DELIVERANCE ON MOUNT ZION

Passage: Obadiah 1:17-21

Key verse: 21

NIV

17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;(A)
    it will be holy,(B)
    and Jacob will possess his inheritance.(C)
18 Jacob will be a fire
    and Joseph a flame;
Esau will be stubble,
    and they will set him on fire(D) and destroy(E) him.
There will be no survivors(F)
    from Esau.”
The Lord has spoken.

19 People from the Negev will occupy
    the mountains of Esau,
and people from the foothills will possess
    the land of the Philistines.(G)
They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria,(H)
    and Benjamin(I) will possess Gilead.
20 This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan
    will possess the land as far as Zarephath;(J)
the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
    will possess the towns of the Negev.(K)
21 Deliverers(L) will go up on[a] Mount Zion
    to govern the mountains of Esau.
    And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.(M)

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Obadiah 1:21 Or from
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

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

The Kingdom of the Lord

19 Those of (F)the Negeb (G)shall possess (H)Mount Esau,
    and those of the Shephelah shall possess (I)the land of the Philistines;
they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of (J)Samaria,
    and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel
    shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as (K)Zarephath,
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
    shall possess the cities of the Negeb.
21 (L)Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion
    to rule (M)Mount Esau,
    and (N)the kingdom shall be the Lord's.

Read full chapter
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. The house of Jacob will be a fire (17-18)

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.

2. The kingdom will be the Lord's (19-21)

God will establish his own kingdom in the earth, and his people, now scattered, helpless exiles, will possess all the lands of their enemies. Deliverers will go up to Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau--and all nations. 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.

Prayer: Lord, raise up your people to be a holy nation and a kingdom of priests to declare your wonderful works to the world.

One Word: God's own world mission plan