Bible Marking

We might wonder: what is the wisdom of Edom all about? How was this one of the characteristics seen in Esau, Edom, and Doeg? The wisdom here is not the wisdom of God. It is the wisdom that is described elsewhere as “fleshly wisdom” (2 Cor 1:12), “the wisdom of this world” (1 Cor 1:20; 2:6; 3:19), and “this wisdom [that] descendeth not from above” (James 3:15).

v1: “The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.” 

The pride of Edom is emphasised in this prophecy. We read phrases like “the pride of thine heart” (v3), “that saith in his heart, who shall bring me down” (v3), “though thou exalt thyself” (v4), “spoken proudly” (v12).

When Esau is used to describe the people of Edom it is specifically describing the fleshly thinking and immorality of the people, people with a mindset adverse to God. Obadiah directly shows the fight between the serpent (the Esau mindset), and the woman (a godly mindset), through the conflict of the two seeds.

The origins of the enmity
The book of Obadiah highlights the relationship between Edom and Israel, and the animosity of Edom towards their “brother” (1:10). However, this is not the first time we read of such a strained relationship between these brotherly nations. In fact, the enmity of Edom towards Israel starts much further back,.