Two Mountains

Search through the Bible. Hunt into every last corner, every nook, every cranny. You might, perhaps, stumble across Obadiah.

Obadiah is a small book- a minor prophet- only 21 verses long.

If required to expound upon the main points of Obadiah, what would you say? What illustrations might you use? What would be your findings?

At our Church’s Bible Class, we have been teaching through the minor prophets. Each Sunday we look at a different prophet and see who they were, what they taught and how it applies to us. It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride: Gomer ran away from her husband, Jonah ran away from God, Amos measured Israel with a plumb line, Nahum prophesied Ninevah’s flooding, Joel promised the Holy Spirit and Micah vowed to trust God even while  starving.

Last Sunday, it was Obadiah’s turn.

Anyone know anything about the man himself? Who was Obadiah?

There isn’t actually much to know. His name means ‘Servant of Yahweh’ (Yahweh is the Hebrew name for the Lord God, or Jehovah as translated in English). Apart from that, the history books are surprisingly empty about Obadiah (suggesting that he was a good servant indeed!).

Obadiah was prophesying to the Edomites (the descendants of Esau, and thus distant relatives of Israel who descended from Esau’s younger brother-  Jacob).

“The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rock,
in your lofty dwelling,
who say in your heart,

“Who will bring me down to the ground?”

Though you soar aloft like the eagle,
though your nest is set among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,
declares the Lord.”

_{Obadiah verses 3 and 4}

 

Why does the prophet describe the Edomites as living in clefts of the rock? Why are they in lofty dwellings? How do they soar aloft like the eagle?

Edom was a mountainous nation. Have you ever visited the ruins of Petra? I would dearly like to (my secret honeymoon is soon approaching…!).

Petra is a city truly built into the ‘cleft of a rock’. Archaeologists think that is was constructed around 400BC and have suggested that they have only uncovered 15% of the total city, the remainder still being hidden deep underground.

Although Petra wouldn’t have been the capital city of Edom when Obadiah was writing, it still shows just how mountainous and rocky a civilisation Edom really was.

 

It is no wonder then that Obadiah calls the Edomites a lofty people: they literally lived really really high up!
In fact, the prophet describes the nation as ‘Mount Esau.’

As we read through the book, we quickly discover that the Edomites had betrayed their brothers and sisters in Israel and Judah. The Babylonians had invaded Palestine and captured the Israelites, taking them into exile across the far reaches of their new empire.

As their relatives were being murdered and captured, the Edomites stayed up in their mountains sarcastically boasting ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’

In fact, once the Babylonian army had left, they came down from their mountains and plundered the remains of Israel, hunting down any survivors and selling them into captivity. They even gloated over the wreck of Israel.

The Lord, quite rightly and justly, tells the Edomites (through Obadiah) that judgment will be made on them for their crimes. He condemns ‘Mount Esau’ to invasion and destruction.

Interestingly the prophet goes on to mention another Mount- this time it is Mount Zion.

 

“But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy…”

“Saviours shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau,
and the kingdom shall be the Lord's.”

_{Obadiah verses 17a and 21}

 

Where is Mount Zion and why is it so special?

Zion is the special name given to describe Jerusalem (capital of Israel) in the Old Testament. But Zion doesn’t speak purely about bricks and mortar- the name Zion refers specifically to the place where the Lord God dwells with His people. Psalm 48 says,

 

“Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God!
His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.
Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.”

_{Psalm 48 verses 1, 2 and 3}

 

The great King is God himself. If Jerusalem is His palace, then the Temple is His throne room, where he meets and talks with His subjects. Zion refers to the City and Temple where God dwells.

But Jerusalem and the Temple were both destroyed in the first century AD. Where does God dwell now?

Shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus claimed to be the new temple (place where God lives and communicates with us from). Now that Jesus had come, the old bricks of the Temple building were no longer required.

We find out in the New Testament- in the book of Hebrews- that the final ‘Mount Zion’ will be Heaven- that is where God will live with mankind,

 

“…you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…”

_{Hebrews 12 v 22 (pt)}

 

Having explained what and where Zion is, lets come back to Obadiah. How does Obadiah compare these two mountains- Esau and Zion?

Mount Esau is the place where men and women trust in their own strength and power for safety. Mount Zion is where men and women trust in the Lord God for their safety.

The Israelites may have lost their homes and possessions to the Babylonians, but their eternal souls and their new bodies (God promises all believers transformed perfect bodies) were safe. The Edomites thought their bodies were safe (although they would soon be found wrong), however their eternal souls were not. 

Did you notice verse 21 which I quoted earlier? “Saviours shall go up to Mount Zion…” That verse is talking about Jesus Christ who died on the side of the Mount of Zion- besides the city of Jerusalem. It was because Jesus died to pay the penalty for my sins that I can now live and communicate with God. I am one of those people who ‘escaped’ judgment for my wrongdoings, because Jesus was punished on my behalf.

The wonderful thing is that Obadiah’s prophesy still stands- Jesus’s offer of free forgiveness and a home in the Heavenly Mount Zion still stands.

Which Mountain do you choose?

A Poor Man Cries

 

  I’ve recently been reading through the Psalms each morning. The Psalms in the Bible are basically the inward songs of a man’s heart. They are the longings and cries which are tough to verbalise and explain.

  This morning Psalm 34 particularly stuck a chord with me, and I wanted to share it with you.  

 

“This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.”  

 

   Thus speaks David the shepherd (the man who would one day become arguably the greatest King Israel ever enjoyed) while on the run, caught between a jealous master and an enemy King eager to crush him once and for all.

   Psalm 34 gives us the amazing testimony of a man who has experienced God’s rescue.

   Why does David refer to himself as poor?

   It probably is fair to say that he was in a bad situation: having driven King Saul to a jealous rage he was forced to flee the Royal Court at night while guards came to arrest him, he lost his wife (the King’s daughter) and he was named the Number One Enemy-of-the-State. Having taken refuge inside the Philistine city of Gath, he was spotted by the Abimelech (Philistine King) who couldn’t believe his luck (David was after all his chief enemy). Our poor fugitive was thus forced to act crazy- the Bible describes the spittle running down his chin- in order to make good his escape.

  Left without home or income, David was indeed poor. Perhaps it’s a good job then that the Lord delights in helping the poor and weak and lame. Psalm 34 goes on to say,

“The Lord is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” 

  The Bible never hides the truth. We all face afflictions. I have no idea of what you might be facing, but I do know that everyone faces their own battles; whether it be financial, health related, in relationships or even spiritual. David faced some major afflictions and yet he did the right thing,

“I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”  

    David actively was seeking God even in the midst of his poverty and woe. In Psalm 34, he encourages us to do exactly the same thing,

“Oh taste and see the the Lord is good!”

“Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together!”

“Oh fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!” 

    How can we truly seek God? Surely that is a question being asked across this planet and the answers come back thick and fast and almost always totally contradictory. Yet David has a series of answers ready- God has answered his own cry and therefore he is well placed to help us out.

“Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?” 

   You might be a future King but surely that is a stupid question David?! Obviously we all want life and many days to see good things!

  Right, says David, and now I’ll tell you how to get them…

“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth…
Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.” 

     As our friends the Meerkats say ‘Simples’:

    Just be good. Don’t do evil. Don’t lie. Don’t deceive. Speak nice things. Don’t hate others.  

   If you are anything like me, you will have picked up a problem there- sure, we can be good, sure we don’t do anything evil (after all, we aren’t Moriatti or Lex Luther!) but what about don’t Lie? I’ve done that more than once or twice. And don’t hate others?! Is that even possible? My heart is full of hate and distrust and suspicion and jealousy.

  Eh oh. Double Eh oh.

   By David’s standards in Psalm 34, I deserve to be slain by affliction, or to put it another way I deserve to have broken relationships, empty bank accounts, problems with the authorities and ultimately… death.

   Thankfully Psalm 34 doesn’t leave it there. David ends with these words,

“The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”

    No condemnation. If we have been redeemed by the Lord then we are innocent and righteous. No longer does the threat of affliction and death loom over us.

   Only two weeks ago my granddad passed away after several years of degrading Alzheimer's – as a Christian he wasn’t free from disease or death but he was never afraid of the grave because he knew that he didn’t have a guilty soul. He had taken refuge in the Lord decades ago and knew that his saviour had heard his cry. He knew that the only thing he faced after death was an eternity with the most wonderful and loving God.

   What does David mean when he mentions the Lord redeems the life of his servants? What does a redeemer do? They pay the price to buy something back (much like a ransom). We come with a vast and heavy ransom- who can afford to pay off the price for all the stupid lies I’ve told? For all the hatred and malice in my heart? Who could possibly afford to buy back my soul? There can only be one answer- Jesus Christ- God gave himself up on a cross, the worst form of execution known to mankind, to pay off the ransom demanded by my sins.

  It is that same saviour which David is so keen so rejoice about! That is why he starts off the Psalm by saying:

 

“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!”