The Day of Yahweh Is Near (Obadiah 15–17)

Introduction

If you had trouble finding Obadiah in your Bibles, you’re not alone.

• Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament.
  • BHS = 388 words
• In word count, Jeremiah is 75x longer than Obadiah.
• Unlike most of the OT books, Obadiah is not quoted in the New Testament. [MSB]
• But despite its minuscule size, like Mighty Mouse, Obadiah packs a punch.

The book of Obadiah is God’s prophetic message against Edom.

• To help me remember this, I think "O Bad Edom."
• Obadiah sounds like “O Bad Edom.”

Background of Obadiah (v.1a)

"The vision of Obadiah." (v.1a ESV)

• Obadiah was one of God's prophets.
• But we know nothing else about him.
• Obadiah was a nobody.
  • We are given no genealogy, no homeland, no tribe.
  • It’s possible Obadiah was merely a title and not even his real name.
  • Obadiah simply means "one who serves Yahweh." [David W. Baker]
  • “The vision of one who serves Yahweh.”

"Thus says the Lord GOD (Yahweh) concerning Edom." (v.1b ESV)

• Whenever you see the word LORD (Capital L-O-R-D) or GOD (all CAPS), it is translating God’s personal name, YHWH.
• Obadiah was an ordinary man bringing a message from an extraordinary God.

History of Edom

• Edom was the nation comprised of the physical descendants of Esau.
  • Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, was the patriarch of Israel.
  • Esau, Jacob's twin brother, was the father of Edom.
• Edom had a troubled relationship with Israel, tracing back to their struggle inside their mother’s womb. (Gen 25).
  • After the exodus, when Israel left Egypt and headed toward the promised land, Edom refused to let Israel pass through their territory, forcing Israel to make a huge detour. (Numbers 20:14–22)
  • But their worst crime was committed around 586 BC.
  • Edom either assisted Babylon or launched their own raid against the southern kingdom of Israel during Jerusalem’s destruction.

Psalm 137 states:

Remember, O Yahweh, against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, "Tear it Down! Tear it down to its very foundation." (Ps 137:7)

• Because of Edom's participation in Jerusalem's destruction, God declares her guilty.

Walkthrough of Obadiah 1–14

• In verses 1–4, God summons surrounding nations to fight against Edom.
• In verses 5–9, God announces the fall of Edom.
• In verses 10–14, God explains the reason for Edom's condemnation.

"Because of violence to your brother Jacob, You will be covered with shame, and you will be cut off forever." (v.10 LSB)

• When the Jews tried to escape, Edom even captured them as fugitives and handed them over to Babylon. (v.14)
• In these opening 14 verses, God condemns Edom for her evil treatment of God’s people.

These verses set the stage for today's text.

• Obadiah 15–17 introduces the day of the LORD or the day of Yahweh.
• In these three verses, Obadiah highlights three aspects of the day of Yahweh that all of us must grasp and comprehend.
• Understanding these three aspects will encourage us, motivate us, and prepare us.

The first aspect: the day of Yahweh brings divine justice.

1. Divine Justice (v.15)

"For the day of the LORD (Yahweh) is near." (v.15a ESV)

• The Hebrew preposition (ki) translated "for" can mean "because", but that is not its meaning here. [Daniel Block, p.84]
  • No major English Bible translation translates the first word in Obadiah 15 as “because.”
  • "The absolute certainty with which a result is to be expected is frequently emphasized by the insertion of the Hebrew preposition כִּי" [Gesenius §159ee]
  • Here, this Hebrew word (ki) means "verily, indeed, surely."

Example: “Have you seen this man [Goliath] who is coming up? Surely, he is coming up to reproach Israel. (1 Sam 17:25)

• Since God had already judged Israel (through Babylon) and since God has announced that He will soon judge Edom, "Surely the day of the LORD is near."

What is this Day of the LORD?

"The Day of the LORD" [yom yhwh]

• [yom yhwh] occurs 16x in the OT

  • 2x in Isaiah 13; 1x in Ezekiel 13
  • 13x in the Book of the Twelve.

• "The Day of Yahweh" is a central theme in the Book of the Twelve.

  • [yom yhwh] appears in 5 of the 12 Minor Prophets.

• "The Day of Yahweh" is first introduced chronologically by Amos in the 8th century BC.

• Speaking to the northern kingdom of Israel, Amos writes...

Woe, you who are longing for the day of Yahweh, for what purpose will the day of Yahweh be to you? It will be darkness and not light...Will not the day of Yahweh be darkness instead of light, even thick darkness with no brightness in it. (Amos 5:18, 20 LSB)

• Isaiah continues this thought, "Behold, the day of Yahweh is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it." (Is 13:9 LSB)
• Joel adds, "For the day of Yahweh is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty." (Joel 1:15 LSB)
• Zephaniah warns, "Near is the great day of Yahweh, near and coming very quickly; O the sound, the day of Yahweh!" (Zeph 1:14a LSB)

The NT also references this “Day of the LORD.”

• Peter quotes Joel 2:31, "The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes." (Acts 2:20)
• The apostle Paul and Peter both affirm that this “day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." (1 Thess 5:2; 2 Pet 3:10)

So the Bible tells us that...

• The Day of Yahweh will bring darkness (not light).
• It will be cruel.
• God will exterminate sinners.
• Destruction will come like a sound never heard before.
  • More impactful than the atomic bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
• And it will come quickly without warning, like a thief in the night.

"Surely the day of Yahweh draws near on all the nations." (v. 15a)

• Obadiah makes an unexpected pivot.
• He does not say, "The day of Yahweh draws near on Edom."
• Rather, "The day of Yahweh is near upon all the nations."

Here in Obadiah, the Day of Yahweh is universal. It's not just for Edom.

• In the OT, the Day of Yahweh could refer to near-term judgment for God's people or a specific nation. (Isa 13, Amos 5, Zeph 1)

  • History confirms that Babylon left Edom in ruins in 553 BC, about 30 years after Jerusalem’s fall.

• But the Day of Yahweh can also refer to events far off with universal significance. (like Malachi)

  • It is this universal future event that Obadiah has in mind here.

• On the Day of Yahweh, God's character and purposes will be vindicated.

• On this day, Yahweh will bring divine justice.

"As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head." (v.15b LSB)

• The three second-person pronouns, "you", "you", and "your," in Obadiah 15 are all singular.
• Obadiah shifts his focus from all nations back to Edom.
• The second-person pronoun in the singular is used 7x in Obadiah 10–14, and all seven times, they refer to Edom.
• "As you [Edom] have done, it will be done to you [Edom]."

This is the teaching of lex talionis, exact retaliation, punishment commensurate to the crime.

• "For Yahweh of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and high and against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be made low." (Is 2:12)
• "For Yahweh is a God of recompense, He will fully repay." (Jer 51:56)
• God declared, "Vengeance is Mine and retribution." (Deut 32:25a; quoted in Rom 12:19 and Heb 10:30)
• There will be divine justice. God will repay.

Application: Divine Justice

• What sweet comfort this should be for all of us.
• God has written in our hearts that justice is good and right.
• We long for justice. But often, we don't see it.
  • Many who are innocent are falsely charged and even convicted.
  • While those who break the law go unpunished.
• Habakkuk cried out, "How long, O Yahweh, will I call for help, and You will not hear?...The law is ignored, and justice never comes forth." (Hab 1:2, 4)
• Do you feel like Habakkuk sometimes? "Justice never comes forth."
• Be sure and know that the day of Yahweh is near.
• Vengeance is God’s. God will repay.

Not only will there be divine justice on the day of Yahweh, but there will also be divine judgment.

2. Divine Judgment (v.16)

"For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually." (v.16a ESV)

• "My holy mountain" (all 10x in the OT) refers to Jerusalem, specifically Mount Zion.
  • "Then they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as a grain offering to Yahweh...to My holy mountain Jerusalem." (Is 66:20)
  • "Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God, dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain." (Joel 3:17a)
  • “My holy mountain” is God's claim of Jerusalem and Mount Zion.
• When we read, "for as you have drunk on my holy mountain," it may seem this refers to Edom and her drunken revelry during her military victory in Jerusalem. But this is not what Obadiah meant. [Block, p.89–90]
  1. Here, in verse 16, the Hebrew pronoun "you" switches from singular to plural. The KJV reads, "For as ye have drunk." Ye is the Old English plural form of you. LSB also highlights this distinction “just as you all drank.” All 10 times in verses 10–15, Edom is only referenced by “you” in its singular form.
  2. The OT never uses "drinking bouts" to characterize a victory celebration. [Block, p.90]
  3. Obadiah would need to change the meaning of the verb "drink" mid-sentence from victory celebration to divine judgment.
• "Drinking," here in Obadiah 16, is **a metaphor for divine judgment. **
  • "For their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison, their clusters, bitter." (Deut 32:32)
  • God uses drinking wine that has poison as a metaphor for the divine judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Jeremiah expounds on this figurative use of drinking.

For thus says Yahweh, “Behold, those who are not under judgment to drink the cup will certainly drink it, but are you the one who will go completely unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but you will certainly drink it. (Jer 49:12 — Drinking = judgment)

The God of Israel says to me, “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it. (Jer 25:15 — Drinking = God's wrath)

• So if it's not Edom, to whom is "you" referring here in Obadiah 16?

  • Remember, Obadiah is writing to exiled Jews after the fall of Jerusalem.
  • It's best to assume Obadiah is referring to all the Judean and Israelite survivors.

• "For as you [Israel] have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually." (v.16a ESV)

  • This is an argument from the lesser to the greater.

  • If God forced His chosen people to drink the cup of His judgment through the fall of Jerusalem, how much more would God's judgment fall upon all the surrounding nations?

"They [all the nations] shall drink and swallow and shall be as though they had never been." (v.16b ESV)

• What will divine judgment on the Day of Yahweh look like?
• Turn with me to Revelation 19:11–13.

Revelation 19:11–13a

"Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, he judges and makes war." (Rev 19:11 ESV)

• This is none other than the eternal Son of God.
• He does not enter the world quietly, lying in a manger.
• He does not enter Jerusalem lowly, riding a donkey.
• The heavens open, and the Son of God returns ferociously on a mighty stallion.
  • A new name is given to Him in Revelation, “Faithful and True.”
  • He is not called Jesus because the name Jesus means Savior.
  • And the Son of God is not acting as Savior but as Executor.
• "Faithful and True" will fulfill the prophecy of Obadiah 16.

"His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; having a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself." (v.12 ESV)

• In Revelation 12:3, Satan is described as having seven diadems.
• In Revelation 13:1, the beast (the antichrist) coming out of the sea had ten diadems.
• “Faithful and True,” is described as having many diadems, an indefinite number of diadems.
• “Faithful and True” is superior to Satan and the beast.
• “Faithful and True” is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

"He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God." (v.13 ESV)

• "Faithful and True," The Word of God, is clothed in a robe dipped in blood.
• Whose blood is this?
• This is not the blood of Jesus.
• Verse 13 is a direct reference to Isaiah 63.

1 Who is this who comes from Edom,
With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, (the capital city of Edom)
This One who is majestic in His clothing,
Marching in the greatness of His power?
“It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”

2 Why is Your clothing red,
And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?

3 I have trodden the wine trough alone,
And from the peoples there was no man with Me.
I also trod them in My anger
And trampled them in My wrath;
And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,
And I stained all My clothes. (Isaiah 63:1–3)

• On the day of Yahweh, the Son of God, “Faithful and True” will execute Divine Judgment, and His clothes will be drenched by the lifeblood of all the nations.
• No sinner is exempt from facing the wrath of God.
• So, who can escape this Divine Judgment?

There is a third aspect of the Day of Yahweh. The day of Yahweh will also bring divine salvation.

3. Divine Salvation (v.17)

"But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape." (v.17a LSB)

• This story of escape on Mount Zion begins in the book of Genesis.
• In Genesis 22, God told Abraham, "Take now your son, your only one, whom you love, Isaac, and go forth to [Mount Moriah], and offer him there as a burnt offering."
• When they reached the top of the mountain, Abraham took Isaac and placed him on the altar.
• And as Abraham stretched out his hand to slay his son, the angel of Yahweh stopped him.

Who is this angel of Yahweh?

• The angel of Yahweh is “Faithful and True” in Revelation 19.
• The angel of Yahweh also appeared to Jacob and said, “I am the God of Bethel.” (Gen 31:33)
• The same angel of Yahweh also appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush.
• Exodus 3:2 (LSB): “And the angel of Yahweh appeared to [Moses] in a blazing fire from the midst of the bush.”
• The angel of Yahweh, the preincarate Christ, stopped Abraham on this mountain.
• And Abraham responded by calling this place "Yahweh Will Provide" (Yhwh-Jireh), as it is said this day, "In the mount of Yahweh, [God’s mountain], it will be provided." (Gen 22:14 LSB)
• Jesus affirms His encounter with Abraham to the Pharisees, saying, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." (John 8:56 LSB)

Where is Mount Moriah where this encounter took place?

• 2 Chronicles 3:1 tells us.
• "Then Solomon began to build the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah." (2 Chr 3:1)
• Mount Moriah is Jerusalem.
• Mount Moriah is Yahweh's mountain, Mount Zion.

This story of escape continues.

• 2,000 years later, about 500 meters from Mount Zion, Jesus, truly God and truly man, prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me." (Mt 26:39)
  • Like Obadiah 16, drinking is the metaphor used to depict God’s judgment.
  • Jesus prayed a second time, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done." (Mt 26:42)
• To escape God’s wrath on the Day of Yahweh, someone had to drink the cup.
  • "All of us, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way. But Yahweh has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him." (Is 53:6)
  • Jesus drank that cup.
  • He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil 2:8)
  • He was buried, and He was raised on the third day. (1 Cor 15:4)
• Even so, not everyone here will escape divine judgment.
  • There is a prerequisite.
  • The apostle Peter (Acts 2:21) and the apostle Paul (Romans 10:13) quote from the prophet Joel.

And it will be that everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, there will be those who escape. (Joel 2:32 LSB)

• In Joel 2:32 and here in Obadiah 17, the Hebrew word translated "escape" is the subject of the verb." [Block, p.92]
  • "On Mount Zion, escape will be provided."
  • "On God's holy mountain, deliverance will come."
  • "At Calvary, salvation will be made available."

Obadiah continues, "and it shall be holy." (v.17b ESV)

• Again, the Hebrew word translated as "holy" is the subject of the sentence.
• “Holiness will come.”
• The thrice holy God who appeared at Mount Sinai and made its ground holy will one day come to Jerusalem, and Mount Zion will be transformed.

Obadiah then adds, “And the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions." (v.17c ESV)

• This final sentence in Obadiah 17 expresses the same idea as Jeremiah 49:2.
  • Israel will take back and possess what had been taken away from them.
• Israel lost everything when Babylon overtook Jerusalem.
  • But on the day of Yahweh, all will be restored.

Application:

Divine salvation reclaims everything that sin had taken away.

• Sin destroyed our fellowship with God. Salvation restores it.
• Sin brought forth physical and spiritual death. Salvation reverses it.
• Sin denied our capacity to glorify God. Salvation renews it.

On the Day of Yahweh, there is Divine Justice

• Vengeance is God's. He will repay.

On the Day of Yahweh, there is Divine Judgment

• “Faithful and True” will return as judge, trampling sinners and saturating His garments with their blood.

But on the Day of Yahweh, there can be Divine Salvation

• Because Jesus drank the cup of God's wrath and reclaimed for His sheep everything that sin had taken away.

4. Conclusion

There is a simple explanation why, after an assassination attempt 8 days ago, Donald Trump is still alive today.

• God’s appointed day for him had not yet come.
• God’s predetermined day was not that day.
• But rest assured, God's day of vindication will come.
• The day of Yahweh is near.

I offer you three exhortations.

A. Be Encouraged

• Justice will come. God will make it right. All lawbreakers will be judged.

B. Be Fervent

• Jesus said, “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9:4)
• Whether you are 17 years old or 70 years old, be fervent in your service to God.
• While it is still called today, and we have breath, serve the LORD with all your heart and strength.

C. Be Prepared

• You must trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord.
• Do not leave this room without being reconciled with God.
• "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Heb 10:31)
• “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16)
• “He who believes in [the Son] is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already.” (Jn 3:18)

The Day of Yahweh is near. Are you ready?