"On Your Head"
[Obadiah 15-18]
March 18, 2007 Second Reformed Church
Israel fell a final time and was taken into captivity in Babylon in 586 B.C. Jeremiah tells us a great deal about the siege and destruction of Israel and all that God would do thereafter. Obadiah was sent specifically to preach against Edom, a nation east of the Jordan, who were the biological brothers of Israel.
We remember that Jacob and Esau were twin brothers, and Jacob tricked Esau out of his birthright and blessing, so Jacob inherited the promise and the blessing -- Jacob became Israel. Esau's descendants became Edom. And for centuries, there was a rivalry between the two nations.
Edom was prideful and arrogant and blamed Israel that she had not been honored with the promise of God, yet she neglected to remember that God had given Edom her own nation and blessed her as well. Self-blinded to the good God had done for her, when Babylon attacked Israel, the Edomites helped the Babylonians defeat Israel and carry her off into captivity.
For this, and all her sins, God was very angry, and God sent Obadiah to tell Edom that she was going to be destroyed, her neighbors were going to turn on her and kill her, God was going to make sure that every single Edomite was slaughtered.
Still, Edom laughed, believing that her location and her money would keep her safe. But God told her that she would fall, her wealth, her land would be lost, and she would be punished by death for her treachery and for turning traitor on her kin.
And God told Edom that whatever she did to Israel would come back upon her head. She would receive from God, exactly what she meted out to Israel.
Jeremiah recounts this in greater detail:
"Concerning Edom. Thus says the Lord of Hosts [YHWH Elohim]: Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished? Flee, turn back, get down low, inhabitants of Dedan For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time when I punish him. If grape-gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings? If thieves came by night, even they would only pillage for what they wanted. But as for me, I have stripped Esau bare, I have uncovered his hiding places, and he is not able to conceal himself. His offspring are destroyed, his kinsfolk and his neighbors; and he is no more. Leave your orphans, I will keep them alive; and let your widows trust in me.
"For thus says the Lord [YHWH]: If those who do not deserve to drink the cup still have to drink it, shall you be the one to go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished; you must drink it. For by myself I have sworn, says the Lord [YHWH], that Bozrah shall become an object of horror and ridicule, a waste, and an object of cursing; and all her towns shall be perpetual wastes.
"I have heard these things from the Lord [YHWH], and a messenger has been sent among the nations: 'Gather yourselves together and come against her, and rise up for battle!' For I will make you the least of the nations, despised by humankind. The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, who hold the height of the hill. Although you make your nest as high as the eagles, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord [YHWH].
"Edom shall become an object of horror; everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its disasters. As when Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors were overthrown, says the Lord [YHWH], no one shall live there, nor shall anyone settle in it. Like a lion coming up from the thickets of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly chase Edom away from it; and I will appoint over it whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who can summon me? Who is the shepherd who can stand before me? Therefore hear the plan that the Lord [YHWH] has made against Edom and the purposes he has formed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the little ones of their flock shall be dragged away; surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. At the sound of their fall the earth shall tremble; the sound of their cry shall be heard at the Red Sea. Look, he shall mount up and swoop down like an eagle, and spread his wings against Bozrah, and the heart of the warriors of Edom in that day shall be like the heart of a woman in labor" (Jeremiah 49:7-22).
This should remind us of what Jesus said, "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will separate them one from the other, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'
"Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'
"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked, and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'
"Then they will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and we did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:31-46).
So we hear the same word from Jesus this morning: what we do and don't do -- good and evil -- will come back on our heads. We will receive back what we have given -- to others and God.
And it seems that most Americans would respond to this, "Well, alright. I'm a decent person; I'm going to be alright. I've done good for others. I go to church. I donate to charitable organizations. I haven't been perfect, but I've been better than most. I haven't kept all the commandments, but I think I've kept at least seven..."
What we need to understand is that the judgment of our works is not the basis of salvation. Listen again, this is very important: the judgment of our works is not the basis of salvation. We are and will be judged by our works -- even in this life, we talk about things "coming back to haunt" us. And there is a judgment of our works to come on the last day.
Edom received part of the judgment while in this life -- every one of them was slaughtered. Every one of them died in war. Every Edomite suffered the consequences of their sin. And God said, "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).
Yet, God also said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:8-10). The Gift of God, Salvation in Jesus Alone, is the Only Salvation -- for Edom, for Israel, for us.
Obadiah then informed Edom, that just as she rejoiced and lifted a drink to celebrate Israel's defeat, so shall all the nations lift a drink and rejoice in Edom’s demise.
It is a hard thing for us to reconcile, but there are people who will suffer eternally, and there are people who will be in everlasting joy in the Kingdom of God. And somehow, those in the Kingdom will rejoice in seeing the justice of God on the damned. Understand, the Bible does not teach that those in the Kingdom are sadistically thrilled to see the damned suffer, what we are taught is that those in the Kingdom will rejoice to see God's Justice.
And here is hope for the Israel of God, for all those who believe in Jesus Alone for Salvation, there is an escape in Mount Zion. No matter what we suffer here, not matter what we go through here, even if we are ill and sick and abused, when the Kingdom is fully come, the Israel of God will all be safe, perfected, and glorified in the Kingdom.
But God told Edom that the day would come when Israel would return to the land , and not only that, she would burn up Edom. God would restore Israel and destroy Edom. So God has promised us:
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"'See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more; for the first things have passed away.'
"And the one who was seated on the throne said, 'See, I am making all things new.' Also he said, 'Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.' Then he said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns will fire and sulfur, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:1-8).
Our works will be judged, but our hope is not in our works. Our Hope is in the escape to Mount Zion that God provides through Jesus Christ Alone.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You that our Salvation is not based on our works, for if it were, we would perish, just as Edom did. We thank You for the Gift of Salvation in Jesus Christ Alone. We ask as we live out this Gift, that You would cause us to do the good works that You have planned for us, that in the Day of Judgment, You would be glorified and well-pleased. For it is in Jesus' Name we pray, Amen.
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