Obadiah 5–9 “Will I Not on that Day, Declares the LORD”

Obadiah 5–9: “Will I Not on that Day, Declares the LORD”

Most people have never read Obadiah. It is a single chapter tucked among the minor prophets. Yet in these verses God speaks with a weight that cannot be ignored. In Obadiah 5–9, God declares the end of Edom. This is not an ordinary setback. It is total judgment. We are confronted with the consuming fire of God’s judgment and we are invited to hear His voice and then to see the beauty of the refuge we have in His Son (Obadiah 5–9).

What Ordinary Loss Teaches Us, and What It Does Not

God begins with two simple pictures to help us feel the difference between normal loss and divine judgment. Thieves do not take everything. They take what they can carry. Grape pickers do not clean a field to the last grape. They leave edges and fallen clusters behind. In both cases something is left. Life continues.

“If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night, would they not steal only enough for themselves. If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings. How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out.” (Obadiah 5–6)

We know this kind of loss. Hurricanes destroy towns, and people rebuild. A fire burns a house, and families sift the ashes and start again. It is devastating, but it is not final. The day of the Lord is different. It is not a partial hurt. It is a total judgment. When God rises to judge there is no recovery plan. The proud are left with nothing to hold on to (Obadiah 5–6).

Betrayed by Their Friends

Verse 7 adds a deeper humiliation. Edom’s allies, the ones who shared their bread, will betray them. Political treaties that promised security collapse. Friends set traps under the very tables where they once laughed together. The trust that felt solid turns out to be a counterfeit covenant.

“All your allies have driven you to your border, those at peace with you have deceived you, they have prevailed against you, those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you, you have no understanding.” (Obadiah 7)

We know what betrayal feels like. Stories often turn on this theme, the friend who was secretly an enemy, the partner who walked away when the cost grew high. That is the sting of verse 7. Edom leaned on human promises as if they were unshakable. They relied on defenses that could foil the plans of men, but those defenses could not shield them from the Lord. The deeper problem was not political. The deeper problem was theological. They were at war with God (Obadiah 7).

Wisdom Silenced and Strength Shattered

In verses 8 and 9 the Lord removes the last two pillars of pride. Wisdom and strength. God will take wisdom from Edom. The wise will not see a way out. God will take courage from the mighty. The strong will melt.

“Will I not on that day, declares the LORD, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau. And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.” (Obadiah 8–9)

This is not a fair fight. It is not even a fight. It is the holy God of Abraham executing justice on a nation that knew His name but rejected His covenant. They knew of Abraham their forefather. They did not trust the God of Abraham. By rejecting the covenant revealed through Moses they aligned themselves with the nations and they reaped the end of the nations that oppose Him. Everything that made them feel secure was brought to an end under the hand of the Lord (Obadiah 8–9).

From Edom to Babylon

What God did to Edom in history He will do to Babylon in the end. The system is the same. Pride. False trust. Betrayal by allies. Collapse in shame. Wrath without remainder. Scripture does not hide this. Scripture speaks it so that we will not be surprised when it comes and so that we will take refuge in Christ now.

Hear the New Testament warn and comfort at the same time. God speaks from heaven. He will shake what can be shaken, in order that what cannot be shaken may remain. He gives to His people a kingdom that cannot be shaken and calls us to worship with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:25–29).

Then hear the bowls of God’s wrath. Many have never heard these words read in sequence. The same God who spoke through Obadiah speaks here.

  • The first bowl. Painful sores come upon those who bear the mark of the beast and worship its image (Revelation 16:1–2).
  • The second bowl. The sea becomes like the blood of a corpse and every living thing in it dies (Revelation 16:3).
  • The third bowl. Rivers and springs become blood (Revelation 16:4).
  • The fourth bowl. The sun is allowed to scorch people with fire (Revelation 16:8).
  • The fifth bowl. The throne of the beast is plunged into darkness and people gnaw their tongues in anguish (Revelation 16:10).
  • The sixth bowl. The Euphrates is dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east (Revelation 16:12).
  • The seventh bowl. A loud voice from the throne says, It is done. Lightning and thunder and a great earthquake follow. The great city is split. The cities of the nations fall. God remembers Babylon and makes her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath (Revelation 16:17–19).

Revelation then shows the betrayal of Babylon by the very powers she used. She is pictured as the great prostitute seated on the beast, arrayed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding a golden cup full of abominations. She intoxicates the nations with her immorality (Revelation 17:1–4). Yet the horns and the beast will hate her. They will make her desolate and naked and burn her up with fire. God puts it into their hearts to carry out His purpose until His words are fulfilled. The great city that had dominion over the kings of the earth will be brought down under the sovereignty of God (Revelation 17:15–18). The kings who lived in luxury with her will stand far off in fear and say, Alas, alas, you great city, for in a single hour your judgment has come (Revelation 18:9–10).

Edom laughed with allies and was betrayed. Babylon flaunts her lovers and is devoured. Both are brought down by the hand of God. However Christians have understood the timing of these visions, whether as a straight line, as overlapping cycles, as largely fulfilled in the first century, or as symbolic pictures of the ongoing spiritual war that will reach its peak, we dare not miss the center. Babylon the great will drink the cup of the fury of the wrath of God. The proud will be humbled. Idols will fail. Judgment will come, and the cup will be drained (Revelation 16:17–19).

The Gospel Contrast

If we stopped here we would only be afraid. Scripture does not stop here. The same God who warns offers refuge in His Son. Friend, if you are reading this, there is real hope for real sinners because there is a real Savior. This hope is not in you. It is in Him. Not in your record, but in His record. Not in your strength, but in His cross. Not in your promises, but in His promises.

While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. If while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have received reconciliation (Romans 5:6–11).

You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air. You were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. He raised us up and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. This is not your own doing. It is the gift of God. Not a result of works, so that no one may boast. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:1–10).

Since the children share in flesh and blood, Jesus Himself shared the same, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. He became a merciful and faithful High Priest to make propitiation for the sins of the people. He stands for His people and intercedes for them before the Father. He saves to the uttermost all who come to God through Him (Hebrews 2:14–17).

Why This Matters Today

For the believer, this passage should fuel evangelism and discipleship. People around you have never heard these words. Invite them to hear Scripture and to meet Christ. Let it deepen the fear of the Lord in you, not a terror that drives you away, but a reverence that sets you apart for holiness. Let it anchor your hope, because what will be revealed from heaven as wrath does not apply to those who are in Christ. We are covered by His blood. We are reconciled to God. We are saved by His life (Romans 5:6–11).

For the unbeliever, this is a plea from the heart. The warning is mercy. God is speaking before the day comes. Come to Christ now. He will not turn you away. He receives sinners and makes them new.

Conclusion

There is one eternal kingdom. Every other one is chasing the wind. There is a day when the wrath of God will be satisfied. There is real hope in the person of Christ. The gospel saves sinners. Repent and believe, for the kingdom of God is at hand.

Scripture References for Study

  • Hebrews 12:25–29 — God warns from heaven and promises to shake what can be shaken, He gives an unshakable kingdom, He is a consuming fire.
  • Revelation 16:1–19 — The seven bowls of God’s wrath are poured out and Babylon is remembered to drink the cup of fury.
  • Revelation 17:1–4 — Babylon is pictured as the great prostitute who intoxicates the nations and sits on the beast.
  • Revelation 17:15–18 — The horns and the beast turn on Babylon and God’s purpose is carried out through their hatred.
  • Revelation 18:9–10 — The kings lament from a distance as Babylon falls in a single hour.
  • Romans 5:6–11 — Christ died for sinners, we are justified by His blood, reconciled to God, and saved from wrath.
  • Ephesians 2:1–10 — We were dead in sin and children of wrath, God made us alive with Christ by grace through faith, for good works.
  • Hebrews 2:14–17 — Jesus shares our humanity, destroys the devil, delivers us from fear, and makes atonement as our High Priest.

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