God is not mad at people’s familial lineage, but he does
indeed take offence to people’s behavior. As we saw with Babylon, the attitudes
of self-sufficiency, pride, and atheism were exported all over the world. We
noted that Babylon’s end is total destruction. Edom has an attitude problem and
her end will be total destruction. Both of these places encouraged people to
separate their hearts from God. We typically associate Edom with Esau, and
correctly so because this was the place Esau inhabited. But it is not the
descendants of Esau that God takes offence to, but the behavior of the people
who live in that land that God takes offence to. Jacob and Esau represent the
behaviors we either should or should not have. We know that demons gather in
territories and influence people to do things according to the devil’s will.
And we also know that Israelites mixed with all other peoples in the world.
Therefore, today it is not the descendants of Esau, but the people who live
where Esau lived that have pride and violence toward the Israel of today. As we
have studied, demons are the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim and they roam
the earth looking for warm, clean houses (people), to inhabit. But because we have turned the Bible into an
“us and them”, book we think it is lineage that God is speaking against, but in
reality it is behaviors and attitudes. Neither Jacob nor Esau were perfect men,
yet Jacob pursued God and Esau pursued his own desires. What Babylon exported,
following one’s own lusts or desires for one’s own benefit apart from God is
what Esau did. He became violent and the people of the land who live there even
to this day learn this attitude of Babylon’s narcissism, but Edom added emotional
rage and violence to that. Let’s refresh our history of the twins, Jacob and
Esau.
Isaac was offered as a sacrifice at about 37 years of
age, at which time Sara died. After Sara died Isaac went to school with Shem
(who was Melchizedek) and Eber in Jerusalem for about three years. At some
point near the end of the three years Eleazer, Abraham’s servant, went to find
Isaac a wife from Sara’s relatives. Rebecca was about 10 years old at that
time, Isaac was about 40. We find these details from the Book of Jasher.
Abraham had six sons with Keturah after Sarah died. While Abraham is our model
for relationship with God, Abraham’s sons and grandsons seem to be at war with
each other until this very day. Let’s look at the people, Jacob and Esau, and
note their personalities, behaviors, and their actions. This will give us an
idea of the actions we are to emulate or put off. While Genesis doesn’t give us
a complete picture, Jasher adds some details regarding Jacob and Esau.
Jasher 28:18 At that time Isaac sent his younger son
Jacob to the house of Shem and Eber, and he learned the instructions of the
Lord, and Jacob remained in the house of Shem and Eber for thirty-two years,
and Esau his brother did not go, for he was not willing to go, and he remained
in his father's house in the land of Canaan.19 And Esau was continually hunting
in the fields to bring home what he could get, so did Esau all the days.20 And
Esau was a designing and deceitful man, one who hunted after the hearts of men
and inveigled them, and Esau was a valiant man in the field, and in the course
of time went as usual to hunt; and he came as far as the field of Seir, the
same is Edom. http://www.ccel.org/a/anonymous/jasher/28.htm
Esau did not want to go to the school that Shem and Eber
had in Jerusalem. Abraham learned firsthand from Shem and Noah and Isaac went to
school as well, but Esau was not willing to go there. Esau was designing,
deceitful, and he hunted the hearts of men to con and entice them. What does
that mean? Designing would indicate
he manipulated situations for his advantage. Deceitful means he did not tell the truth but used lies for his
advantage. Hunting the hearts of men
indicates he sought out and played on people’s emotions. He was a great hunter,
but seemed to also be someone who pressured and tricked people into doing what
he wanted. We can imagine there must have been quite a sibling rivalry between
the sons of Isaac, both Jacob and Esau seemed to want to outdo each other. Jacob
and Esau were about 15 years old when Abraham died. After some time Jacob went
to stay with Shem and Eber and remained there for 32 years until Shem died.
Meanwhile Esau took a Canaanite wife at about 40 years old. The boys were
separated for 32 years. Jacob must have enjoyed Shem and Eber’s school and
might have been content to stay there forever. At the time Jacob went to Shem
and Eber’s, he had already obtained Esau’s birthright. We seem to misunderstand
this event but Jasher fills in the details Genesis leaves out. While the boys
were in their late teens/early twenties Esau killed Nimrod.
Jasher 27:9 And all the mighty men of Nimrod, who had
left him to go to the wilderness, heard the cry at a distance, and they knew
the voices of those two men, and they ran to know the cause of it, when they
found their king and the two men that were with him lying dead in the
wilderness.10 And when Esau saw the mighty men of Nimrod coming at a distance,
he fled, and thereby escaped; and Esau took the valuable garments of Nimrod,
which Nimrod's father had bequeathed to Nimrod, and with which Nimrod prevailed
over the whole land, and he ran and concealed them in his house.11 And Esau
took those garments and ran into the city on account of Nimrod's men, and he
came unto his father's house wearied and exhausted from fight, and he was ready
to die through grief when he approached his brother Jacob and sat before him.12
And he said unto his brother Jacob, Behold I shall die this day, and wherefore
then do I want the birthright? And Jacob acted wisely with Esau in this matter,
and Esau sold his birthright to Jacob, for it was so brought about by the
Lord.13 And Esau's portion in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham
had bought from the children of Heth for the possession of a burial ground,
Esau also sold to Jacob, and Jacob bought all this from his brother Esau for
value given.14 And Jacob wrote the whole of this in a book, and he testified
the same with witnesses, and he sealed it, and the book remained in the hands
of Jacob.
Esau offers his birthright to Jacob and his place of burial
that Abraham bought. In return Jacob feeds him and hides him. The garments of
Nimrod were Adam’s garments that Noah had, which Ham stole from Noah and gave
to Cush, Nimrod’s father. Now Esau had Adam’s garments that the angel made for
him when Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden. There was a belief that the
garments made Nimrod a mighty hunter, which is why Esau took them. This
information added to the Genesis account now makes more sense. Esau was as much
of a schemer as Jacob but physically stronger and a better hunter. Nimrod was
jealous of Esau but Esau turned the tables on Nimrod and killed him, as
Nimrod’s dream had foretold, which was that a descendant of Abraham would kill
Nimrod. Nimrod’s hunting party was in the area, so Esau had to run and hide.
Being tired from fighting and killing the three men, and then running into the
city to hide with Nimrod’s garments, Esau was exhausted. Jacob schemed to take
his birthright by offering food. Esau feared Nimrod’s men would find him and
kill him. He might have thought he would have to keep running and needed food.
Jacob lived in the city, not in the country.
Gen 25:29-34 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from
the field, and he was faint:30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee,
with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom [red] 31 And Jacob said,
Sell me this day thy birthright.32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to
die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?33 And Jacob said, Swear to
me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink,
and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright. KJV
If
Esau thought he would be killed, it wouldn’t have mattered to him if he had the
birthright of the first born. And he probably thought his dead body would be
taken to Babylon by Nimrod’s men. Selling his birthright in the face of death
didn’t seem like a big deal, especially since he was probably in his 20’s and
had a young person’s shortsightedness. However, Esau never would have sold his
birthright for lentils if he was simply hungry and all was bright and happy in Esau’s
world. Obviously something intense was going on with Esau that caused him to
believe he would not fulfill his birthright. Now when Isaac wants to pronounce
a blessing on Esau, Jacob tricks Isaac. When Esau finds out, he is angry.
Jasher
29:9 And Isaac said unto Esau, And who was he that has taken venison and
brought it me before thou camest and whom I did bless? And Esau knew that his
brother Jacob had done this, and the anger of Esau was kindled against his
brother Jacob that he had acted thus toward him.10 And Esau said, Is he not
rightly called Jacob? for he has supplanted me twice, he took away my
birthright and now he has taken away my blessing; and Esau wept greatly; and
when Isaac heard the voice of his son Esau weeping, Isaac said unto Esau, What
can I do, my son, thy brother came with subtlety and took away thy blessing;
and Esau hated his brother Jacob on account of the blessing that his father had
given him, and his anger was greatly roused against him.11And Jacob was very
much afraid of his brother Esau, and he rose up and fled to the house of Eber
the son of Shem, and he concealed himself there on account of his brother, and
Jacob was sixty-three years old when he went forth from the land of Canaan from
Hebron, and Jacob was concealed in Eber's house fourteen years on account of
his brother Esau, and he there continued to learn the ways of the Lord and his
commandments.12And when Esau saw that Jacob had fled and escaped from him, and
that Jacob had cunningly obtained the blessing, then Esau grieved exceedingly,
and he was also vexed at his father and mother; and he also rose up and took
his wife and went away from his father and mother to the land of Seir, and he
dwelt there; and Esau saw there a woman from amongst the daughters of Heth
whose name was Bosmath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and he took her for a
wife in addition to his first wife, and Esau called her name Adah, saying the
blessing had in that time passed from him.13And Esau dwelt in the land of Seir
six months without seeing his father and mother, and afterward Esau took his
wives and rose up and returned to the land of Canaan, and Esau placed his two
wives in his father's house in Hebron.14And the wives of Esau vexed and
provoked Isaac and Rebecca with their works, for they walked not in the ways of
the Lord, but served their father's gods of wood and stone as their father had
taught them, and they were more wicked than their father.
What seems interesting here is that Nimrod was a great
hunter, and independent from God just as Esau was. Jacob in contrast was not known
as a hunter, nor did he seek to be independent from God. In fact, while Esau
lived in mountains, caves, and in the wilderness, Jacob was living in the city.
We can see the differences between both boys, they were fraternal twins and
were as different as can be. About seven months into Rebecca’s pregnancy with
these twin boys, Rebecca became tired because the babies were struggling so
much in utero and no one had ever experienced this before. Rebecca went to
Shem, Eber, and Abraham to ask them to seek God on her behalf. They came back with
an explanation.
Jasher 26:12 And they all inquired of the Lord concerning
this matter, and they brought her word from the Lord and told her, Two children
are in thy womb, and two nations shall rise from them; and one nation shall be
stronger than the other, and the greater shall serve the younger.13 And when
her days to be delivered were completed, she knelt down, and behold there were
twins in her womb, as the Lord had spoken to her.14 And the first came out red
all over like a hairy garment, and all the people of the land called his name
Esau, saying, That this one was made complete from the womb.15And after that
came his brother, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel, therefore they called
his name Jacob.
I’m sure the boys heard this prophecy growing up, ‘Esau is
older and stronger but he’ll serve Jacob’. That is why they called Jacob supplanter. To supplant is to overtake
by force or deceitfulness. Esau and Jacob knew that Esau would serve Jacob. So
Esau became skilled at manipulation, intimidation, and domination; the three
aspects of witchcraft. When Jacob tricked Esau out of Isaac’s blessing, they
were both 63 years old. They were not children or young men. Here are the
blessings they each received.
Gen 27:27-29 And he came near, and kissed him: and he
smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of
my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:28 Therefore God
give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of
corn and wine:29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord
over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every
one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. KJV
Gen 27:39-40 And Isaac his father answered and said unto
him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of
heaven from above;40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy
brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou
shalt break his yoke from off thy neck. KJV
Both blessings are interesting. But look at Esau’s
blessing, he would live by the sword. Genesis never tells us why he would live
by the sword but that implies physical fighting, and remember he killed Nimrod
with a sword, Jasher 27:7. Esau’s descendants would serve Jacob’s but there
would be a time that they would break away from them. When Jacob wrestled with
the angel it seems that that was also an insight for us as someone who will
have to struggle. In more recent history we see this struggle. When the British
took Palestine from the Ottomans the region started fighting again. The Jews
had been scattered and there was much discussion about whether they could live
in that land because it was so harsh. Once people moved back into the region,
they did have a hard time making it. Funds for the founding of the nation of Israel
were donated by the Rockefellers and the Rothschilds, and as we know, the
region was finally established as a nation in 1948. However it has always been
a struggle for Israelites to live there.
Jacob and Esau were in their twenties when Esau sold his
birthright and in their sixties when Isaac blessed Jacob. Today, we know that
those regions, Israel, and Edom, do not have pure bloodlines. The Edomites and Israelites mixed between
themselves as well as with Abraham’s other descendants. Today, there may be
people of Edom that are truly Israelites, and Israelites that are really from
Edom or Esau. This is where we fall short in our understanding of God. God is
not about the “us and them”, or the Jew and Gentile. Remember, all Jews are Goyim, nations, but not all Goyim came
from Judah/Jews. And just like we learned in The Letter of Aristeas, written around 300 BC, it is not about the
animals that are clean or unclean, it is about the behaviors of the animals
that are clean and unclean. God used animals as a visual example for people to
understand they should not be destructive like mice or crafty like weasels. By
people observing those behaviors they could understand just how God expected
them to act. But God is not mad at people just because they were born in
Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, Moab, or Edom. That is ridiculous. Even in Jesus’ lineage
there are “outsiders” who were not of Jacob. Yet the devil uses the “us and
them” idea to perpetuate hatred in the Middle East. It is not about heritage,
it is about behavior. Characteristics that Nimrod and Esau exhibited are not
the behaviors that God wanted on earth. Instead, they are the behaviors the
devil inspires in people. It is not important to align ourselves with Jacob, or
any of his sons, it is important to live like Jacob. This is why today it is
important to support people who live like Jacob, rather than people who live
like Esau. Violence, treachery, pride, manipulations, intimidations, and
dominations should not be tolerated in the world.
Let’s note the places they lived. Shem and Eber were in
Salem/Jerusalem, Isaac and Rebecca were in Hebron, and Esau went to Seir. Those
three places are still contentious today. Why? Because the people who lived
there at one time left behind their attitudes, along with either their belief
in God or their nonbelief in God. Seir is in the mountains east of the Dead
Sea. This is where Edom was originally and this is where Esau lived. There are
many caves there, and the Edomites became known as cave men. Edom expanded
westward, and then inhabited the area from the mountains east of the Dead Sea
to the southern and western region of the Dead Sea, to the southern border of
Judah, Idumea. Edom is now inhabited by people called Palestinians. Today,
Hebron is Edom’s capital city. But again, it is not the people’s lineage or heritage
that causes the trouble. It is their behaviors and their culture that God is
judging, either they are for or against God, and either they treat people well
or they don’t. There are many prophecies concerning Edom’s future destruction.
Let’s explore.
Jer 49:7-10 Concerning Edom, thus saith the Lord of
hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is
their wisdom vanished?8 Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan;
for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him.9
If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if
thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough.10 But I have made
Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide
himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is
not. KJV
In the time the Lord visits, the calamity of Esau will
come upon Edom. Esau can’t hide. Clearly Esau didn’t have a drive to know God
like Jacob did. This is why Jacob received the birthright and the blessing.
Edom has been really nasty to Israel ever since Jacob’s son’s left Egypt. Therefore,
God made them small and despised among men. Remember Edom, the cousins of
Jacob’s sons would not allow the Israelites to pass through their land during
their exodus. Today, Palestinians are small in number and despised by the
Muslim world. It is not because of their family heritage, but because of the
culture and beliefs of the people who live there.
Jer 49:15-22 For, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen,
and despised among men.16 Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of
thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the
height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I
will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord.17 Also Edom shall be a
desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at
all the plagues thereof.18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the
neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord, no man shall abide there, neither
shall a son of man dwell in it.19 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the
swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly
make him run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over
her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd
that will stand before me?20 Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord, that he
hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the
inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely
he shall make their habitations desolate with them.21 The earth is moved at the
noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea.22
Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over
Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the
heart of a woman in her pangs. KJV
The people of the region of Edom are prideful and used
their scary reputation as protection. Edom has always been inhabited, therefore
the time she will be made a desolation is still future. However, as you may
have been thinking regarding the geography of the region, Sodom and Gomorrah
are in the region of Edom. Remember the sins of Sodom from the book of Jasher,
the people were backwards in their thinking, they had unjust judges, took
advantage of strangers, and starved the poor. The territorial spirits in those
cities are the territorial spirits in the region of Edom. That is what
influences the people there today. Sodom and Gomorrah have not been inhabited
since its destruction, it is a wasteland. We know that Edom inhabited that
area, but it’s apparent today, the area where those cities were is still
uninhabitable. Recognize that the Red Sea is quite a ways away from the Dead
Sea, there hasn’t been a sound loud enough to be heard from one to the other.
But the Lord will fly over Edom at the time of her fall. The picture is this,
the southern area of Israel from the mountains on the East to the southern
borders of Judah will fall with a loud
noise.
Ezek 25:13-14 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will
also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it;
and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the
sword.14 And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel:
and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and
they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord God. KJV
Remember the pride in Babylon that was marketed out over
the earth, it seems that Edom will suffer the same fate as Babylon because of
the pride of self-sufficiency. Ezekiel tells us they will fall by the sword,
just like Esau has lived by the sword. Esau killed Nimrod with a sword, which
must have been Esau’s way of dealing with contentions. Therefore, the people
who live there believe that the only way to resolve contentions is with a
sword. When is this going to take place? On the Day of Vengeance, the Day of
the Lord. And again the Lord says that Seir will be desolate.
Ezek 35:1 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me,
saying,2 Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,3
And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against
thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most
desolate.4 I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou
shalt know that I am the Lord.5 Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and
hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the
time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:6 Therefore,
as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall
pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.7
Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth
out and him that returneth.8 And I will fill his mountains with his slain men:
in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that
are slain with the sword.9 I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy
cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.10 Because thou
hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will
possess it; whereas the Lord was there:11 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord
God, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which
thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known
among them, when I have judged thee.12 And thou shalt know that I am the Lord,
and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the
mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to
consume.13 Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied
your words against me: I have heard them.14 Thus saith the Lord God; When the whole
earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.15 As thou didst rejoice at the
inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto
thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and
they shall know that I am the Lord. KJV
Something to keep in mind is that God never wanted
bloodshed, but from the time of Cain and Able there has been bloodshed on the
earth. Edom takes bloodshed as its badge, or uses the deaths it brings on
others as trophies. The people of the region have been mixed and dispersed, and
mixed, and mixed again, so DNA has nothing to do with God destroying Edom. It
is the attitude of Esau that the region is emulating. The region is responding
to the blessings the twins received and to the personalities of both men. Demonically
inspired people are fighting against the people who love God. Israel is far
from perfect but they love the Creator. The example of the fighting twins in utero
tells us the spiritual battle has gone on a long time, from before the earthly physical
birth. Just a side note, demons need bodies to live in to be of any influence and
they don’t travel without bodies. While Edom is a concentrated area for
violence, it also exported violence around the world.
Ezek 36:4 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Surely in
the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and
against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the
joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey. KJV
Ezek 36:4-5 therefore, Mountains of Israel, listen to the
Message of God, the Master. My Message to mountains and hills, to ditches and
valleys, to the heaps of rubble and the emptied towns that are looted for
plunder and turned into jokes by all the surrounding nations: 5 Therefore, says
God, the Master, now I'm speaking in a fiery rage against the rest of the
nations, but especially against Edom, who in an orgy of violence and shameless
insolence robbed me of my land, grabbed it for themselves.' (from THE MESSAGE:
The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights
reserved.)
Idumea was south of Judah and west of the Dead Sea, but
Edom moved into the region. This is what God says, they appointed the land as
their own. Edom robbed God’s land. This bespeaks again of an attitude that is
disrespectful of God and self-serving. God has a remedy for that attitude.
Babylon will receive the same correction.
Joel 3:17-21 So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God
dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there
shall no strangers pass through her any more.18 And it shall come to pass in
that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow
with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain
shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of
Shittim.19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate
wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have
shed innocent blood in their land.20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and
Jerusalem from generation to generation.21 For I will cleanse their blood that
I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion. KJV
Zion is Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the Holy Mountain. Joel
is speaking of the Lord coming back with his armies and to restore Jerusalem
for His reign. Egypt will be desolate, and Edom will be a desolate wilderness.
Desolation is a ruin and that will be Egypt, but Edom is a deserted wilderness,
no people will live there. Oddly, Judah will be full of good vegetation, and
water from the temple will flow into the desert, while the southern areas will
be desolate. From our 30,000 foot view of the planet, we see that God’s people
have a right to live on the earth, but the devil’s people want everything for
themselves. There will be no peace until the Prince of Peace comes. Jacob’s/Israel’s
struggle is with people who do not want them to exist; Edom is not fighting for
the land of Israel. Edom shed’s innocent blood for the sake of shedding blood,
not because they themselves were harmed or hurt.
Amos 1:11-12 Thus saith the Lord; For three
transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment
thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all
pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever:12 But
I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah. KJV
What did Esau do? Amos says he pursued Jacob with a
sword. He also had no pity and was an angry person. Esau didn’t feel badly
about his relationship with Jacob. Esau had no compassion towards his brother,
and no respect for his parents. The people of that region are perpetually angry
and wrathful. That is not due to lineage. Attitude toward God and those who
serve God is important. Obadiah wrote entirely about Edom. We have two words to
take notice of here, Alph Tav, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end,
the first and the last: ‘rumor from Alph Tav the Lord’, is in the text. Another
word to notice is heathen which is “nation”.
Obad 1-4 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord God
concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the Lord, and an ambassador is
sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.2
Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.3
The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts
of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring
me down to the ground?4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou
set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord. KJV
Pride in Edom is dominant. Pride is what brought Lucifer
down. Pride brought Babylon down. Dependence on God is what raised Jacob up.
Dependence on God is what separates the Church from the world today. Yet overwhelmingly,
the people living in that region are violent toward people who they believe are
Jews and Christians. In spite of this, there are Christians in Edom. They will
not suffer destruction, they will be called up to meet Jesus in the air. We
have to again re-align our thinking that Christ came to welcome everyone into
the sheepfold, and the Christians in Palestine are as much saved and ready to
be gathered as any other Christians.
Obad 10-14 For thy violence against thy brother Jacob
shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.11 In the day that
thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away
captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon
Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. 12 But thou shouldest not have looked
on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither
shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their
destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of
distress.13 Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the
day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction
in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day
of their calamity;14 Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut
off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up
those of his that did remain in the day of distress. KJV
Edom should not have rejoiced, or gloated, or celebrated
over the destruction of Judah. Today, people in Middle Eastern countries
celebrate other nations’ misfortunes, as when people flew planes into the World
Trade Centers. The American news showed videos of people in Palestine
celebrating. This is something God does not approve of. Look, Jews today are
not perfect, Jacob and his descendants were not perfect, and Christians in our
day and time are not perfect. The only thing that sets people apart is whether
they believe on God the Creator, and confess Jesus as Lord. People can have
either self-pride or humble dependence on God. Jacob’s descendants went into
captivity because they did not follow God. Here is the warning.
Obad 15-16 For the day of the Lord is near upon all the
heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return
upon thine own head.16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all
the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow
down, and they shall be as though they had not been. KJV
Again the word for heathen
is “nations”. As the nations have done, so shall it be done unto them. There is
no getting away with anything, whatever the nations do will be done to them. Once
the church is called up, the only ones left on earth are Jews, non-Jews, and
the martyred for Jesus. When Jesus comes back with his armies and the church,
the Day of the Lord begins. That will be the time when the destruction will
come on the people who do not confess Jesus as Lord.
Obad 17-18 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and
there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their
possessions.18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph
a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and
devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the
Lord hath spoken it. KJV
Judah and Simeon will take back that area as well as the
Gaza area, the coast where the Philistines resided. Look what will happen
during the millennial kingdom, holiness and deliverance will come to
Zion/Jerusalem.
Obad 19-21 And they of the south shall possess the mount
of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the
fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess
Gilead.20 And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall
possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of
Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.21 And
saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the
kingdom shall be the Lord's. KJV
Some say Sepharad
is Spain, some say it is Lydia. Either way, Jacob’s descendants will come from
all over. The word saviours really
means “the delivered”, or the “remnant of the saved” will come to Mount Zion.
We already know the angels will gather the remnant from all over the earth
after the Day of the Lord. Here that remnant will be the judges of the people
from Edom. Now we can see that if people treated others badly, they will be
judged and sentenced in the same manner. Then note the words, ‘and the kingdom
shall be the Alph Tav Lords’. The beginning and the ending of Obadiah’s prophecy
announces the Alpha and Omega, Jesus, the first and last. The remnant will
judge the people, the land will be destroyed and be made a desolate wilderness,
and Jesus will be King of kings and Lord of lords. Remember Jesus is what all
life centers around, not rules, laws, or sacrifices.
Mal 1:1-5The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by
Malachi.2 I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved
us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob,3 And I
hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of
the wilderness.4 Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return
and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build,
but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and,
The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever.5 And your eyes
shall see, and ye shall say, The Lord will be magnified from the border of
Israel. KJV
The people of Edom struggle today, they do live
impoverished lives, but not for the reason they think they do. They believe
that because Jacob tricked or deceived Esau that the sons of Jacob stole from
them. One might say this is an attitude of un-forgiveness. In reality it is
their behavior and attitude that bankrupts them. They will be known as the
wicked land, and strangely they really do take pride in that title. Isaiah
brings us the conclusion of Edom.
Isa 34:1 Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye
people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things
that come forth of it.2 For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations,
and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered
them to the slaughter.3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink
shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with
their blood.4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens
shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as
the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.5
For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea,
and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.6 The sword of the Lord is filled
with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats,
with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah,
and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.7 And the unicorns shall come down
with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with
blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.8 For it is the day of the Lord's
vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.9 And the
streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into
brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.
Remember that some of the areas in this region were made
desolate at the time of Abraham, but this is a greater, larger area. The sword
of the Lord is “bathed in heaven”, meaning it is soaked in heaven. In other
words, the sword drank it’s fill in the heavens. Then it comes down on Edom,
all the animals in the region are slaughtered for a sacrifice. This is the day
of the Lord’s vengeance, the day he pays back Edom for damages.
Isa 34:10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the
smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie
waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.11 But the cormorant and
the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and
he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of
emptiness.
The words for line
of confusion and stones of emptiness are
the same words used in Genesis 1:2, when the world became formless and void, tohuw bohuw. That is the way Edom will
become, formless and void.
Isa 34:12 They shall call the nobles thereof to the
kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.13 And
thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses
thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls. 14 The
wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island,
and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there,
and find for herself a place of rest.15 There shall the great owl make her
nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures
also be gathered, every one with her mate.
Now we find out who will inhabit this land. Animals and
demons will inhabit the area. Dragons (sea serpents or jackals), owls
(ostriches), wild beasts of the desert, wild beasts of the island (howling
beasts), satyr (half man half goat or devil), screech owl (Lilith a female
night demon), great owl (arrow snake), vultures (falcons). All of these have an interesting connotation.
These weird creatures are ones that behave badly, like mice and weasels. Some
have unusual movement implied as well such as coiling, spinning, and twisting.
This will be the place where some demons will be bound, just like in Babylon.
These demonic beings are specific to that area; God measured out this place and
they will dwell there forever.
Isa 34:16 Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read:
no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath
commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.17 And he hath cast the lot for
them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for
ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein. KJV
Keep in mind that Edom’s destruction occurs when Jesus
comes back with His armies (made up of the redeemed). There are redeemed living
in Edom and Babylon, as well as other Middle Eastern nations. This is why the
redeemed are gathered first, on the day of redemption; and then peace leaves
the earth. Even in the tribulation days, God still makes provision for anyone
to believe on Jesus as Lord and Savior, and by martyrdom, one can then escape
the destruction of the nations. Nevertheless, Edom will be destroyed. The
fighting that started in Rebecca’s womb will finally be resolved. The
personalities of Jacob and Esau will be renewed in Jesus reigning from Zion as
King. The craziness we see happening today will continue until those end days
because the fighting of the twins is not finished. The example of Jacob and
Esau is what we see playing out today. It is a great picture for us to learn
from. That has always been the reason we are to look at the twins, to learn how
to behave. God is searching the hearts of men looking for those who seek him.
People don’t have to be perfect, they just have to have a humble dependence
Him.
Psalm
24 A Psalm of David.
1 THE EARTH is the Lord's, and the fullness of it, the
world and they who dwell in it. [1 Cor 10:26.] 2 For He has founded it upon the
seas and established it upon the currents and the rivers. 3 Who shall go up
into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His Holy Place? 4 He who
has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood or
to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully. [Matt 5:8.] 5 He shall receive
blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This
is the generation [description] of those who seek Him [who inquire of and for
Him and of necessity require Him], who seek Your face, [O God of] Jacob. Selah
[pause, and think of that]! [Ps 42:1.] 7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; and
be lifted up, you age-abiding doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who
is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9
Lift up your heads, O you gates; yes, lift them up, you age-abiding doors, that
the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is [He then] this King of glory? The Lord
of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah [pause, and think of that]! AMP
