Idols of the Heart

 

What is idolatry?
Before we examine our topic let’s have a quick look at what idolatry is as it will set the tone of our examination of ourselves in respect to ‘Idols of the Heart.’

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word ‘idolatry’ as something like this: “extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone.”

From a Biblical perspective a Christian should only worship God in this way and no one or nothing else! God should have first place in everything in our heart in our soul, spirit and in every fibre of our being!

Exodus 20:3-5 (NKJV)

3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them (or worship them). For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting (or punishing) the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

And we should love God in the same way!

Mark 12:30 (NKJV)

30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

Ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden man has been making carved images out of stone, wood and various metals and bowing down to them and worshipping them and making sacrifices to them both animal and human. Gods like Baal, Molech, Dagon, and the many Egyptian, Babylonian and Medean gods.

And in much the same way these practices are continued today in many modern forms of religion like Budhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Satanism and Islam. Even today man bows down to myriad of false gods created by their own hand and minds. Many Roman Catholics bow down and worship the Pope and bow down and pray to images and pictures of Mary and angels and the so-called saints of different things!

All these things man has used to replace the one true God within their lives and culture! God who is the creator of all things, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God considers this type of worship of false gods as rebellion against Him and this rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and our stubbornness to change, He considers to be iniquity (or sin – a wicked act) and idolatry

1 Samuel 15:23 (KJV)

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

As I have already stated, Idolatry has been part of man’s sinful nature ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Idolatry is evident in all tribes and nations in all recorded history and on all earth’s continents from the pyramids in Egypt to the pyramids in South America. From the stone statues on Easter Island to the Stonehenge in Wiltshire, United Kingdom and from the cave paintings in Africa to the cave paintings in North America.

Ancient idols come in all shapes and sizes and are made of various natural elements and shaped by man’s hands and vain imaginations.

Modern day idols come in different forms as well from money and possessions to humans in the form of Church and Community leaders and various other so called celebrities.

But all idols have one thing in common, they all come from one source – the devil!

An idol is something that a person devotes him or herself to or trusts in for so called self-satisfaction, happiness, security or a false sense of salvation. An idol is anything that is loved more than God and takes you away from worshipping God. An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart, “If I have that I will be happy, my life will have meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.”

We will not find our purpose in life in idols of the heart or false religion, we will only find our purpose in life in Christ Jesus who is the giver of life, the bread of life the author of our salvation and perfecter of our faith. Our one and only provider is our heavenly Father in Christ Jesus. Only God knows what we need and what is truly good for us!

1 Chronicles 29 12 (NKJV)

Both riches and honor come from You,

And You reign over all.

In Your hand is power and might;

In Your hand it is to make great

And to give strength to all.

1 Samuel 2:8-9 (NKJV)

8 He raises the poor from the dust

And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,

To set them among princes

And make them inherit the throne of glory.

“For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,

And He has set the world upon them.

9 He will guard the feet of His saints,

But the wicked shall be silent in darkness.

“For by strength no man shall prevail.

Matthew 6:26 (NKJV)

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Philippians 4:19 (NKJV)

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Now, getting back to the main topic of this article:

What are the modern-day idols that we set up in our hearts, the things that we place before God and that draw us away from putting Him first in our lives?

Idolatry goes much deeper than bowing before carved statues of false gods.

Idolatry is found in a heart that loves and desires something more or other than God.

Idolatry of the heart is found in the person that is led by fleshly desires and not by the Holy Spirit.

John 3:6-7 (NIV)

6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’

Romans 8:5-8 (NIV)

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

The phrase “idols of the heart” comes to us from Ezekiel 14.

Ezekiel 14:4-8 (NKJV)

4 “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, 5 that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.” ’

6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations. 7 For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself. 8 I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

In the above five verses God tells us that anything we put before our worship of Him and hold them in our hearts is idolatry and is something that He will not put up with and urges us to repent of these ‘idols of the heart’ and to return to Him wholeheartedly. He tells us exactly what happens to us when we hold on to these ‘idols of the heart’:

• They cause us to stumble into sin – verses 4 and 7.

• We become separated from God, we separate ourselves from Him – verses 5 and 8.

• All forms of idolatry is an abomination in the sight of God – verse 6.

• The Lord will deal with us himself – verse 7.

• God will set himself against us – verse 8.

• God will cut us off from Himself – verse 8.

God evaluates idolatry based upon the attitudes of the heart, not just the actions of the individual. God views heart idolatry to be as severe a sin as external idolatry – the worship of craven images and statues etc.

A person can maintain all the external features of faithful worship of God and still secretly carry in his heart a pantheon of false gods – some of these heart idols are shown in the above diagram but there are many more. If we carry idols in our hearts, then our hearts are far from God regardless of our outward appearance of faithfulness.

Matthew 15:8 (NKJV)

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,

And honor Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

As born again Christians we need to examine our hearts and our motives for doing things! Would we rather watch a sporting event than study our Bible or go to a Church meeting at our local place of fellowship or a Home Group meeting?

Are we driven to strive for more money just to get a bigger bank balance or do we spend more time at work than we do with our families and with God? Are we driven by self gain and strive for recognition and position in the workplace, a striving that is all consuming?

Do we put our wives, husbands, children, brothers, sisters or friends before our relationship with God? These relationships are all very important but none are more important than our relationship with God. Our relationships with each other should be first and foremost rooted in a strong relationship with God first!

Do we take our children to play sports on Sunday mornings rather than teaching them to put God first and go to Church so that everything else can fall into place? Do we please the cravings of their flesh which lasts only momentarily rather than teaching them to honour God, feeding their spirit which leads to eternal life rather than feeding their flesh which leads to death!

Matthew 6:33 (AMP)

But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.

Do we put our ministry before our personal relationship with God? Don’t let anything come before your love of God and your personal relationship with him? And if you are a married Church leader – do not neglect your wife and family either for they are your calling too!

Dear readers, stop doing the things that prevent you from having a personal relationship with God and prevent you from having a Godly order in your life and in particular your marriage if you are a married leader!

The greatest command is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Mark 12:30 (NKJV)

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

Loving something more than God not only breaks the great commandment, but God also considers it to be idolatry as well. To love something more than God is to worship idols. The Apostle John warns us to keep away from idol worship that come in many shapes, forms and sizes!

1 John 5:21 (AMP)

Little children (believers, dear ones), guard yourselves from idols—[false teachings, moral compromises, and anything that would take God’s place in your heart].

Luke 14:26 (NKJV)

26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Hate in the above verse is a purposely exaggerated figure of speech indicating that we should have a lesser degree of love for others than we have for God, not actual hostility or aversion toward one’s earthly family. We are still to love each other but our love for others should be rooted in our love for God first!

God knows your heart, you cannot hide anything from Him!

Jeremiah 1:5 (NKJV)

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;

Before you were born I sanctified you;

I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

Psalm 139:13-16 (NKJV)

13 For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NKJV)

9 “The heart is deceitful above all things,

And desperately wicked;

Who can know it?

10 I, the Lord, search the heart,

I test the mind,

Even to give every man according to his ways,

According to the fruit of his doings.

Hebrews 4:12-13 (NIV)

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father
I bow before you now and repent of the idols I have kept in my heart, forgive me Lord of this sin and help me to sin no more. Lord, help me to remain in you always. Lead me and guide me in my daily walk in the power of your Holy Spirit. When I slip, Lord, help me to return to you quickly with a true repentant heart as your servant David did. Help me to be a man/woman after your own heart that my lifestyle, my actions, and my speech may glorify the name of Jesus. Help me, Lord, to love others as you love me and to lead a Godly and ordered life, keeping my eyes always on Jesus and being led by the Holy Spirit. Help me not to harbour idols in my heart, Lord and to keep you first in all things. In the precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!

What does remaining in the vine mean?

 John 15:1-17

To me this passage of scripture (John 15:1-17) shows us a wonderful picture of how God loves his children both as individual people and corporately as the Church of Jesus Christ. In these verses we are shown a picture of true fathering by a loving Dad.

It shows a love that nurtures, encourages, teaches, and disciplines. It teaches that we face consequences when we step out of line with the parameters (the Bible) that the Father has set for us, when we wilfully remove ourselves from his shade and covering and walk in disobedience to our loving Father.

God is love and he expects his children (the Church) to love one another as he loves us!

1 John 4:7-12 (NIV) 

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 

The Apostle John in his The Gospel of John and in his letters to the Church (1, 2 and 3 John) shows us in the way he writes, that he has such a special brotherly love relationship with the Lord and is thus able to write about God’s love for us with such truth and conviction. The heart of love he had both for the Lord and for his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, could very well be the reason why the Lord chose him to close off the Bible by bringing us the last and final chapter in the Bible to us, the Revelation of Jesus Christ to His Church!

Right, now that we have set the scene in love, let’s continue looking at our main topic of ‘remaining in the vine.’

From John 15:1-17 I will attempt to give a simple explanation of our topic by splitting the verses into three sections. Firstly verses 1 – 5, secondly verses 5-8 and lastly verses 9-17.

John 15:1-5 (NIV) 

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 

 

When we examine our first section in verses 1-5 above, what do we see?

We see that Jesus is the vine and that God the Father is the gardener. He tends the vine, moulds it and shapes it. Jesus is in total submission to the will of the Father (Matthew 26:39) even unto death on a cross, just as a vine is to the one who tends it, the gardener.

Matt 26:39 

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 

• Jesus is the vine and we, the Church, both as individuals and corporately, are the branches. And when we are in Christ Jesus (born-again) the Father tends us as well, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

• God cuts off every branch that bears no fruit. What fruit should we be bearing? I believe it is the Fruit of the Spirit and the good works that proceed from us when we live life in the Spirit – when we are led by the Holy Spirit just as Jesus was when he was ministering on earth in his human capacity! Let the Fruit of the Spirit be manifest in us and through us to others. Just as they were in Jesus! We should continually bear good fruit just as we should be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

 

Ephesians 5:18 (AMP) 

Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him. 

 

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (AMP) 

7 “Blessed [with spiritual security] is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord

And whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord.

8 “For he will be [nourished] like a tree planted by the waters,

That spreads out its roots by the river;

And will not fear the heat when it comes;

But its leaves will be green and moist.

And it will not be anxious and concerned in a year of drought

Nor stop bearing fruit. 

•  As we walk in Christ Jesus, God leads us into maturity by pruning us so that we will bear more good fruit and will continue to bear good fruit. Sometimes this pruning can be quite painful as he cuts away the things of the world that are still clinging to us!

• Jesus tells us that we are already clean because we, if we are born-again, are in him. But……we must remain in him, being obedient to His Word (Bible) in every way and being led by the Holy Spirit. If we don’t remain in the vine (Jesus) there is a consequence! The Father will cut off every branch (any of us) that does not remain in Jesus and bear much fruit.

Let’s now examine verses 6 – 8 below.

 ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Let’s pause here from our topic and examine two words in verse six – ‘fire’ and ‘burned.’

The Greek word for fire used here is ‘pur’ (ref: Strongs 4442) and refers to the eternal or everlasting fire of God, or as we know it best, Hell! The place of eternal torment and separation from God – spiritual death. This is the same word for fire used in Matt 25:41 (NIV):

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

And now looking at the Greek word for burned which is ‘kaio’ – pronounced ‘kha-yo’ (ref: Strongs 2545) and means ‘I burn’ or ‘I consume with fire.’

What do we learn from verses 6 – 8?

• If we do not remain in him, if we fall away and don’t return in full, heart-felt repentance as the Prodigal Son did, we run the risk of withering and being thrown into the fire and burned. This speaks of being cast into Hell!

Once saved always saved? What about the great falling away – the Apostasy?

2 Thessalonians 2:3 (AMP)

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 

You can’t fall away from something unless you were first a part of it!

You decide for yourself! As for me, I we will remain in the vine and come back to the Lord very quickly with a repentant heart when I slip! But I will try my best not to slip! For me it is important to say sorry to my heavenly Father, just as I would to my earthly father, when I slip even though I am covered by the blood of the lamb!

•  If we remain in Jesus, our prayers will be heard and will be answered, if we ask with the right motives, in love and in accordance with the will of the Father.

James 4:3 (NIV)

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

 

Luke 22:42 (NIV)

 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 

•  When we bear much fruit – it will be to God’s (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) glory!

The next verses, 9 – 17, are all about the Father’s heart of love!

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

These last verses (9 – 17) in our topic passage are incredibly beautiful and expound the kind of love that the Father has for us and the kind of love that we should have for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ (His Church).

10 loving benefits we receive from remaining in the vine, John 1:1-17.

• We will be cleansed – purified (pruned) – vs 2. The word prunes here is from the Greek word ‘kathairo’ meaning: make clean by purging (removing undesirable elements); hence, "pruned (purged)"; eliminating what is fruitless by purifying.

• We will be fruitful – vs 2. The fruit of the spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

•  Jesus will remain in us – vs 4.

• We can ask whatever we wish, and it will be given to us – vs 7 & 16. But remembering James 4:3 above.

• We will be His disciples – vs 8.

• We will bring glory to the Father through Jesus – vs 8.

• We will remain in His love – vs 10.

•  His joy will be in us and will be complete – vs 11. Joy is a facet of the fruit of the Spirit.

• We will be His friend and he will show us all that the Father has shown him through the Comforter he sent to us – the holy Spirit! – vs 14. The Holy Spirit leads and guides us in all truth and brings us the gifts of the Spirit.

John 14:26 (AMP)

 But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.

 

John 16:12-13 (NKJV)

¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 

• We will be chosen and appointed – vs 16. We are a royal priesthood.

1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

On the downside if we don’t remain in Him:

• We will be cut off – vs 2.

• We will not bear good fruit – vs 4.

• We will not be able to do anything – vs 5.

• We will be thrown in the fire and burned– vs 6.

• Sin will rule us if we do not remain in the vine, remain in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:12-14 (NKJV)

¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. ¹³ And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Who would want to be without Him?

Who would not want to remain in the vine?

Prayer:

Dear Lord, help me to remain in you always. Lead me and guide me in my daily walk in the power of your Holy Spirit. When I slip, Lord, help me to return to you quickly with a true repentant heart as your servant David did. Help me to be a man/woman after your own heart that my lifestyle, my actions, and my speech may glorify the name of Jesus. Help me, Lord, to love others as you love me. In the precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

 To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

 

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!

Obadiah for Today

 The coming judgement of Edom and ultimately on all mankind!

Before we examine the Book of Obadiah itself let’s have a brief look at the prophet himself and the book’s historical setting.

The Book of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament being only twenty one verses long. Obadiah was given his vision from God by the power of the Holy Spirit in about 845BC during the reign of King Jehoram of Judah (853-841BC). Jehoram was one of the kings who is described in the Bible as “doing evil in the eyes of the Lord.” He was the son of Jehoshaphat and walked in the ways of the Kings of Israel, and in particular in the ways of the notorious King Ahab and his wife Jezebel, by worshipping the Phoenician gods Baal and Ashtoreth.

2 Kings 8:16-19 (NKJV)

16 Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat having been king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign as king of Judah. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. 19 Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah, for the sake of His servant David, as He promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.

Obadiah’s prophetic vision began a period of about 300 years where prophet after prophet warned Judah to turn back to God or face exile and the destruction of Jerusalem.

It is interesting to note that the name Obadiah means servant or messenger of Yahweh which adds spiritual weight to his calling as a prophet of God.

The prophecy can be viewed in two parts, the first part from verses 1-14 is about the judgement and destruction of Edom, a land to the Southeast of Judah in what is now the Southwestern region of Jordan between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba.

The second part from verses 15-21 predicts the future judgement of all nations on “The Day of the Lord.”

Note: The verses from Obadiah are in italics, the explanation of the verse/s follows in straight text with additional scriptures shown in bold italics.

NKJV
1 The vision of Obadiah.
Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom
(We have heard a report from the Lord,
And a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying,
“Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle”):

In the opening verse of his prophecy, Obadiah makes it absolutely clear that his message concerning Edom is from God as he says, “Thus says the Lord God…..”. He then changes course slightly before continuing God’s message, to remind the Jews that both he (Obadiah) and the Jews have heard the same report from the Lord and the report is that God has sent a messenger to the surrounding nations to rally them for battle against Edom.

2 “Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
You shall be greatly despised.
3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
You who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
Whose habitation is high;
You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’
4 Though you ascend as high as the eagle,
And though you set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down,” says the Lord.

In verses 2-4 above, God, through Obadiah, tells Edom that He will make them small among the nations and as such they will be despised. In verse 3 He tells them that their pride in their own abilities has been their downfall. The Edomites considered that their mountain fortresses to be impregnable and that no one would be able to defeat them. God tells them that even though they have these seemingly impregnable and high fortresses they are only birds’ nests to Him and He will bring them down and humble them!

5 “If thieves had come to you,
If robbers by night—
Oh, how you will be cut off!—
Would they not have stolen till they had enough?
If grape-gatherers had come to you,
Would they not have left some gleanings?

In verse 5 above Edom is told that unlike robbers who steal only what they need and unlike grape pickers who leave gleanings behind, God will take everything from them and completely obliterate them so that they will no longer be a nation. A very harsh judgement!

6 “Oh, how Esau shall be searched out!
How his hidden treasures shall be sought after!

In verse 6 above God deliberately refers to Edom as Esau as they were the descendants of Jacob’s twin brother Esau and they carried the same disregard for God as Esau had, who sold his birth right to satisfy his flesh! The phrase “Esau shall be searched out” refers to the Edomites having been tested by God and found to be seriously lacking in reverent fear for Him and His chosen people, Israel. When a nation oppose and despises Israel they are actually opposing and despising God! The Edomites were ancestrally kin to Israel who were Jacob’s descendants, but God found them to be severely lacking in ‘brotherly love’ for Israel.

Edom’s main wealth came from its iron and copper mines which are ‘hidden’ in the ground. These two elements, which they had become so proud of as they brought them great wealth as a nation, would be the source of their downfall and demise by the invasion of Edom’s surrounding nations. God will bring them down by the very things they hold in such great esteem! Pride was the downfall of Satan and is very much the downfall of man throughout history.

7 All the men in your confederacy
Shall force you to the border;
The men at peace with you
Shall deceive you and prevail against you.
Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap for you.
No one is aware of it.

In verse 7 above God tells Edom that all the nations that are allied with them and at peace with at this time, He will turn against them, and they will be a trap for them.

8 “Will I not in that day,” says the Lord,
“Even destroy the wise men from Edom,
And understanding from the mountains of Esau?

Edom had become well known among the nations of the time for having men who gave wise counsel. But God says that on the day that His judgement comes upon them, even their wisdom and understanding will be destroyed. There will be no one to be found that will give wise counsel!

9 Then your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed,
To the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau
May be cut off by slaughter.

In verse 9 above God tells Edom that her so called mighty warriors – her army – will be defeated and slaughtered. Teman was the grandson of Esau and Edom’s capital city was named after him. Edom had become so puffed up with pride in their own abilities and wealth that they thought they were undefeatable as warriors. God humbles the proud and lifts up the humble!

Isaiah 2:12 (NKJV)
For the day of the Lord of hosts
Shall come upon everything proud and lofty,
Upon everything lifted up—
And it shall be brought low—

James 4:6 (AMP)

6 But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness].”

Edom Mistreated His Brother

In verses 10-16 below God tells Edom that they are going to be punished and completely eliminated as a nation because of their bad treatment of Israel.

10 “For violence against your brother Jacob,
Shame shall cover you,
And you shall be cut off forever.

In verse 10 above Edom is reminded of their past treachery and aggression towards their brother Jacob (Israel) and because of this they will be cut off from God forever.

Edom refused to give Israel safe passage when God was leading them to the promised land.

Numbers 20:17-21 (NIV)

17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”

18 But Edom answered:

“You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword.”

19 The Israelites replied:

“We will go along the main road, and if we or our livestock drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We only want to pass through on foot—nothing else.”

20 Again they answered:

“You may not pass through.”

Then Edom came out against them with a large and powerful army. 21 Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory, Israel turned away from them.

11 In the day that you stood on the other side—
In the day that strangers carried captive his forces,
When foreigners entered his gates
And cast lots for Jerusalem—
Even you were as one of them.
12 “But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother
In the day of his captivity;
Nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah
In the day of their destruction;
Nor should you have spoken proudly
In the day of distress.
13 You should not have entered the gate of My people
In the day of their calamity.
Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction
In the day of their calamity,
Nor laid hands on their substance
In the day of their calamity.
14 You should not have stood at the crossroads
To cut off those among them who escaped;
Nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained
In the day of distress.

In verses 11-14 God changes tack from what Edom did in the past to what they will do against Israel some three hundred years later when Israel is led into captivity by Babylon. This section is a warning for both Edom and Israel of what the future hold for them under God’s punishment.

In verse 11 God tells Edom that they will not only stand aside and watch Babylon attack Israel, but they will join forces with the Babylonians and help them to attack and ransack Jerusalem.

In verse 12-14 Edom is told what they should not do at this future date, but they will do it anyway.

They should not:

• Gloat over Israel’s captivity – verse 12.

• Rejoice over Israel’s captivity – verse 12.

• Nor should they proudly speak about Israel’s distress - verse 12.

• Join forces with Babylon to ransack Jerusalem – verse 13.

• Gloat over Israel’s affliction – verse 13.

• Lay hands on any Israelite or their possessions – verse 13.

• Nor should they capture any Israelite that escapes from Jerusalem and hand them over to the Babylonians – verse 14.

All these things that they were told not to do against Israel they actually did at the time of the Israel’s exile to Babylon. The did not take any notice of Obadiah’s prophetic warning of the future from God! These scriptures still apply today! We will all have to face God’s judgement on the Day of the Lord, we will all have to give and account of ourselves for the lives we have led to God!

Romans 14:11-12 (NIV)

11 It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,

‘every knee will bow before me;

every tongue will acknowledge God.’”[Isaiah 45:23]

12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

All nations will be judged.

15 “For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near;
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
Your reprisal (can also be translated as reward) shall return upon your own head.

In verse 15 Obadiah introduces us to a phrase that refers to the second coming of Jesus, “The Day of the Lord.” All nations will be Judged according to their treatment of Israel just as Edom were going to be and many other nations like them past, present, and future. Any nation that takes up arms in any form against Israel will be destroyed – past, present, and future.

The phrase “The Day of the Lord” was used by some prophets that followed Obadiah to predict the second coming of Jesus and also by some of the New Testament writers.

Joel 3:14 (NIV)

Multitudes, multitudes

in the valley of decision!

For the day of the Lord is near

in the valley of decision.

Zephaniah 1:14 (NIV)

The great day of the Lord is near—

near and coming quickly.

The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;

the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.

Ezekiel 30:3 (NIV)

For the day is near,

the day of the Lord is near—

a day of clouds,

a time of doom for the nations.

Revelation 6:15-17 (NIV)

15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

Romans 2:5 (NIV)

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

16 For as you drank on My holy mountain,
So shall all the nations drink continually;
Yes, they shall drink, and swallow,
And they shall be as though they had never been.

In verse 16 above Obadiah reinforces the fact that as Edom was punished so shall all nations be punished who stand against Israel – past, present, and future. They will drink of God’s cup of wrath and be eliminated forever!

Psalm 75:8 (AMP)

For a cup [of His wrath] is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine foams;

It is well mixed and fully spiced, and He pours out from it;

And all the wicked of the earth must drain it and drink down to its dregs.

Revelation 14:10 (AMP)

he too will [have to] drink of the wine of the wrath of God, mixed undiluted into the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone (flaming sulfur) in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb (Christ).

Israel’s Final Triumph.

17 “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance (salvation),
And there shall be holiness;
The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

Now, my dear Readers, in verse 17 above there is so much information for today’s Christian to learn and to understand about the second coming of Jesus.

Let’s take a look at Mount Zion.

Mount Zion is the highest point in the City of Jerusalem. The Bible describes Mount Zion as God’s holy mountain. And more often than not when the Bible refers to Zion it is speaking about Jerusalem.

Joel 2:1-2 (AMP)

Blow the trumpet in Zion [warning of impending judgment],

Sound an alarm on My holy mountain [Zion]!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble and shudder in fear,

For the [judgment] day of the Lord is coming;

It is close at hand,

In the New Testament we are shown that Zion also refers to the new, heavenly Jerusalem from which the Lord Jesus will reign and rule with His Church on the New Heaven and the New Earth.

Hebrews 12:22-24 (NKJV)

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Verse 17 also tells us that Israel, the house of Jacob, will receive their salvation at this future time and Israel and the Church will become one!

1 Peter 2:6 (NKJV)

Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

“Behold, I lay in Zion

A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,

And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

In 1 Peter 2:6 above we are told that God has placed in Zion (Jerusalem) His chief cornerstone which is Christ Jesus. This also confirmed in Romans 9:33.

Romans 9:33 (NKJV)

As it is written:

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,

And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau shall be stubble;
They shall kindle them and devour them,
And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,”
For the Lord has spoken.
19 The South shall possess the mountains of Esau,
And the Lowland shall possess Philistia.
They shall possess the fields of Ephraim
And the fields of Samaria.
Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 And the captives of this host of the children of Israel
Shall possess the land of the Canaanites
As far as Zarephath.
The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
Shall possess the cities of the South.
21 Then saviors (or deliverers) shall come to Mount Zion
To judge the mountains of Esau,
And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

In verse 18-21 above Obadiah’s prophecy tells us that the nations that come out against Israel at the end times will be totally destroyed and the original promised land will be restored to Israel once again.

Verse 18 mentions that Jacob will be a fire and Joseph a flame - I believe that these adjectives, fire and flame, represent the ‘saved’ Israel (the Jewish nation) and that Esau represents the ungodly nations that come against Israel at Armageddon.

Verse 19-21 tell us that these future ungodly nations, like Edom, will be totally destroyed as prophesied in accordance with the Word of God – the entire promised land will thus once again be restored to Israel.

If you look at a map of the Middle East today you will see that Edom, Moab, Philistia etc are no longer there but Israel is! There are no longer any Philistines, Edomites, Moabites, Jebusites, Hittites etc. God has eliminated them because of their ungodly and rebellious ways.

What lessons can Christians today learn from Obadiah’s prophecy?

In this section, my Dear Readers, it is important to keep the following scriptures in mind:

Romans 15:4 (AMP)

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.

2 Timothy 16-17 (AMP)

16 All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; 17 so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

1. God is patient.
God gives everybody, individuals and nations, enough time to repent of their wicked ways and come to Him by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and by turning away from their sin.

Obadiah’s prophecy was spoken to Edom in about 845BC, but they took no notice, they didn’t repent because in 587BC, some 300 years later, when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and took the Israelites into captivity, the Edomites were there spurring the Babylonians on!

Psalm 137:7 (NIV)

Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did

on the day Jerusalem fell.

“Tear it down,” they cried,

“tear it down to its foundations!”

History records that Edom was overrun by the Arabs from the West and the Nabateans from the East in the 6th century BC, and they were forced into the Negev to live as Bedouins. The southern part of Israel is called the Negev. It is a "tame" desert, with occasional rain in some areas, and some land that is valuable for livestock and certain crops. The arid Negev (Negev means "dry") lies south of the Hebron Mountains that form the southern section of Israel's central mountain range. The Negev was renamed Idumea (Idumea means land of the red people – descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother) after the Edomites arrived there and what was left of them was forcibly Judaized by Hyrcanus in c.134BC and the Edomite people were absorbed into the culture there and were no longer a nation!

John Hyrcanus was a Hasmonean (Maccabean) leader and Jewish high priest of the 2nd century BC. In rabbinic literature he is often referred to as Yoḥanan Cohen Gadol, "John the High Priest.” He bought the kingship of Israel from Julius Caesar so was not appointed or anointed to be king by God.

It took about 600-700 years for Obadiah’s prophecy, and the prophecies of many other of God’s prophets that followed him, on Edom to be fully realised. At no time did Edom repent of their ways or their enmity towards Israel!

2. God does what He says he will do.
The elimination of the Edomites and the Philistines, along with many other nations that were enemies of Israel, are prime examples of God carrying out His word!

He will curse those that curse Israel and bless those that bless Israel.

Genesis 12:3 (NIV)

I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.”

This still applies to today and until the end of the age!

3. We must choose who we want to be like! Do we want to be like Esau or Jacob?
In the Book of Hebrews, we (today’s Church) are told not to be like Esau who lived according to the dictates of the flesh and was unrepentant.

Hebrews 12:16 (AMP)

16 and [see to it] that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance [there was no way to repair what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], even though he sought for it with [bitter] tears.

Instead, we are told to be like Jacob who clung to God with all his strength until he received the full blessing of sonship. He did not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. We must become born again and live and act out our lives in alignment with the Word of God.

John 3:3 (AMP)

Jesus answered him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.”

Romans 8:5-8 (NIV)

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

Galatians 5:16-17 (AMP)

16 But I say, walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts]. 17 For the sinful nature has its desire which is opposed to the Spirit, and the [desire of the] Spirit opposes the sinful nature; for these [two, the sinful nature and the Spirit] are in direct opposition to each other [continually in conflict], so that you [as believers] do not [always] do whatever [good things] you want to do.

The Bible encourages us to be like Jacob – a man who was broken by God and became a prince and whose name became Israel. We, as born again Christians, are sons and daughters of God and co-heirs of all God’s promises in Christ Jesus! Our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life! We are a royal priesthood, a chosen generation!

Psalm 135:4 (NIV)

For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own,

Israel to be his treasured possession.

Romans 9:13 (NIV)

Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.

Malachi 1:2-4 (NIV)

2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord.

“But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”

4 Edom may say, “Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins.”

But this is what the Lord Almighty says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord.

 In Christ Jesus we are God’s children, a chosen generation!

Romans 8:17 (AMP)

And if [we are His] children, [then we are His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His spiritual blessing and inheritance], if indeed we share in His suffering so that we may also share in His glory.

1 Peter 2:9-10 (AMP)

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people [at all], but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Revelation 20:15 (NKJV)

And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

4. All nations and all human beings past, present and future will face judgement on the Day of the Lord.

Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV)

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Those who have repented (turned away from) their sin and have accepted and believed in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as their Lord and Saviour, will receive everlasting life in heaven. Those who have not will be cast into Hell for eternity!

Prayer:
Dear Father in Heaven
I pray in the name of Jesus that you would examine my heart that I may not sin against you. Help me Lord to be quick to repent when I sin. Help me Lord to be ever humble before you and not to become puffed up with pride. Fill me with your Holy Spirit, Lord, that I may live a live worthy of my salvation in Christ Jesus, a life that will bring glory to Jesus and Him alone. Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!