Likely written soon after Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C., Obadiah’s vision from God addresses something far worse than the overpowering judgment of God in reducing Jerusalem to ashes.
What appalls God even more than that? It is that the ancient rivalry between Jacob and Esau, which began in their mother’s womb and has continued between their families for hundreds of years, culminates with Esau’s treachery in actually aiding and abetting the Babylonian army in trapping and killing Jacob’s family. That is, Edom is traitor to Israel.
It is Edom’s blatant disunity that reflects God’s heart and desire for perfect unity by contrast:
“Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever” (1:10, ESV).
God’s judgment for treachery to a brother of sister in the Lord is to be cut off from the family of God. Suddenly there are only eleven tribes of Israel.
What Babylon has done to God’s children was God’s plan of judgment being carried out. But in retrospect, God gives Esau’s family at least eight commands that they should have understood from the beginning:
“Do not gloat over…your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress; …do not gloat over…his misfortune; do not boast in the day of distress…do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity; do not cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress” (1:12-14).
Here we should pause and reflect on God’s heart for unity in our times. The first things that come to my mind are the French and Spanish inquisitions, hundreds of years ago, when brothers and sisters in Christ massacred each other in terrifying tortures. And of course, more recently, we remember the Christian complicity in betraying Jews in Nazi Germany.
What about today? I don’t know much about persecution of Christians around the world, but that in itself is a cop-out. It goes on every day, all over the world, yet I go about my business almost as if it doesn’t exist. We need to know more and speak out more!
But there is also what goes on in the family of the local church. These are times of sweeping change, with regarding worship styles and preaching styles. Some churches have adapted to change at the expense of existing family members and grown dramatically; others have tried to preserve tradition and have ended up closing their doors.
So are there commands of God that we should be listening to, making sure that we are not picking winners and losers in our church and siding with the winners?
We could start by acknowledging that the changes in our churches are God’s plan to serve new generations of believers and draw them closer to him. We could assume that this will all work out eventually according to the promises of the Lord. We could commit to whatever it takes to not abet Babylon, that is, Satan, but rather stand with all our brothers and sisters, as long as it takes.
Obadiah’s vision is punctuated by this negative warning of judgment on the nations:
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return upon your own head” (1:15).
Change “nations” to “churches”. Read it again. This warning can also become a beautiful blessing of restoration in response to a new repentance of the church of Jesus in perfect unity.
Oh, brother! Oh, sister! Choose unity over winners and losers!