Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament and contains the prophetic vision of God’s punishment of Edom. The book deals with three themes: the arrogance of Edom in the Bible, its impending humiliation, and the cruelty with which the Edomites treated Judah.
The Edomites were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s twin brother (later called Israel). The region inhabited by Edom is located southeast of the Dead Sea. Its terrain is predominantly mountainous, with high peaks, sharp cliffs, caves, and crevices where armies could easily hide. Several of Edom’s fortresses were built in these almost inaccessible places. Hostilities between the Israelites and the Edomites stemmed from quarrels between their ancestors, Jacob and Esau. Yet, in Genesis 33, it is recorded that they eventually reconciled. In addition, God gave the Israelites the following commandment: You shall not hate the Edomite, for he is your brother.
During the Maccabean wars, the Edomites were oppressed by the Jews and compelled to change to Judaism. The Edomites kept up with quite a bit of their old contempt for the Jews. With the ascent of the Roman Empire, an Idumaean whose father had changed over to Judaism was named ruler of Judea. That Idumaean is referred to in history as King Herod the Great, the despot who requested a slaughter in Bethlehem trying to kill the Christ youngster (Matthew 2:16-18).
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Biography of Esau
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Why was Esau called Edom in the Bible?
Esau was their twin sibling of Jacob. Jacob is Israel, the dad of the Twelve Tribes. Esau was, consequently, their uncle. There is a nearby family connection between Esau and Israel. Esau and Jacob were the twin children of Isaac. Isaac was the child of Abraham. Abraham conceived Isaac and Ishmael. Ishmael brought about significant nuclear families among the Arabs and has had a determinative impact on them in numerous ways. There is a family connection between Esau, Israel, and Ishmael.
In the Bible, Esau was called Edom because of the red stew he sold his inheritance for. We saw already that when he was conceived, he was red or rosy in tone. When the Bible says that a person or thing was given a name given a specific explanation, it can imply that an existing all-around name came into articulation.
For instance, the city of Beer Sheva is recorded as accepting its name for two distinct reasons on two separate events. In the two cases, the explanation is associated with the word root “Sheva,” which might imply the number seven or a pledge.
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Where is biblical Edom today?
Esau was otherwise called Edom, the forebear of the Edomites who were laid out toward the south of the Israelites. They were an adversary country of Israel. The minor prophets, for example, Obadiah, guarantee that the Edomites partook in the obliteration of the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BC.
The place from today Edom in Bible is Moab, realm, antiquated Palestine. Found east of the Dead Sea in west-focal Jordan, it was limited by Edom and the place where there are the Amorites. The Moabites were firmly connected with the Israelites, and the two habitually struggled.
God’s sentiments towards the country of Edom stand as a distinct difference from his inclinations toward Israel. The book of Malachi was a call to individuals of Israel to adore their God with everything that is in them, soul, strength, and may. The Israelites had transformed their confidence into religion. They had become distracted by obligation and concession. However, they flopped even in that. So in the initial segment of Malachi 1, God advises them that He cherished them and exhibited His affection by smashing the Edomites.
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Key Verse related to Edom
“Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, proclaiming victory, mighty to save.”
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4 Reasons why God was angry with Edom
Obadiah anticipated Edom in Bible annihilation (Obadiah 1:1, 8), and the prediction offers a rundown of explicit purposes behind God’s approaching judgment. God was very angry with Edom because of the following:
- Their heart of pride: “Pride of your heart has misled you” (Obadiah 1:3).
- The mentality of the Edomites toward Jerusalem’s obliteration: “Don’t celebrate over individuals of Judah in the day of their ruin” (Obadiah 1:12).
- Their pillaging and plundering of Jerusalem: “Don’t steal from his abundance in the day of his disaster” (Obadiah 1:13).
- Their abuse of Jerusalem’s survivors: “Don’t remain at the intersection to remove his outlaws” (Obadiah 1:14).
Notwithstanding these particular sins, Edom had been a long-term foe of Israel since the time of the hour of the Exodus (Numbers 20:14-21), when the Edomites had acted boorishly toward the displaced people. Through Obadiah, God gave a rundown of eight “don’t’s” (Obadiah 1:12-14), which Edom overlooked.
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Why did God destroy the Edomites?
After forty years, King David and his overall Joab crushed the Edomites in the “Valley of Salt” (most likely close to the Dead Sea; 2 Samuel 8:13-14; 1 Kings 9:15-16).
God destroyed the Edomites because they insulted Judah. As indicated by Ezekiel 25:12-14, God will get back at the Edomites because they had intolerably offended Judah. Ezekiel 35 predicts destruction against Seir, the name of a mountain in southern Edom.
A nearer assessment uncovers that the wellspring of their contention was more about the assets than religion. The Edomites and Israelites battled about land. As the two clans developed into realms, they fought for land and power in a locale where great land was scant, so a military clash was very average.
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Who did the Edomites descend from?
Esau’s relatives, in the end, ruled the southern grounds and made their living by horticulture and exchange. One of the old shipping lanes, the King’s Highway (Numbers 20:17), went through Edom in the Bible.
The Edomites were the descendants and relatives of Esau, the firstborn child of Isaac and the twin sibling of Jacob. Esau and Jacob battled together in the belly, and God told their mom, Rebekah, that they would become two countries. With the more seasoned one serving, the more youthful (Genesis 25:23), Esau thoughtlessly offered his legacy as a grown-up. To Jacob for a bowl of red soup (Genesis 25:30-34), and he despised his sibling a while later.
Esau turned into the Edomites’ dad, Jacob turned into the dad of the Israelites, and the two countries kept on battling through most of their experiences. In the Bible, “Seir” (Joshua 24:4), “Bozrah” (Isaiah 63:1), and “Sela” (2 Kings 14:7) are references to Edom’s property and capital.
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Primary Takeaways
- The name “Edom” comes from a Semitic word signifying “red,” The land south of the Dead Sea was given that name because of the red sandstone so noticeable in the geology. As a result of the soup for which he exchanged his inheritance, Esau became known as Edom. And later moved his family into the slope nation of a similar name.
- Beginning 36 relates the early history of the Edomites. Expressing that they had lords ruling over them well before Israel had a ruler (Genesis 36:31). The religion of the Edomites was like that of other agnostic social orders who loved rich divine beings.
- God holds guilty those who take advantage of others in their time of trouble. Obadiah warns the proud inhabitants of Edom that God would cover them with shame. There is no place to hide from the Lord (Amos 9:2,3). The day of the Lord would come quickly and bring both punishment and salvation. Edom would drink of the cup of the Lord’s wrath, but Israel would prosper again under His blessing.
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Conclusion
The Edomites were Esau’s relatives, Jacob’s twin sibling, and the grandson of Abraham. This family tie ought to have affected empathy for Israel’s situation; all things considered, it made Edom’s activities significantly more horrible since they were restricting not exclusively God’s picked individuals yet additionally their family members.
