The day of the Lord is near
against all the nations.
As you have done, so it will be done to you;
your actions will make you suffer!
Just as you have drunk on my holy mountain,
so will all the nations around you drink;
they will drink and swallow quickly,
and they will be like they’ve never been before.
But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape,
and it will be holy;
and the house of Jacob will drive out those who drove them out.
The house of Jacob will be a fire,
the house of Joseph a flame,
and the house of Esau straw;
they will burn them up completely,
and there will be no one left of the house of Esau,
for the Lord has spoken.
Those of the arid southern plain will possess Mount Esau,
and those of the western foothills, the land of the Philistines;
they will possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria,
and Benjamin will possess Gilead.
Those who remain of the Israelites
will possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath;
and those left from Jerusalem and who are now living in Sepharad
will possess the cities of the arid southern plain.
The deliverers will go up to Mount Zion
to rule Mount Esau,
and the kingdom will be the Lord’s. (Common English Bible)
The prophet Obadiah is a small book in the sea of the Old Testament prophets (a single chapter of twenty-one verses). It’s a prophecy dedicated to the singular focus of delivering a message of divine judgment against the nation of Edom.
Why judgment? Because when people remove themselves from or place themselves in opposition to God (and God’s people) they can expect divine retribution, rather than restoration.
“The day of the Lord” is a phrase used throughout Holy Scripture as a reference to God’s upcoming judgment of the world. Along the way, until that final day, there are many nations which come and go.
Actions
Edom was in an ideal position to help Judah when King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians captured Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. But they didn’t. They could have given military assistance; but the ancient animosity between Jacob (Israel) and Esau (Edom) prevented this.
They still could have sheltered the Jews fleeing Jerusalem and Judah in order to escape the Babylonian onslaught. Edom’s rocky strongholds would have been extremely difficult for Babylon to maneuver in pursuit of Judah. Yet, the Edomites refused to trouble themselves in offering Judah even the slightest assistance in the day of its great need.
In fact, the situation was worse than refusing to assist. Edom committed violence against Judah at the time of Jerusalem’s fall. The Edomites progressed from being aloof and disinterested observers of Judah’s fate, to gloating over Judah’s trouble, to participating as invaders of Jerusalem. Finally, Edom played the antagonistic enemy who plucked off desperate Jewish fugitives as they tried to escape certain death.
The Edomites were like a bunch buzzards, hovering overhead, waiting for Babylon to smash Judah so that they could swoop down and devour the leftovers.
Accountable
Historically, we don’t really know much Edom was actually involved in Jerusalem’s destruction. Yet, it’s notable that some later Jewish traditions indicate that Edom helped the Babylonians burn the temple in Jerusalem to the ground. Whatever really happened, the Edomites took advantage of Judah and profited from their destruction. What’s more, God held them accountable for their actions and/or inaction.
And that is the very nature of sin. A sinner is one who either acts in breaking God’s penultimate command of love by harming another, or fails to act lovingly with apathetic inaction, when it is in their power to act. Therefore, living rightly and justly is not only refraining from acts of evil; it’s also doing good whenever we see that love and good works are needed.
It is a sin when someone knows the right thing to do and doesn’t do it.
James 4:17, CEB
Edom knew that Judah needed help, but refused to give it. So, the Edomites were guilty before God for failing to offer hospitality, relief, and basic human kindness. As for us, we have a great deal to answer for as idle spectators, whenever we are capable of being active helpers.
Apathy
Today, it appears that society has lost its self-awareness. As a result, there is widespread apathy toward others. We have made a devil’s bargain of trading an interior life of developing spiritual discipline and actionable love for an exterior life of position, power, and prestige.
In our contemporary culture, there is no longer any intentional and systematic spiritual formation happening. Instead, we are regularly fed the unholy porridge that we can do and think whatever we like, as long we aren’t hurting anybody.
Therefore, we don’t see the connection between our current political and religious acrimony and our spiritual apathy. We have relegated practices such as centering and contemplative prayer as mere optional extras for the eccentric few. “Why struggle with all this scriptural, religious, and spiritual stuff?” we say. “Meh, it’s not worth the effort.” From such a stance, we are only a stone’s throw away from not caring about our neighbor.
This all makes me wonder if the ancient Edomites, over time, created a culture of spiritual carelessness that neglected the disciplined life of the soul. I’m curious if they ever said things like, “I don’t have time for all that God stuff.”
It is this sort of apathy which underlies so much of Western society. Even the word “apathy” barely gets used anymore – along with a lot of other words like “avarice.” They have become relics of another era. But they’re still among us. And they come out in a phrase such as, “Yeah, whatever. It is what it is.”
We are largely an unhappy people these days. And we cannot seem to put our finger on why that is. Maybe we need to rediscover the prophets – and the ones who never seem to get a hearing – like the prophet Obadiah. Or are we too indifferent to give him an honest reading?
All too often, Lord, we turn away from the world’s many problems, which seem too big, too complex, or too far away. Forgive us our indifference.
It is easier, Lord, to see only what is around us: our lives, our homes, our challenges. Forgive us our isolation.
Help us to see with your eyes: eyes which notice one another and help us understand.
Help us to dream your dream: of communities that reach out and dialogue and where diverse people creatively cooperate.
Help us to be people of solidarity and action, so moved by prayer, encounter, and understanding that peace can become a reality. Amen.
Rev. Tim Ehrhardt 