violence (9), their love of destruction (12-14) repaid with utter destruction (10,18). Obadiah predicts that downtrodden Israel will rise again, while Edom will disappear from the face of the earth.
This prediction came precisely true. Edom was destroyed, not by Israel, but by a series of foreign invaders. The last remnant of Edomites were destroyed in the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Ironically, the nation that had tormented Jews in Jerusalem later died defending that city.
Why does this blood feud earn a place in Scripture? It demonstrated God's ongoing protection of his people from their enemies. It also shows that God's standards extend beyond his chosen people. Every nation will be judged, like Edom, by their own standard: "As you have done, it will be done to you" (15). |
