The kingdom shall be the LORD’s
Mon, 21 November, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.
19 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau,
and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines;
they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria,
and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel
shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath,
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
shall possess the cities of the Negeb.
21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion
to rule Mount Esau,
and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.
Obadiah writes his vision of the coming judgment on the nation of Edom. God declares judgment against Edom because of their pride (v 2-9), their violence against Israel (v 10-11), and their gloating over Israel’s misfortune (v 12-14).
Therefore the day of the Lord (v 14) is coming upon Edom.
That brings us to the passage listed above. God promises the people of Israel will return to
the land and the boundaries of the land will be extended.
What do we learn from this?
The kingdom shall be the LORD’s. What a promise. In the midst of the an invasion of Israel where the Edomites helped the invading army, God promises a total reversal. Instead of the defeat they see right now, Israel will be victorious. Instead of being subject to a foreign power, they will be advancing the borders of their kingdom. What a word of encouragement in the midst of their misfortune.
This promise that the kingdom shall be the LORD’s anticipates the New Testament promises of the coming success of the Gospel. As we look around at the prospects of the Gospel, we might be tempted to be discouraged. In our own view, we might not see the Gospel meeting with much success. But yet, there is a great promise that ultimately, God will subdue the kingdoms by the word of His gospel and bring them under His kingship. Just as God promised the subjection of the nations to the rule of the Lord, we look forward to when the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Where is Christ in this passage?
Jesus Christ will reign forever over the kingdom of the world.
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
