Obadiah 1:17-21

The Kingdom belongs to the Lord! 

In the power of Holy Spirit all those who believe in the salvation of Jesus can be one  in the Body of Christ.

God does not show partiality to anyone but loves all His creation and His desire is for all to come to the salvation He offers in Christ.

The way to glorify God is to "please [our] neighbor for his good, to build him up" (Romans 15:2). Some believe "neighbor" in this verse means just Christians, but the word "neighbor" also has the implication of anyone near us: those we interact with, both unsaved and saved. It might mean we take an extra shift at work or we send a card to a grieving neighbor. To glorify God, we must seek to make the lives of those around us better.

In today's passage, and elsewhere in Scripture, Paul encourages us to look to Christ as our ultimate example. We can accept each other because Christ has accepted us. (Romans 15:7) We can forgive one another because Christ forgave us. (Colossians 3:13) We can have a tender heart toward others because Christ has a tender heart for us. (Ephesians 4:32) We can love because God first loved us. (1 John 4:19) First5 

Obadiah 1:17-21

17 “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness; The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. 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 shall come to Mount Zion To judge the mountains of Esau, And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s. The New King James Version

Exiles from distant lands will return to reclaim their share of the promised land. Faithlife Bible Study

The references to the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph signify a unified Israel. God intends to rejoin the kingdoms of Israel and Judah as one people again. For the Lord has spoken: These words add a dramatic certainty to the announcement of judgment.

The South refers to the Negev, the dry region around Beersheba, in the territory of Simeon and southern Judah. The Negev bordered on Edom to the east. According to this verse, southern Judah was going to possess the land of the Edomites. The Lowland, or Shephelah, is the lower hills in Judah between the central hill country to the east and the coastal plain to the west. Judah and Philistia fought fiercely over this region in the early part of Israel’s history. But Judah would eventually prevail over the lands contested with Philistia. Ephraim, Samaria, and Gilead were parts of Israel during the period of the judges and most of the monarchy. Ephraim and Samaria were the heartland of the northern kingdom of Israel during the time of the divided monarchy. But at the time of Obadiah’s prophecy, all three regions had passed under foreign domination and had experienced a significant influx of foreign population. In the day of the Lord of which Obadiah prophesied, these regions again would come into the possession of the Israelites. The land of Israel would be restored to its rightful inhabitants. 

Zarephath was a Phoenician city 14 miles north of Tyre. Sepharad was a city to which some Judeans were exiled. The restoration of Judah from exile which these verses predict was a sign to Judah and all nations that the God of Israel was not just a local God. He had not been defeated by the Babylonian god Marduk. The fact that He could allow His people to be carried into captivity in a foreign land and then bring them back to their own land was proof of His power and sovereignty over all the earth. 

Saviors means “deliverers” or “those who will bring about salvation”.  The Judeans who had been taken into captivity would come back as deliverers, and they would reign over the people of Edom. The kingdom shall be the Lord’s: these were Obadiah’s last words against all human arrogance, pride, and rebellion. Edom had thought itself indestructible; but the Lord humbled that nation and restored the fallen Judah. Many people are tempted to consider themselves beyond the reach of God. But God will bring them low, just as He will lift those who humble themselves before Him. And one great day, He will establish His just rule over all. The NKJV Study Bible

There should be deliverance and holiness at Jerusalem, and the house of Jacob would again occupy their possessions. Much of this prophecy was fulfilled when the Jews returned to their own land. But the salvation and holiness of the gospel, its spread, and the conversion of the Gentiles, seem also to be intended, especially the restoration of Israel, the destruction of antichrist, and the prosperous state of the church, to which all the prophets bear witness. When Christ is come, and not till then, shall the kingdom be the Lord’s in the full sense of the term. As none that exalt themselves against the Lord shall prosper, and all shall be brought down; so none that wait upon the Lord, and put their trust in him, shall ever be dismayed. Blessed be the Divine Saviour and Judge on Mount Zion! His word shall be a savour of life unto life unto numbers, while it judges and condemns obstinate unbelievers. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Isaiah 4:2 In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped.

Isaiah 14:1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob.

Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the remnant whom the LORD calls.