... God was watching.
• While Edom looted... God was watching.
• While Edom blocked the escape routes... God was watching.
• While Edom handed over the survivors... God was watching.

Then El Roi spoke. "As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head." (Obadiah 15)

The justice of God is not impulsive. It is informed by perfect sight. He judges because He has seen. He responds because nothing has escaped His eyes.

Yet the book does not end with judgment. It ends with hope. "But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his inheritance." (Obadiah 17)

The same God who sees oppression also sees His people. The same God who sees injustice also remembers His promises. The same eyes that watched Edom's cruelty were watching over Zion.

El Roi sees both the oppressor and the oppressed and because He sees, He judges with righteousness and He saves with mercy.

Then, "the kingdom shall be the LORD's" is the last line in that prophecy. From nations to kingdom. From Esau to the LORD. There's more to this prophecy than meets the eye.

Selah.