Daily Devotions
Obadiah
"No one is aware of it"
Text: Obadiah 7
THE ALLIES OF EDOM
Was Edom a stand-alone nation? Or did he have allies on whom he could have relied? No nation can survive on its own, then or now. Edom had allies too! But they turned out to be nations that deceived it.
“All the men in your confederacy
Shall force you to the border;
The men at peace with you
Shall deceive you and prevail against you.
Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap for you.
No one is aware of it.”
Obadiah 7
1. “All the men in your confederacy”
a) Edom was not alone.
b) There were people who formed “a confederacy” with Edom.
2. “Shall force you to the border”
a) The confederation did not work out well for Edom.
b) The men in the confederation forced Edom to the border.
i) There was the threat from without.
ii) There was now a threat from within.
c) Edom was forced to the very edge of its borders.
3. “The men at peace with you”
a) These were the partners of the confederation.
b) They seemed to be at peace with Edom.
4. “Shall deceive you and prevail against you”
a) Through “friendship” the partners deceived Edom.
b) Through “peace” these very partners prevailed against Edom.
5. “Those who eat your bread”
a) These could have been smaller nations.
b) They could be nations that Edom had supported.
c) Edom could have played a significant role by giving them bread (their livelihood).
6. “Shall lay a trap for you”
a) The more powerful enemies could have bribed these allies to turn against Edom.
b) They laid a trap for Edom.
7. They were unaware of it
Edom was thoroughly deceived. No one had detected the betrayal that would take place.