Messages from Heaven Part 1, Wednesday

0:00Hey kids, welcome to Junior's for Jesus. Go grab your Bibles, we're gonna be digging in and learning some really exciting stories. Let's get started. Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants, the prophets, Amos 3.7. Wednesday of the 12 books written by the minor prophets, Obedias is the shortest. It's only one chapter with 21 verses and it's about the Edomites. So who were they? Genesis chapter 36 verse 1. Now this is the genealogy of Esau, who is Edom, the Israelites and the Edomites, descended from twin brothers Jacob and Esau. Jacob had stolen Esau's blessing of the birthright by lying to their blind father. And because of that, Esau hated his brother. Jacob had repented of his sin and God had forgiven him. He'd also made peace with Esau and Esau had forgiven him too.

1:01But Esau's descendants didn't stop hating Jacob's descendants. When the Israelites asked permission to go through Edom on their way to Canaan, what was the response of the Edomites? Numbers chapter 20 verses 14 through 21. Now Moses sent messengers from K-dash to the King of Edom. Thus says your brother Israel, you know all the hardships that has befallen us. How our fathers went down to Egypt and we dwelt in Egypt a long time. And the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. When we cried out to the Lord, he heard our voice and sent the angel and brought us up out of Egypt. Now here we are in K-dash, a city on the edge of your border. Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards. Nor will we drink water from wells. We will go along the King's highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.

2:02Then Edom said to him, you shall not pass through my land. Lest I come out against you with the sword. So the children of Israel said to him, we will go by the highway. And if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot. Nothing more. Then he said, you shall not pass through. So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory. So Israel turned away from him by Obediah's time more than a thousand years had passed a sense Jacob had stolen Esau's birthright blessing. But the Edomites still hated the Israelites and they rejoiced when Jerusalem was destroyed. Instead of forgiving the Israelites, they held a grudge and hard feelings against them. So was it worth it? Versescent through 14. For violence against your brother Jacob

3:03shame shall cover you. And you shall be cut off forever. In the days that you stood on the other side, in the days that strangers carried captive his forces. When foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, even you were as one of them. But you should have not gazed on the day of your brother in the day of his captivity. Nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction. Nor should you have spoken proudly in the day of distress. You should not have entered the gate of my people in the day of their calamity. Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction in the day of their calamity. Nor laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. You should not have stood at the crossroads to cut off those among them who escaped. Nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained in the day of distress. The itemites bragged about living in the cliffs of the rock, safe from their enemies.

4:04That was one of their important cities now called Petra, which means rock. Obediah, verse three, Petra's ruins are cliff houses carved into rock wall. But God said, I will bring you down, verse four. And because of what they have done to the Israelites, he told them, you shall be cut off forever. As you have done, it shall be done to you, verses 10 and 15. Of all the people who will finally reject Jesus and be destroyed, God said, they shall be as though they had never been verse 16. Now, let's apply it. When we remember what happened so long after Jacob stole Jesus' birthright blessing, we should also remember that even though God gladly forgives sins, consequences still come that may last for many, many years. This podcast is sponsored by MyBibleFirst.org.