Amos 1:9 says, Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant:  The people of Tyrus had sold God's people into captivity in Edom.  They were supposed to have a brotherly covenant with them according to this passage.  I believe that we can say that not everyone who claims to be a friend of God's people actually wants what is best for them.  Some so called friends would sell out Christians without any concern if it would profit them.  Verse ten states, But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof.  As with all these cities, or nations, Amos states that God would send fire to destroy them.  As already stated, I believe that fire is used to symbolize total destruction.  Still, God does have it within His ability to reign down fire from heaven if He so chooses.  Verse eleven states, 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:  The people of Edom were guilty of always pursuing God's people, their brothers or kinsmen by birth, and attempting to destroy them.  I believe that we can say those who refuse to accept Christ today, and thereby give up their birthright as a child of God, will never act in the best interest of Christians.  I believe that since Christ died for all people, that His salvation is a birthright that a person has to either accept or reject.  Salvation is an accomplished fact for all, but can only be claimed through faith in Christ.  Some people, or nations, even make it their purpose in life to kill Christians, and they may succeed for awhile, but God's judgment is coming.  Verse twelve declares, But I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.  This is another pronouncement of the coming destruction of God.  The same fate awaits all who will not believe in God and those who harm His people.  Verse thirteen says, Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border:  This is a particularly cruel action on the part of the people of Ammon.  They had either killed the pregnant women of Gilead, or they had killed their unborn children.  We can make all the claims that we want otherwise, but when there is an end to a pregnancy other than by birth, it is an unborn child that dies.  If Ammon was judged for this, so will others be.  Verse fourteen says, But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind:  Once more, those who stood against God and attempted to destroy His people would themselves be destroyed.  Verse fifteen states, And their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes together, saith the LORD.  Not only would the king be taken into captivity, but so would all the princes, or future kings.  They had killed the children of Gilead to increase their borders, but when God sent His judgment, they lost it all.  So will any person or nation today who abuse God's people for their own benefit, if not in this world, then in the judgment to come.

Amos 1:1 says, The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.  Amos was a herdman, or a country farmer according to Matthew Henry.  He prophesied before Isaiah.  He was just another simple man that God spoke to and worked through. The first chapter deals with prophecies about enemies of Israel.  Verse two states, And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.  This is simply a statement of the power of God's word.  As I have stated several times before, we should never underestimate the power of God's word.  When God speaks to a person, that person is indeed foolish if they ignore God's word to them.  The most foolish act is to ignore God's call to salvation.  Verse three says, Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:  Matthew Henry says that the three transgressions, which are mentioned in all the warnings, are general sins, with the fourth being the specific sin the country is charged with.  This is the first of several nations that are warned of God's coming judgment and the giving of the reason why.  God said that Damascus, or Syria, had thrashed Gilead with instruments of iron.  They had terribly mistreated God's people.  Verse four states, But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad.  God said He would destroy them with fire, or reduce them to nothing.  Verse five states, I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the LORD.  The people of Syria, instead of ruling, were going to be taken captive themselves.  Verse six says, Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom:  Gaza was a city of the Philistines.  They had been guilty of carrying God's people, either Israel or Judah, away as captives.  Verse seven states, But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devour the palaces thereof:  We see God's judgment as being stated as destroying them with fire in these prophecies.  Though they may have been burned down, I believe that it is more a statement of total destruction.  We know that those who do not accept Christ as Savior are destined to end up in hell, a place of everlasting fire.  The really bad thing about this is that they will be forever separated from God.  Verse eight says, And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon, and I will turn mine hand against Ekron: and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord GOD.  God said His judgment was to be on all the Philistines. They had believed themselves more powerful than God, and they had succeeded for awhile, but God's judgment was coming.  People today may mock God, and even destroy His people, and see nothing bad happen, but God's judgment has already been pronounced on them.  If not before, then when Christ returns they will know the truth of God.

Obadiah Review

Since Obadiah is a short book, the summation will not take long.  First, we can say that those who claim to be God's people by right of birth, but do not put faith in Him, will ultimately be judged by God.  Prosperity in this world is not the equal to being blessed by God.  Many who claim to serve God, but only do so for material success, will one day be judged by God.  They may feel superior to God's people, as did Edom, but their feeling of superiority will end when Christ returns, if not before.  Next, we learn that relying on our relationship with other nations will never give us ultimate success against God.  We may feel that we are on top of the world, but if our success is built on anything other than our relationship with God, it will one day be destroyed.  That might not even happen in this lifetime, but it is a certainty.  Whether we want to believe it or not, the soul lives on, and there are only two places where the soul can live: with God or separated from Him.  Then, we have a strong warning against government leaders who abuse God's people.  This is especially true for those who claim to be His people.  We should never stand against those who are followers of Christ.  Even if they have fallen into sin, we must condemn the sin, but we must do so to restore the brother or sister in Christ.  We must never be like Edom, or the descendants of Esau, and sell our birthright as followers of Christ for anything in this world.  No matter how rich or powerful we may become, if we do not accept salvation through Christ, we have rejected our spiritual birthright.

Obadiah 1:16 says, 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.  This is the promise to the heathen and to those who only claim to be God's people, but who in fact are simply looking for their own prosperity.  God said that these people would be cut off, as though they had never been.  Verse seventeen then declares, But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.  God was going to deliver His people, but the Edomites would not be a part of that deliverance.  Verse eighteen proclaims, 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.  Those who were truly God's people were to be delivered, but the people of Edom would not be among them.  They would be burned like stubble and utterly destroyed.  Those who claim to be God's people today only for their own benefit and not because of a real relationship with Christ will suffer the same fate.  Verse nineteen says, 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.  The defeat of Edom was to be complete, as will the defeat of all who stand against God.  Those who do defy or even deny God may be prosperous in this world, but will one day, when Christ returns, will be utterly defeated.  Verse twenty states, 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. The captivity of the children of Israel will come to an end.  Even if Israel was not immediately returned to a position as a world power, through Christ they were returned to a position of being the spiritual power of the world, if they accepted Him as Savior and Lord.  We are a part of that spiritual kingdom if we likewise accept Christ as our Savoir and Lord.  Vesre twenty says, And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.  I believe that this is a reference to those who preach the gospel of Christ.  Christ is the only Savior, but those who follow Him proclaim salvation to the world.

Obadiah 1:8

Obadiah 1:8 says, Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?  This is a reference to those who were the leaders of the nation.  I believe that we can say that when we look to leaders who do not look to God for guidance, then we place ourselves in danger of God's judgment on us as a nation.  Verse nine adds, And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.  Everyone in the nation was to be subject to God's judgment, for the least to the mightiest.  We might think this unfair, but we can be certain that if there were those who believed in God that they are still alive with Him today.  We might wonder why God doesn't take a more direct action against those governments today who abuse His people, but we know that when the time is right that judgment will come.  Verse ten continues, For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.  Now the people of Edom were told why God was going to punish them.  They had become violent against their brother Jacob, or God's people.  God warned them because of their actions that they would be cut off forever.  Anytime someone refuses to acknowledge God and mistreats His people, that person is in danger of being cut off from God forever.  Verse eleven states, 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.  This verse basically states that when the nation of Israel was under attack that the people of Edom allied themselves with the enemy.  I believe there is a warning here about standing with those who stand against God.  Edom was not to be just arbitrarily destroyed, but they were to be destroyed for their sins against God and His people.  As followers of Christ, we cannot afford to ally ourselves too closely with those who stand against God.  Verse twelve adds, 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.  This is quite an indictment against Edom.  They were told that they should have stood with their brothers, the people of God, in the battle with the world.  We too must stand with God's people in the battle against evil in the world today.  We can never rejoice in the destruction of any of God's people without being held accountable.  Verse thirteen continues, 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;  The people of Edom were told they should not have taken advantage of God's people when they were in trouble.  People today need to heed that same warning.  God may allow Christians to be under the rule of evil regimes, but He will never let those who take advantage of them when they are down go unpunished forever.  Verse fourteen says, 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.  The Edomites, the descendants of Esau, not only took advantage of God's people, they captured and turned in those who attempted to escape.  Instead of siding with their kindred, they fought against them.  All followers of Christ today are our kindred, and we must never stand against them, and we must really never take actions that will cause them to be harmed.  Verse fifteen adds, 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.  This was a warning that the people of Edom would suffer the same defeat as the heathen.  They, like Esau, had sold their birthright.  God's judgment is certain for those who rebel against Him.

Obadiah 1:1

Obadiah 1:1 says, 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.  We are first told that this is a vision that Obadiah had.  It was a vision concerning Edom, which is the Hebrew word for red according to Matthew Henry.  Since I do not know Hebrew, I rely on others for this meaning.  The Edomites were descendants of Esau, who was noted for his red hair and may have been called Edomites because of this.  Esau was also remembered for selling his birthright, and evidently his descendants at this time had sold their relationship to God.  Obadiah said that they had heard a rumor from God that an ambassador from the heathen would rise up against Edom.  Verse two adds, Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.  Obadiah was basically saying that God had removed His protection from them because of their sin against Him.  God had made the people of Edom small in the eyes of the heathen.  We must never forget that our strength comes from God and our relationship with Him.  Verse three continues, 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?  The people of Edom had become full of self-pride, feeling that they were too powerful to be destroyed.  We today, who call ourselves a Christian nation, must beware of being full of self-pride.  We are not indestructible by our own power but are only indestructible by our faith in Christ.  Verse four states, 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.  The people of Edom evidently felt that they were so strong that no one could bring them down, not even God.  They exalted themselves instead of exalting God.  If we begin to exalt our power and wealth as a nation instead of exalting God, then we are in danger of having God show us how small we really are.  Verse five adds, If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes?  I believe that God was saying that Edom would not be as fortunate.  When God came to them in judgment, there would be nothing left.  When God judges things obtained through sinful actions, nothing will be left of the things gained by sin.  Verse six continues, How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up!  Nothing could nor can be hidden from God.  Those things that we may think that we have gained by sinful means and hidden away are not hidden from God.  Verse seven concludes, All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.  The people of Edom were warned that they could not trust their political allies.  We know today that alliances are always changing and that we cannot always put our faith in them.  When we begin to look anywhere other than to God for our security in life we are setting ourselves up for failure.

Hebrews Review Concluded

Then in Hebrews we learn that if we are truly saved by faith that we will never be lost again.  We are reborn by faith in Christ.  I believe that just as we are physically born once, we are spiritually reborn once.  Once we are reborn into the kingdom of God we are secured by the Holy Spirit.  We then have a responsibility to seek God's will in all that we do, but if we fail, we are not then unborn.  We are still God's children, and as the book of Hebrews tells us, when we stray away from God's will, He will chastise us.  Some may need more chastisement than others, but I believe that as followers of Christ, and therefore children of the heavenly Father, we all at some time or the other need chastisement from God.  We are also told that the great men of the Old Testament were great because of their faith and not because of their own innate goodness.  They had faith in God and the coming Messiah.  They were never saved by works or living up to the law, but by faith alone.  Also, we are warned to beware of strange doctrines.   This means we must know what God's word really teaches.  Being somewhat familiar is not enough.  Then, we are instructed to go into the world with God's message.  We are saved to serve and not to just sit back idly until Christ returns.  There is a lost world in need of salvation that we are commissioned to reach with the gospel.  Next, we are also instructed to listen to religious leaders, those put in place over us by God.  We know that God calls some to be preachers and teachers, and they are called for the benefit of all  Christians. Finally, we are instructed to live our lives in praise to God.  I know that I do not do this often enough.  We serve a loving God Who has redeemed us from the penalty of sin if we accept that redemption.  We should daily give Him praise.  Next, we will look at the shortest book of the Bible, Obadiah.