Obadiah & Playing the (Really) Long Game
by Darren Moore
The Evangelical press and blogs tend to be dominated by success stories, rather than “failures” (unless it’s some kind of scandal). This is understandable, we want to be encouraged and have good models to follow. But, often things don’t go quite right for the Christian, or the local Church. More so, think of some of our global mission partners that we support, where following Christ can lead to great difficulties. At the same time that the Church faces hardship, she observes her enemies in a far more secure position enjoying security and comfort.
Maybe that sounds extreme, but imagine being in China, Iran, Cuba, or North Korea. In these countries, Church membership leads to hardship whereas belonging to a persecuting group opens doors and secures what you have.
This is the situation facing Judah of Obadiah’s day. As they were being carted off to Babylon (due to God’s judgment), their long-term enemy, Edom mocked and cashed in. There is of course history between these neighbours. Esau/Edom and Jacob/Israel were sons of Isaac, but Esau had sold his birthright for stew. It really doesn’t matter how good the stew or how hungry he was, clearly, he sees little value in the Abrahamic promise. Later, during Israel’s wandering to the promised land, Edom had caused problems, not allowing Israel to pass through peacefully, even picking off the lame.
Obadiah describes Edom’s security, living high in the cliffs. Who could harm them? But, he goes on to tell them that they face the same short-term future as Judah. Now they are boozing up on wine celebrating Judah’s downfall, but soon they will be downing the wine of God’s judgment.
The book ends looking long-term into the future. Then ALL nations will be destroyed, only Judah will be left. Why is this good news? Think for a moment: Obadiah’s prime audience wasn’t Edomites, but Judeans and then us, the Church. Again, think of our suffering brothers around the world. They may be tempted to the security of their persecutors and that they should give up. But, Obadiah is reminding them that ultimately only Christ’s Church remains and that there will be final justice.
One time when I bought a Volvo, I was presented with their safety features in an online review. Someone asked, “have there been any deaths in Volvos?” The honest answer came back, “airbags and reinforced bodies have limited effect when driving into a ravine or having a head-on collision with a train”. With God, we may feel we have all the security in the world (with insurance, housing, things to buffer us), but without God we have nothing. It’s easy to feel, in following God, right now, we have gained nothing and lost considerably, but in Christ, we have all the security we will ever need.
