10-9-13. Obadiah 17-21. DELIVERANCE ON MOUNT ZION – my devotional

Obadiah 17-21                                                                                                   Kevin E. Jesmer

Key Verse: 21,                                                                                                   10-9-13

“Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.”

     Dear Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for showing us the nature of heaven. It is not just a male club med where all our male pleasures and hopes are provided for. It is a place where we all, male and female, from all people of all nations, will dwell in your presence, your holiness and your purity, worshipping you and loving you and one another for all eternity. Thank you for revealing this to us in your word, the Bible. What a blessing to know that we can be there through faith and NOT through simply repeating the right information, or based on our good deeds, for our good deeds are never enough to outweigh the bad. It is all about faith and you provided the way through your son, Jesus. Thank you Lord, May the way of faith in Christ, be revealed to the hearts of all people of all nations. Please grant me one word of God to hold onto through this passage. I pray in Jesus’ holy name. Amen!

Part 1: The House Of Jacob Will Be A Fire (17-18)

Verses 17-18 read, “But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions. ¹⁸ The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken.”  (ESV)

On Mount Zion there would be deliverance. Mount Zion is another name for Jerusalem; it is the mountain on which the temple of the Lord rests. God would deliver and restore his people, and make them holy.

When God dwells in the midst of his people, they are like a burning fire. The Edomites who gloated over their distress would be like stubble which the fire would burn. There is a verse in the Bible, “If God is for us who can be against us?”  When we are filled with the Spirit of God and the truth of God and the love of God, and the passion of God, then God’s people can be an all consuming force in this world. God can change hearts and lives. God can create movements among the people. The Kingdom of God can expand and grow to fill the earth. It is already happening. Christianity is taking the world by force, mostly in the 2^nd and 3^rd world nations. It is the world’s fasted growing religion and faith.

Even on an individual level, when we hold into Jesus and let God work in our hearts and lives, then even those who hate us will be changed. They will be changed by the power of God’s love. No one can keep hating forever. The power of Christ’s love will overpower their hearts.  I need to hold onto this fact. There are a few people who don’t like me. But I must at least continue praying for them, even from a distance. With God’s help my heart and their heart will be changed in God’s time. Nothing can stop the advancement of the Kingdom of God in my heart and theirs.

Part 2: The Kingdom Will Be The Lord’s (19-21)

Verses 19-21, “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.  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. Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.”  (ESV)

In these verses we can see the people of God spreading out to occupy the land of their ancient enemies. Deliverers will go up to MountZion to govern the mountains of Esau–and all nations. God would help them to experience complete victory, though they were oppressed for many generations, even centuries. Though they were robbed of freedom, peace and justice by the Edomites, they would now get a taste of the freedom, peace and justice their hearts longed for.

There is a spiritual application today. God will bring complete victory to his people of faith. I used to only equate this with God establishing a 120 member Christian ministry in the region that I felt I was called to serve. When you try to establish a church there are those who oppose you and your work, but when you prevail, pray and keep your mission then God will give you complete victory and you will head up the premiere Christian ministry on the campus and surrounding region. This concept is a little off. I realize that the victory is much, much greater than establishing any ministry. It is all about God’s and his kingdom and his glory proclaimed to all the earth.

God will establish his own kingdom in the earth, and his people, now scattered, helpless exiles, will possess all the lands of their enemies. The kingdom will be the Lord’s. God’s rule means deliverance for all people. In his kingdom alone there is true freedom, peace and justice for all. Look at how God’s kingdom is describes in Revelation 21: 22-27, “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,25 and its gates will never be shut by day-and there will be no night there.26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”(ESV) In God’s kingdom we will dwell in God’s presence, his holiness, his glory and his purity. Anyone can enter this kingdom, even Edomites who repent of their sins and put their faith and trust in God and his grace. This is the best description of heaven and the best promise. In God’s kingdom there will be perfect freedom, peace and justice. There will be deep joy and love as we worship Jesus all together for eternity. Praise the Lord for this very real hope.

Prayer: Lord, I long for dwell in your presence in your kingdom, face to face. Thank you for showing the way through faith in Christ. May the kingdom of God grow in peoples’ hearts across our nation.

One Word: God will bring victory to his people and glory to himself in his way and time.