But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his inheritance. Jacob will be a fire and Joseph a flame; Esau will be stubble, and they will set him on fire and destroy him. There will be no survivors from Esau.” The Lord has spoken. Obadiah 17-18 (NIV).
This is a prophecy about Jesus who was, is, and is to come. Because Obadiah was written hundreds of years before the Earthly life of Jesus, it was about Jesus yet to come. Jesus hadn’t yet lived here as a man, so Obadiah’s words were clearly about the time of the common era anno domini.
And they were also clearly about the time after that, the time when, after the life of Christ, the last known remnants of Esau’s lineage would be extinguished. After the Herods died out and the Idumeans were no more, there would be no more survivors from Esau. The verses are clearly about this.
Last, they are clearly about the time when Jesus will clearly return. He promised that He would return, and all 300+ prophecies about Jesus of Nazareth being the Christ came true, were fulfilled only in Him. Knowing that everything He said about Himself was true, we have every reason to believe, to KNOW, that He will return. That, when He returns, God’s chosen people – those who believe in Jesus the Christ – will possess His inheritance. God’s original and subsequent promises will both be renewed. Those who mocked Him by mocking His people will be made subject to His justice.
Until then, we get to learn from what has happened so we may live lives in anticipation of what’s ahead. We can choose to live in trepidation and dread of it, or we can choose to live in constant celebration of Him who gives eternal life to all who believe in Him. Those who reject Him will ultimately live in constant regret of that choice; wouldn’t it be better, then, for us to live lives that share Jesus’ promise instead of focusing on what so many people dread?
In church yesterday (at Grace Bible Church Creekside, in College Station), the minister touched on that very subject. Wouldn’t it be a deeper praise to our God for us to live our lives in ways that help others want to know more about Him? Yes, the end is going to come one day, whether it’s 10 minutes or 10000 years from now. Shouldn’t we use our today’s to help others join in the celebration? It’s why Obadiah wrote what he did.
For further reading: Psalm 69:35, Isaiah 14:1-2, Joel 2:23, Zechariah 8:12, Zechariah 12:6, Obadiah 19
Lord Jesus, teach me ways today to share You for other people so that they may know You, too.
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Practical Proverbs 