Prophetic Prospective Daily Devotional

For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.

The phrase in our key verse, "cut off forever", has a finality to it that must be considered when we look at whom the prophecy is focused. The entire book of Obadiah is a prophecy written to reveal judgment on the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, verse 1.

The Edomites can be traced from Esau, the twin brother of Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebecca, Genesis 25, all the way through history to the Palestinian people of today. (See my audio series, "Esau and the Palestinians".)

A study of God's word will reveal there has been more judgment pronounced upon the Edomites than any other people group in the world. Obadiah gives two reasons for such a harsh judgment upon the Edomites, verses 3 and 10.

Verse 3 mentions the "pride" of Esau and his descendants as they lived in Petra, an impregnable city in southern Jordan, where God sent Esau almost 4,000 years ago. Because Esau and his family were so well protected, they became proud of their superior position among the Middle Eastern nations.

Verse 10 gives us the second reason for a pronounced judgment on the Edomites. As Esau's father Isaac told him, Genesis 27:40, Esau would live by the "sword". Ezekiel 35:5 reveals that Esau and his descendants would be judged severely. That judgment would come because the Edomites would "kill" the descendants of Esau's twin brother, Jacob, the Jewish people.

Not only does our key verse speak of a judgment that would "cut off the Edomites forever" but verse 16 says at the "day of judgment" for the Edomites it will be as if they had never been a people. Jeremiah 49:18 says they will "be as Sodom and Gomorrah".

The judgment will be harsh and sever because the Edomites, the Palestinians of today, will kill the Jews and take their God-given land, Ezekiel 35:10. This of course does not mean that individual Palestinians can not come to know the Lord; however, as a people group God has pronounced a judgment on them that will be absolute and it will be forever.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict will continue until Jesus Christ, the Messiah, returns. Then His judgment will be fulfilled. We are living during a period in history like never before in all of time.