God is forgiving, but when we make mistakes, sometimes the results nip at our heels day after day.
In Genesis 27 Jacob cheated his brother Esau out of his father’s blessing, and that created a rift that brought strife and suffering for many generations. We also face family conflict in modern times. However, in Obadiah 17-21, God promises that he will no longer allow the enemy to come against us, and he will restore us to the glory for which he originally intended his creation.
Obadiah gives us five steps God will take us through as our enemies are vanquished, and we once again possess the kingdom of the Lord.
Step #1: We will regain what was once ours.
Obadiah says the house of Jacob will hold their possessions.
The entire land from Egypt to the Euphrates had been given to Abraham. It had all been stolen away.
What has been stolen from us? Our marriage? Our children? Our health? God will restore what was once ours.
Step #2: We will receive strength to defeat the enemy.
The Edomites, a constant thorn in Israel’s side, were descended from Esau. Obadiah tells us Israel will become a flame that burns the house of Esau as stubble in the field.
What is our thorn in our side? Childhood abuse? An uncontrollable addiction? Anger issues? God will give us the strength to defeat the enemy.
Step #3: We will possess the land to the ends of the earth.
Obadiah reminds Israel of the promises God had given her. From the Mount of Esau to the fields of Samaria, it was all earmarked as belonging to Israel. It would belong to her once again.
What has God promised us? A life partner? Freedom from debt? The chance to minister in distant lands? No matter how big God’s dream for us, he will fulfill it unto the ends of the earth.
Step #4: We will gather our family at our side.
The devil knows that God’s true strength is found in the cohesive intertwining of his people into one body. When the body can be scattered, we are weakened.
Obadiah prophesies that the Jews will return to Israel one day, where they will again be one people.
Where have we lost our family? To dissention? To drugs? To wayward living? God will draw our family to our side.
Step #5: We will worship around God’s throne forevermore.
Obadiah paints a glorious picture, for he describes the assembling of the host of God on Mount Zion. There we will begin the day of the Lord, and his kingdom will never end.
Those we have loved and lost; those who have gone on before us; and those we have studied in our Sunday school lessons will be gathered with us. We will see Noah, Moses, and Elijah. We will worship with them around God’s throne forevermore.
Where we see the results of our failures, God sees the restoration of our futures.
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