session 4 compassion for lost people · god’s enemies. while god was indeed judging the people of...

SESSION 4

Compassion for Lost PeopleJudgment against the guilty in the Day of the Lord should evoke compassion and mercy from those who have received grace.

SE S SION 3: OU R GR E AT S A LvAT ION 41 DAT E OF M Y BI BL E S T U DY: 41© 2015 LifeWay

WHEN WE REJOICE OVER SOMEONE ELSE BEING JUDGED, WHAT DOES THAT REVEAL ABOUT HOW WE SEE OURSELVES IN RELATION TO THEM?

People who act badly often annoy us when it appears they are getting away with their behavior. However, sometimes we do witness the foolish and wicked being repaid for their actions. When that happens, it’s tempting for onlookers to flash a secret grin and murmur, “Good! It’s about time they got what they deserved!”

While the belief that justice was done might be warranted in some situations, the attitude of compassion takes a different approach. An attitude of compassion helps us remember from what we ourselves have been delivered.

AN ATTITUDE OF

COMPASSION

HELPS US

REMEMBER

FROM WHAT WE

OURSELVES HAVE

BEEN DELIVERED.

42 E X PL OR E T H E BI BL E | YOU NG A DU LT S© 2015 LifeWay

OBADIAH 1:1-4,10-17

1 The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom—We have heard a message from the Lord: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, “Rise, let us go against her for battle”— 2 “See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised. 3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ 4 Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord. [ … ] 10 Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever. 11 On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. 12 You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. 13 You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster. 14 You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble. 15 “The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. 16 Just as you drank on my holy hill, so all the nations will drink continually; they will drink and drink and be as if they had never been. 17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his inheritance.

Think About It

Compare Obadiah’s judgment pronouncements

in verses 1 and 15.

How are the two pronouncements related?

How are they distinctive?

SE S SION 3: OU R GR E AT S A LvAT ION 43 © 2015 LifeWay

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

We know very little about the prophet Obadiah, whose name means “the Lord’s servant.” The prophecy can be dated around the time of the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.—either just before or after the Babylonians destroyed the city. The prophecy was not addressed to the people of Judah, although it was delivered in their hearing and was therefore intended for them too. It was directed to the people of Edom, because they gloated over the calamity that befell the nation of Judah and its capital, Jerusalem.

Obadiah’s message focused both on the day of Judah’s accountability as well as on the Day of the Lord, characterized by the deliverance of God’s people and the overthrow of God’s enemies. While God was indeed judging the people of Judah for their sins, the sin of the Edomites was gloating over the destruction of Jerusalem.

While the day of sinful man may leave wickedness unchecked and unpunished, the Day of the Lord will most certainly bring justice and retribution. God’s grace is always unmerited and His judgment is always fair. What was true of Edom is true of all: judgment is what we deserve; grace is what the compassionate God gives.

44 E X PL OR E T H E BI BL E| YOU NG A DU LT S© 2015 LifeWay

EXPLORE THE TEXT

CHECK YOUR ARROGANCE (Obadiah 1-4)

One of the smallest prophetic books contained the substantial message that God was going to make the nation of Edom small and insignificant. The people of Edom believed themselves to be something, but the Lord God was going to make them nothing among the nations. Indeed, the prophet’s opening words were a divine call to arms. All the nations were invited to join the coalition against Edom.

The phrase I have made points to the future, but the action was something the Lord was determined to do. Therefore the prophet could refer to it using past tense. In other words, it was as good as done. The impact of this judgment would be that Edom’s stature among the nations would be diminished to the point of being despised by others.

Pride is grounded in deception. The arrogant person assumes something to be true about themselves that is actually not the case. The Edomites occupied a strategic location in an area of rocky highlands. They held many hiding places and fortified positions high in the mountains, and this led them to assume they were invincible.The people of Edom trusted in their own security, but they were about to discover how flimsy their security was before the wrath of God. Scripture as a whole warns the prideful and haughty to take care lest they fall (see Proverbs 16:18; 1 Corinthians 10:12).

List some ways pride can make us vulnerable to calamity and destruction.

God is against all who live in pride (see James 4:6). Obadiah did not specify how the Lord would bring down the haughty Edomites, only the certainty that He would do it. Today as well, believers may not understand the precise


operation of the judgment of God, especially as it occurs in this life. In Obadiah’s day, God chose to use a pagan nation to rebuke His covenant people, and it was well within His divine right to do so. While we might be curious about His rationale, our time is better spent affirming the certainty of judgment and making sure that we and others have been delivered from it.

SHOW MERCY AND GRACE (Obadiah 10-14)

violence had been committed by Edom against God’s people, and it would not go unrequited. However, Edom’s guilt was not only in what they had done to Judah but also in what they did not do. They chose to offer no help or even refuge to the people of Judah as the Babylonian army ravaged the land and besieged Jerusalem. The Edomites failed to show compassion and thus made themselves no better than the foreign invaders.

Obadiah began a series of eight prohibitions from God, all of which were disregarded by the Edomites. Edom was guilty, among other things, of a spirit of mockery. They mocked Judah in their adversity. Lack of compassion in what we dobegins with a lack of compassion in our hearts.

Edom marched its troops into Jerusalem after the city had fallen. A merciful person does not take advantage of the vulnerability of one who has fallen on hard times. They don’t seek to exploit the misery of others. Instead, they offer compassion, knowing that God showed them mercy through His gift of eternal life in Christ.

What attitudes can you cultivate that help curb judgmental tendencies and promote acts of compassion?

KEY DOCTRINE: Evangelism and Missions

The new birth of man’s spirit by God’s Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others.

IN OBADIAH’S

DAY, GOD CHOSE

TO USE A PAGAN

NATION TO REBUKE

HIS COVENANT

PEOPLE, AND IT

WAS WELL WITHIN

HIS DIVINE RIGHT

TO DO SO.


EXPECT RETRIBUTION (Obadiah 15-16)

Obadiah—like Zephaniah and other Israelite prophets—foresaw the coming of the Day of the Lord. This would be a day of accountability for all people. Edom needed to know that they too would stand in judgment for their hostility toward God and His people. As they had acted, so they would be judged. God’s justice would prevail.

How do we interpret these words in light of biblical teachings about salvation by grace and not of works? Certainly the New Testament teaches that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to those who believe (see Romans 10:4). Unbelievers will be judged for their refusal to look to and trust in Christ. They receive eternal punishment on that basis. Believers stand before God in the grace we receive from the One who bore our sins on the cross. In Christ, we are no longer under condemnation (see Romans 8:1-4). Praise God!

How dangerous is a prayer for God to grant you justice? When is it appropriate to pray for justice?

LIVE IN HOPE (Obadiah 17)

Mount Zion, a name for Jerusalem that points ultimately to the saving work of Christ and to our heavenly home (see Hebres 12:22; Revelation 14:1), will experience God’s deliverance on the Day of the Lord. The city and its temple will be purified, cleansed of all the pretense and idolatry that prompted the Lord to allow its destruction. The Edomites and other usurpers who rushed in to grab a part of the holy city will then be expelled. God’s people will be restored to their place.


This verse is a foreshadowing of heaven itself, where believers will receive the inheritance of eternal life in Christ. Nothing will ever evict them from Mount Zion. This should motivate the believer’s heart to always show compassion for lost people—those who have not yet secured this inheritance through faith in Jesus Christ.

What God promised to do for His people in the Old Testament, He fulfills in an ultimate way in Jesus Christ. God saves those who turn to Him through faith in Christ, rejoicing over the remnant. He can be trusted even in situations that cause us to be anxious or impatient. God offers us the hope of forgiveness and redemption through Jesus Christ. Worship of God in celebration is an appropriate response to our salvation.

What will you do today to show compassion for lost people?

Bible Skill: Research the background of a place/people group.

Edom was a small kingdom, yet it is mentioned numerous times in the Old Testament in relation to the people of Israel. Read these passages to learn more background about Edom—the place and its people: Genesis 36:1-8; Numbers 20:14-21; Psalm 137:7; Amos 1:11-12. Take note of your findings.


OBEY THE TEXT

God brings down the proud and arrogant who view themselves as beyond God’s reach. We should be compassionate toward people experiencing God’s discipline. Faithful believers can face life with hope, knowing that God will bless their obedience and service.

What are some specific life situations experienced by others who need compassion from you? To whom can you specifically show this compassion?

Invite a trusted friend or accountability partner to assess your current level of compassion toward people who do not necessarily deserve it. Based on their feedback, develop an action plan to raise it.

How can your small group show compassion to someone who is experiencing God’s discipline?

Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the Lord’s. —Obadiah 21

MEMORIZE


Use the space provided to make observations and record prayer requests during the group experience for this session.

MY THOUGHTSRecord insights gained and questions to discuss during the group experience.

MY PRAYERSList specific prayer needs and answers to remember this week.

MY MISSIONAcknowledge ways you will obey God’s Word this week.


session 4 compassion for lost people · god’s enemies. while god was indeed judging the people of...

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