J. Deering

THE VISUALIZED TEXT (NASB)  (conjunctions & prepositions underlined, words not in original text in italics)  (alternate text in purple)

Obadiah 1:1
The vision of Obadiah.
Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom--
We have heard a report from the LORD, And
an envoy has been sent among the nations saying,
"Arise and let us go against her for battle"--

2
"Behold,
I will make you small
among the nations;
You are greatly despised.

3
"The arrogance of your heart
has deceived you,
You who live
in the clefts of the rock, (or in the clefts of Sela,)
In the loftiness of your dwelling place,
Who say in your heart,
'Who will bring me down to earth?'

4
"Though you build high like the eagle,
Though you set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down," declares the LORD.

5
"If thieves came to you,
If robbers by night--
O how you will be ruined!--
Would they not steal only until they had enough?
If grape gatherers came to you,
Would they not leave some gleanings?

6
"O how Esau will be ransacked,
And his hidden treasures searched out!

7
"All the men allied with you
Will send you forth to the border,
And the men at peace with you
Will deceive you and
overpower you.
They who eat your bread
Will set an ambush for you. (There is no understanding in him.)

8
"Will I not on that day,"
declares the LORD,
"Destroy
wise men from Edom And
understanding from the mountain of Esau?

9
"Then your mighty men will be dismayed, O Teman,
In order that everyone may be cut off
from the mountain of Esau
by slaughter.

10
"Because of violence
to your brother
Jacob,
You will be covered with shame, And
you will be cut off forever.

11
"On the day that you stood aloof,
On the day that
strangers carried off his wealth, And
foreigners entered his gate And cast lots for Jerusalem--
You too were as one of them.

12
"Do not gloat over your brother's day,
The day of his misfortune.
And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah
In the day of their destruction;
Yes, do not boast In the day of their distress.

13
"Do not enter the gate of My people
In the day of their disaster.
Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity
In the day of their disaster.
And do not loot their wealth
In the day of their disaster.

14
"And do not stand at the fork of the road
To cut down their fugitives; And
do not imprison their survivors
In the day of their distress.

15
"For the day of the LORD draws near
on all the nations.
As you have done,
it will be done to you.
Your dealings
will return on your own head.

16
"Because just as you drank on My holy mountain,
All the nations will drink continually.
They will
drink and swallow, And
become as if they had never existed.

17
"But on Mount Zion
there will be those who escape,
And it will be holy.
And the house of Jacob
will possess their possessions.

18
"Then the house of Jacob will be a fire And
the house of Joseph a flame;
But
the house of Esau will be as stubble.
And they will
set them on fire and
consume them,
So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau,"
For the LORD has spoken.

19
Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau, And
those of the Shephelah the Philistine plain; Also,
they will possess
the territory of Ephraim and
the territory of Samaria,
And
Benjamin will possess Gilead.

20
And the exiles of this host
of the sons of Israel,
Who are
among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, And
the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
Will possess the cities of the Negev.

21
The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion
To judge the mountain of Esau,
And the kingdom will be the LORD'S.
 

ABOUT: (Questions to be explored based on this study's verses)
(1:1)
1. What is a Vision?
2. Who was Obadiah?
3. When did he live?
4. Where did he live?
5. Why is it important that Obadiah refers to God as "The Soverign Lord?"
6. Where is Edom?
7. Was Obadiah in Edom?
8. Was Obadiah writing to Edom, or writing about Edom?
9. What does it mean that an "Envoy" was sent?
10. Where was the Envoy sent?
11. What was the content of their message?

(1:2)
1. Why would God want to make Edom "small among the nations?"
2. Who was Edom?
3. Why would God want to make Edom "utterly despised?"

(1:3)
1. What was the pride of Edom's heart?
2. Does Pride deceive?
3. Can you describe the dwelling places of the Edomites?
4. Does building a home in the "Heights" have other meanings besides on the top of a cliff?

(1:4)
1. Explain "soaring like an eagle," and "nesting among the stars."
2. Why would God want to bring them down from there?
3. Who says all this?

(1:5)
1. When robbers come what do they steal?
2. What do they leave behind?
3. When theives come into your vinyard what do they steal?
4. What do they leave behind?

(1:6)
1. How will the ransacking of Esau be different that the robbers and theives of verse 5?
2. What are "hidden" treasures, and what will become of them?

(1:7)
1. Who are Allies?
2. Who are the Allies of Edom?
3. What will Edom's Allies do?
4. Who are the Friends of Edom?
5. Explore the word "deception."
6. How close would a "friend" be to sit and eat bread with you?
7. How will this "friend" treat Edom?
8. Will Edom know?

(1:8)
1. When is "In That Day?"
2. Who are the "wise" men of Edom and why will God destroy them?
3. Where will they be destroyed, and why?

(1:9)
1. What would it take for such trained warriers to be terrified?
2. How many will be slaughtered?

(1:10)
1. Why is God doing this?
2. If they are going to be utterly destroyed, how can they be covered in shame?

(1:11)
1. Who came and looted Jerusalem?
2. What did Edom do when this happened?

(1:12)
1. Describe: Stood aloof, Looked Down on your Brothers, and rejoiced over the destruction of the people of Judah
2. Why would they boast?

(1:13)
1. When Assyria came through the gates of Jerusalem - who came with them?
2. Did the men of Esau loot the city and Temple of Jerusalem?

(1:14)
1. Who are fugatives?
2. Who were these fugatives?
3. What did the Edomites do to these fugatives?
4. Consider the acts of murder and slavery in regards to the two families Israel and Edom.

(1:15)
1. When is "The Day of the Lord?"
2. How will God treat Edom "in that day?"
3. Consider the word "retrobution."

(1:16)
1. Consider the word picture here of drinking Edom.

(1:17)
1. Consider the change of mood here.
2. Who is the "House of Jacob," as opposed to the "House of Edom?"
3. Where is Mt. Zion?
4. Where is deliverance?
5. How will it be made holy?
6. Who will live there?

(1:18)
1. Who is the "House of Joseph?"
2. What will Jacob and Joseph do to Edom?
3. How many survivors will there be?
4. Who said this?

(1:19-20)
1. Where is the Negev?
2. What new lands will they have?
3. Consider all the cities and areas spoken off and then figure out when this will be.
4. Who's kingdom will this be?

BRIEF OUTLINE:
I. The Doom of Edom, 1-9

A. The Certainty of it, 1-4
B. The Completeness of it, 5-9

II. The Denunciation of Edom, 10-14

A. For Un-Brotherliness, 10
B. For Aloofness, 11-12
C. For Agressiveness, 13-14

III. The Destruction of Edom, 15-21

A. The time of the Destruction, 15
B. The Natue of the Destruction, 16-21

CROSS REFERENCES:
(1:1)