PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Obadiah
William J. Deane [1853-1943] · 42,118 words · 47 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Obadiah — Section 1
THE PULPIT COMMENTARY, EDITED BT TBE VERY REV. H. D. M. SPENCE, D.D., DEAN 0-W GLOUClllll'l'l!IB ; AND BY THE REV. JOSEPH S. EXELL, M.A. OBADIAH. @xposftfon BY REV. W. J. DEANE, M.A., BECTOB 0-W A8HIIII. 'il;!om fbtfcs BY REV. PROFESSOR J. R. THOMSON, M.A. ll,omiHes bu llatious !autbom. BEV, A. O. TfilSELT…
1,026 wordsSECTION 2The Pulpit Commentary — Obadiah — Section 2
Jewish nation against Edom. It is the one imprecation which breaks forth from the Lamentations of J eremie.h ; it is the culmination of the fierce threats of Ezekiel; it ie the sole purpose of the short, sharp <Jl'J of Obadiah, it is the bitterest drop in the sad recollections of the Israelite captives by the waters …
1,171 wordsSECTION 3The Pulpit Commentary — Obadiah — Section 3
hewn from the end of o. range of cliffs, the last one looking like a great grim warder at the city gate. Beneath are numberless excavations, each one of which, from its e,ppearance, might have been used first as o. home for the living before being appropriated as a tomb. . . . Now emerging into the expanse of the litt…
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off stragglers, and rejoiced in the calamity of Judah. Nothing is said of the tote.l destruction of the city and the temple, nothing of the people recovering their lost home; they are supposed to be still occupying their own country (vers. 17-19), and thence extending their kingdom. Now, we read in the Old Testament of…
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already been done. It is not God's wont to warn when it is too late to repent, In answer to this, to argne that the prophet, in poetical form, ie describing the past as futnre, seems scarcely sufficient. Rather, the trnth appears to be this : In ver. 11 he is, as we conclnded before, alluding to e. definite captnre of …
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T11ere can be no doubt that the style of Obadiah is remarkably original. In his very diction he deviates from the beaten track, using many words and forms which occur nowhere else. Though his language is simple, it is very suggestive, full of thought, and pregnant with meaning. Pore and idiomatic, it breathes a high an…
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EXPOSITION, Vere. 1-16.-Pe.rt I. THE DEBTBUOTION " ye have hee.:rd." A rumour; a report (Isa. OF EDOM, AND THE 0AUBE THEREOF. liii. 1); &.,co~w (Septuagint); auditu.m (Vnl- Vere. 1-9.-§ 1. The heathen nations are ge.te). It means here "tidings" (comp. Matt. xxiv. 6, a.1<oa.l ,ro/1.eµc.,v : and Rom. x. summoned, to t…
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Septuagint, 6,ra,,: Vulg1ttC1, scisfflm. The is no reference to the ohe.rite.ble le.w in word occurs in thl' parallel pe.sse.ge, Jer. Lev. xix. 10; Dent. xxiv. 21, which would xlix. JG. and in Cant. ii. 14, where it has the not affect, or be k~own unto, these grapo- ml'nning <1f "rdu~0." Of the rook. Thie plnnderere…
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Implies the olosest friendship, especially in wards Israel in the time of cal1>mity, in Eastem lancls, where such o. tie is of that she rejoiced at her sister's disnater and general obligation. Have laid a wonnd took part with her enemies. under thee; rather, lay a snare under thee; Septuagint l671,ca.v lveSpa. 61ro,c&…
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OhRlil<:'nn <'onq110pl_ Thon wast as onl' of Ver. 14.-'l'ho climax of injury is tho them; lilcrally, t/1011., too, as one of them. In cutting off of fugitives, e.nd delivering this expression the past i1 set before the them into oe.ptivity. Neither shonldut thou mind as present. have stood in the oro11way; and ltand…
1,069 wordsSECTION 11The Pulpit Commentary — Obadiah — Section 11
taken metaphorioally In both ola111ea <- uxviii. 11 ; xliv. 9). (]!'or the aooomplish- note on N&h. lli. 11). The meaning la then ment of this propheoy age.inst Edom. see thie-As ye Jewe, who are upan my holy Introduction, § L) mountain the people of eleotion, have not Vere. 17-21.-Part II. Tlll!l REBTOBA- eeo&ped f;om…
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tion!'d in Hos. i. 1 I : Ezck. xxxvii. 19; Zeoli. re1tehed to the river, elu\11 possess all tho "· 6. The fnture sR l vRtion is to be for all. territorv on tho other side of Jo\'dan. 'l'hu1 For stubble, which the brAelites used rather the resixlred people shall, in nccordanoe wtth thnn woorl for lighting fires and b…
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Vulgate, qum ln Bo,p11M'o eBt. The name the present case. Here the immediate ocours nowhere 0180 in the Bible, and Its reference is to Zernbbabel and the valiant Identification cannot be established. Jerome Maccabees, who severely punished the Idu- suggests, in hie commentary, that it is the means (2 Mace. x.15, eto…
846 wordsSECTION 14The Pulpit Commentary — Obadiah — Section 14
instructions from his :Muter, with whom he ia in intimate communication. 2. The servant of the Lord is the agent in conveying the :M88ter'a will to hia fellow-men. This WILi! especia.lly the voca.tion of the prophet, who spoke forth the mind of the Almighty to the righteous and to the wicked, whether they would hea.…
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tempting adversity. The inatrnment employed in humbling the proud may be human, a.a in the case of the Edomites, but the power that chastises is Divine. It ia ever true under the government of God that he abases the proud and gives grace unt.o the lowly. Ver. 1.-The treacherou, betrayed. The Edomitea had turned aga…
1,070 wordsSECTION 16The Pulpit Commentary — Obadiah — Section 16
Vers. 15, 16.-The "le:,; taJ,wnis." The prlnciple of government or of retribution known as the lex talionis was known to the Hebrews as well as to other nations. " It was B!l.id by them of old time, An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." Pe.ssages in Ezekiel contain threatenings of a retribution similar to that wh…
1,211 wordsSECTION 17The Pulpit Commentary — Obadiah — Section 17
eque.l to any of the reat. Let us, then, ponder it in our heart8, May the Holy Spirit guide us into ell the truth this sacred portion contains I May he open our eyes, that we may behold wondrous things out of this word I I. WE MAY BEGIN BY ASKING WHO OBADIAH WAS, Some have thought he waa the pious steward of King Ahab…
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exercised as to what is revealed about the judgment day, and of the Divine wrath upon the wicked; others havo difficulty in understanding the moral government of the world; but the docile, hum hie-minded believer takes this book as from the band of God. On the top of every page he sees, as it were, written in letters o…
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into prominence. They had their message to deliver. 'l'hey had their solemn work to perform. They had Jehovah to glorify. They were content to be no more than a voice crying in the wilderness. Who wrote Joshua? Who wrote Judges? Who wrote the books of Samuel, or the Kings, or Chronicles, or Esther? It was sufficient…
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the temple, sees the dreadful handwriting upon the wall, e.nd the message comes "'fhe pride of thine bee.rt bath deceived thee." Herod makes e.n oration, and give~ not God tho glory due to his Ne.me. 'fhe silent death-warraut comes to him, "The pride of thine heart bath deceived thee," And as with these kings, these re…
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1 hce.r?" Some may remind us of the young man who, ou hearing the oommand- ments, ~aid he had kept them all; but when Christ searched him through and through he left Christ's presence, preferring his earthly possessions to heavenly riches. Hi: heart WRs e.s a gree.t stone, which, when disturbed, revealed numberleas cre…
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blight and ruin so common in the land? 0 my soul, come not thou into the secret I Ee11u'e cruelty and blood-guiltiness were never so bad as the crimes, unpunished and undetected, of our own day. And shall not God search them out? "Verily there is a God that judgeth the earth." Let us for ourselves pray t.o be kept from…
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rn,cns feed his prophet.. Elije.h will not come into the seoret of the wicked. Unflinoh• ing che.mpion, he knows the.t the purae of the ungodly is e. be.g with holes, and their cisterns hold no water, and their hopes are bounded by time, and their joys a.re gilded and unreal; and beyond death all is de.rkness, de.rkneB…
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"E'en now by faith we join our h11nd1 With those that went before, And greet the blood-besprinkled bands On that eternal shore. ,. Oh that we now might grasp our Guide I Oh that the word were given I Oome, Lord of hosta, the waves divide, And IBnd us all in h£Bven." (C. Wesley.) A.C.T. Vera, 8, 9.-False confi…
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in bis wiBdom, nor t.he mighty in his might, where shall we obtain II wisdom worth seeking? Where shall we find the secret of a God-given strength? I will now &IliiWer these inquiries. I. WHERE SHALL WISDOM BE FOUND? That of Edom will not do. The wisdom of this world is insufficient for an immortal soul. We mostly nee…
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distress." The tongue was in the transgression. We are told in Ps. cxxxvii. how tho ohildren of Edom cried, "Down with it, down with it, even to the ground!" "Thou ehouldeet not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their cala.mity." Their feet were in the transgression. Like those whose picture the psa…
792 wordsSECTION 27The Pulpit Commentary — Obadiah — Section 27
Ver. 11.-Edom as Babylon. "Even thou wast as one of them." Edom, :i.lthough claiming Abraham and Isaac for his forefathers, was so unfraternal to Israel that when Jerusalem was captured by the Babylonians, he shared in the hostility. His cry was, "Rase it, ra.se it, even to the ground l" To this our text •nakes referen…
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for knowledge is power for working and for waiting, for doing and for su!Tcring]; and to knowledge temperance [temperance, or self-control, is an urgently needed grace]. and to temperance patience [wo are all called to endure; we must not expect that w~ can be Obristians without any trouble; Christ's eoldiers must lear…
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Naboth, the dogs licked her blood. Well said Eliphaz, "l have eeen that they who plough iniquity, and sow wiokednese, reap the same." 1.'he Jewt1, who were made to serve " ~trange" masters, were told that it was for serving "strange" gode. And our Lord himself hl\S said, " With the same measure that ye mete it shall…
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Every one ahall receive-that is, carry away with him-tbe things done in the body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Tbe bad-the ein11-m118t tie.eh be BB a eoorpion-eting throughout eternity. Every sinner will be his own bell. The memory of hie sine will be perpetual torment. In days when men arg…
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II. In the next place, WE FIND SANOTITY rnoMTSED. "It shall ho holy." In its present-dRy applicRtion this promise sets forth the e1tnctification of God's Israel. It is not ~ufficient t-0 realize deliverance; we are to seek holiness. Joshua's captains were not only t-0 put their feet upon the necks of the five kings …
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o.11 thine enemies perish, 0 Lord: but let them that love thee be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might." The Church of God bas often been likened to a worm, yet it is to thresh the mountain, and is seen in sacred song as "fair a.s the moon, clear as the sun, ond terrible as an army with banners." Thus weakness i…
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No more shall Ephraim vex Judah. They also take in Se.me.rie.. No more shall It be heard that the Se.me.ril;ans have no part with the Jews. And more still. Benjamin shall possess Gilead, thus stretching to the east. It she.ll have a portion on both sides of Jordan. A.nd, further, Judah shall receive into fellowship …
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Oh for another Pentecost, that the Church of to-day might be as the Church of the first day~, and the Redeemer's vrords be exemplified," That they all might be one, that the world may believe that thou hast sent rM"l-A. C. T. Ver. 21.-&vio'Urs and ;'udges. "And saviours shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount o…
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unless it be themselvtJS, or in the sense of testimony as regards the evil that is In tho world. Through the cross of Obrist the world has been orucified to them and they 111.re crucified to the world. "And this is the judgment, that the light is co~e into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light;…
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cry for the song of heaven to bo hearcl, "Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of God, and the power of hie Christ." It is an earnest longing to join in the Hallelujah chorus of the great multitude, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderinge, saying, " Alleluia: for the Lord God …
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regularity, and cloe.mess. These words of the first verse suggest two thoughts concern- ing God and be.d men. L THAT Goo Ill.AKES A REVELATION OONOEBNING BAD Ill.EN. Here is a revelation concerning Edom, the enemy of God and his pMple. Isaac had two sons by Rebekah- Esau and Jacob. Esau was called Edom, "red," in m…
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they were nevertheless proud. H is often, if not ever, so. T-he smaller the men tho 'more disposed to pride. The man email in body is oftln swollen out with ideas of the comeliness of hie person; the man email in intellect is the same. 'rhe men who rate themselves as great thinkers, scholars, a.uthora, preachers, a.…
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rest e.nd s"fety. His sin is that he puts his confidence on object;s unworthy and u1111afe. "Some tm~t in chariots, some in horses," etc. The Edomites, it Is suggested here, trusted to the insecure. Here we have God in retribution destroying the grounds of the sin11er's confidence. I. Drn THEY TRUST TO TIIEIR MATER…
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mind, in force or skill, that can stand for one instant before the retributive stroke of justice. Though some trust in chariots and some in horses, let us trust in the Name of the Lord. Men who truat in anything short of God are like the man who in a thunderstorm takes shelter under a tree, whose tall branches attract …
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Vers.10-14.-.An old sin. "For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers CRrried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, 1md cast lots upon Jerusalem, even th…
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Vers. 10, 11.-Bocial C'T'U(!lty: 2. Perpetrated a,gaimt a brother, specially offensive to God. "For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou sho.H be cut off for ever," etc. The cruelty here is not the cruelty merely of one man against another, but of one who is in close natural relations…
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7ack of sympathy when Judah WlLII in distress. "Thou shouldest not have looked," etc. Greatly did Judah need Edom's sympathy at this time. "Strangers oarried away capti vc their forces;" Babylon entered their country and their city and oarried them away as captives. Foreigners entered into his gates and cast lots up…
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working; the.t Omniscience observes Hin all ite workings ; and that a terrible retrih11 lion awe.its it in 1111 its forms. Now social retrf:buUon is the subject before us, and this subject wo have touched on 11lready. There a.re two great popular errors concerning the subject of retribution. 1. That retributicm is rese…
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It may be, indeed, through the deadneu of your conscienoe and the ■uperabunde.nt merol• of this life, that you feel not the retributive luh 88 you will feel It at ■ome future time; but retribution is working here. "We still have jndgment here that we but woh Bloody ineLl'notiomi, whioh, being taught, return To pl1…
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I. TnE 0IIARAOTBBIBTIOB WHI0B THIB FIRE DIBPLA YB. What is the 6.re? The fire of truth, the.t burns up error; the 6.re of right, that burns up wickedness; the fire of wnie, that burns up sellishness. "I e.m come," said Christ," to kindle a fire upon the earth." "Is not my Word like e. firo?" 1. The fire in the Church i…
1,215 wordsSECTION 47The Pulpit Commentary — Obadiah — Section 47
IHEIIB PAGB TBEllll FA.GK The Servant of J ehove.h 7 The Kingdom 30 The Vision 8, 11 God and Bad Men ... 31 The Deceptiveness of Hu.me.n Pride ... 8 Pride 32 The Treacherous betre.yed .. . 9 God in Retribution 33 Wisdom and Power of no Avail a.go.inst Socia.I Cruelty : 1. A Sin a.go.inst the God 9 Crea.tor... 35 …
209 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.