Title: God, Ruler of Everything (Ob 01:1)
Contents
There are 39 books in the Old Testament, which one is the shortest? It is made of one sheet. Yes, it is Obadiah. Obadiah is in the middle of the Minor Prophets. It is a single chapter and consists of 21 verses in all. It's easy to overlook because it's short, but that's a bad idea. Because it is short, there are probably many of you who have never studied the Obadiah Bible in your lifetime and never even heard a sermon. So, let's take this opportunity to look at the book of Obadiah. Just because it's short doesn't mean it's unimportant. For example, which of the jewels is the most valuable? It's a diamond. How small is it? Rather, it is more expensive because it is small. Also, a telegram is shorter than a letter. It's a short telegram because it's more important and urgent. Obadiah can be thought of as a telegram sent by God to us.
The Jews have traditionally loved the book of Obadiah very much. Among them, I loved the last five verses so much that I called them the Golden Page. What does this book of Obadiah teach us? The wicked seem to be prospering and multiplying outwardly, but because God's justice is alive, they will surely be judged, and the righteous now seem to be suffering, but God saves the righteous and in the end the glory of the righteous will be revealed. It is a precious word that tells us the truth.
Today, as an introduction, I want to share the grace with you while thinking about the first verse. Let's read verse 1 again. “This is the vision of Obadiah, thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom: We have heard from the LORD, that an angel has been sent among the nations, saying, Arise, and let us rise up and fight with him.”
What is the title of the book? It is called “the vision of Obadiah.” Since the title is too short, I added a subtitle. When you look at a book, does it have a title and a subtitle? What is the subtitle of this book? “Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom.” It can be seen that the book of Obadiah is the central content of God's words about Edom. I'll ask. What book is right before Obadiah? This is the book of Amos. Please see the last chapter of Amos 9:12. “They will inherit the remnant of Edom and the nations that are called by my name, saith the LORD, who does this.”
He said there were some left in Edom. So what happened to most of them except the remnant of Edom? It was destroyed by the judgment of God. Obadiah is the book that explains what will be the fate of Edom. So the book of Obadiah must logically come after the book of Amos. What the fate of Edom will be is the content of Obadiah.
The contents of the apocalypse that Obadiah received continue to come out. The main body of this book is written. “We have heard from the LORD.” What's the news? Let's see. “Soon an angel was sent among the nations.” Except for Edom, what kind of countries were there? There are several nations such as Moab, Ammon, Philistia, Tire, and Sidon. An angel sent by God has gone out of these nations. It was to convey God's command.
Among God's messengers, there was a man who went to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, when he was commanded to go and cry to Nineveh, man. Who was it? It was Jonah. Therefore, the book of Jonah appears immediately after Obadiah. So, logically, Obadiah has to be located between the books of Amos and Jonah, although it is short. What did this messenger say when he was sent out of the nations? “Arise, let us rise and fight with him.” Who is “he” here? Edom. It means fighting against Edom. Because God is the master of the nation, God raises up the nation or destroys the nation. God is sovereign over the whole world.
Look at the last verse of Obadiah, verse 21. “The saviors will come up on Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Esau, and the kingdom will belong to the Lord.” The owner of the country is Jehovah God. Because God is in control of a nation, He makes a nation prosper and destroys it. The rise or fall of a nation is in the hands of God. The country is the same as the family. Who is in charge of our home? He is God. It is God who is in control of our personal life, life and death. Therefore, I hope that we will always be more strongly dependent on God and live our lives.
I'll ask. How many words did Jesus say when he died on the cross? It was seven words. That's why it's called Virtual Chileon. What is the last word among them? Is “It is finished” the last words? no. His last words were, “Father, into your hands I entrust my soul.” How instructive is that? I do not know how gracious it is every time I meditate on those words deeply. As Jesus said so, we will be able to say it at the last minute, on the day God calls us. Then you probably won't be able to speak properly. You won't be able to lift a single finger.
But how grateful I am to be able to entrust my soul to God our Father. We have one who can entrust our souls to the last. Because God is in control of everything. I can't tell you how reassuring our hearts are when we think that there is someone who can entrust our souls to our souls, like Jesus' prayer and Stephen's prayer, even in those last moments when we are speechless and unable to move.
Just as the God of Ebenezer has cared for us until now, he will be with us now with Immanuel, with Jehovah Jireh to prepare everything and lead us ahead, and on the last day, with Jehovah Nissi, he will surely sing the victory song. We pray in the name of Jesus that you and I will all become more firmly dependent on this fact and relying on our God, who is the Lord and Ruler of everything, more firmly.