Obadiah - Introduction 2 (10-14)

The Day of the Lord 2

Too long, please open your Bible Obadiah 15-21

Judgement and more

Last week, we emphasized that The Day of the Lord is rooted in the Exodus narrative. The first instance was the decisive moment when God broke into history to judge evil and deliver His people from Egypt. The Exodus became the template for the Prophets’ expectation of a future Day of the Lord. In that Day, our just God humbles the proud and delivers the oppressed.

However, we find that the judgement of the wicked is not the only light in which The Day of the Lord is spoken of. There are other events that are expected to take place alongside the judgement of the wicked.

In Obadiah for example, we have the following:

  • The judgement of Edom & the nations (v.15-16, 18)
  • Deliverance/rescue for God’s people (v.17)
  • Israel reclaiming territory i.e reunification of the 12 tribes (vv.19-20)
  • The inauguration of the kingdom of God at Zion (v.21)

Joel & Obadiah

But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape, And it will be holy. And the house of Jacob will possess their possessions. Obadiah 17
And it will be that everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As Yahweh has said, Even among the survivors whom Yahweh calls. Joel 2:32

As part of his Day of the Lord oracle, Joel uses language from Obadiah. This shared language (escape, survivors, Mount Zion, God’s call) shows that both Joel and Obadiah are pointing to the same big idea: even though judgment is coming to the nations, God will rescue a group of people to carry on His plan.

This group isn’t just based on family or nationality, but on those whom God chooses and calls. However, there is one element of the Day of the Lord that Joel introduces to us— the outpouring of the Spirit.

And it will be afterwards That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; Your old men will dream dreams; Your young men will see visions. Even on the male slaves and female slaves I will in those days pour out My Spirit. Joel 2: 28-29

This sets the stage for what happens at Pentecost.

Pentecost

Too long, please open your Bible Acts 2: 1-21

Peter referred to the happenings at Pentecost as a fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. He was effectively saying that Pentecost was another Day of the Lord!

In Acts 2, we see these prophetic hopes come to life. Now, the promise of salvation “for all who call on the name of the Lord” is no longer limited to a future hope; it’s being fulfilled in Jesus. Mount Zion becomes the launch point of a new kind of remnant, made up of people from every nation, brought together not by bloodline but by faith and the call of God.

A reversal of the confusion of Babel

Too long, please open your Bible Genesis 11

Pentecost reverses the confusion of tongues at Babel. At Babel, judgment came through scattering and confusion because humanity sought to unite around self-exalting power ("Let us make a name for ourselves").

At Pentecost, God sovereignly reorders the nations, not by removing linguistic diversity, but by empowering communication across it through the Spirit. The same God who judged Babel is now redeeming the nations!

At Pentecost,

  • The kingdom of God is inaugurated in Jerusalem
  • God is reclaiming the nations
  • There is salvation in Christ

Pentecost is not just the reversal of Babel — it's the gathering of a remnant from the nations, in fulfillment of Joel and Obadiah.

Judgement at Pentecost?

It may not be immediately apparent, but the theme of judgement isn’t missing at Pentecost. Just as salvation is expressed when people are pierced to their heart and they ask “what must we do to be saved” (Acts 2:37), judgement is seen in those whose minds were unfruitful as they hear the diversity of languages (Acts 2:13).

Corinth

Too long, please open your Bible 1 Corinthians 14

When Apostle Paul admonishes the church in Corinth on the proper use of the gift of tongues, he quotes from Isaiah.

Indeed, He will speak to this people Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue, He who said to them, “Here is rest, give rest to the weary,” And, “Here is repose,” but they would not listen. Isaiah 28: 11-12

Isaiah’s context

Isaiah was confronting the northern leaders of Israel (Ephraim), particularly their scoffing at God’s word. They had mocked Isaiah’s messages as childish or simplistic (vv. 9–10).

As a response, Isaiah declares that since they rejected clear teaching, God will now speak to them through “foreign tongues”, i.e the language of invading Assyrians.

This is a judgment: since they refused to listen to God’s clear word, they would now hear unintelligible speech — the terrifying sound of their conquerors.

In Isaiah’s time, unintelligible speech was a sign of judgment for not listening to God’s clear word. Likewise, in Corinth, tongues—when not interpreted—function as a sign, but not a positive one. Tongues, when uninterpreted, serve as a sign of judgment or confusion to unbelievers.

Paul’s admonition for us today

Paul’s use of Isaiah reminds us that God’s goal is clarity and edification in the church. Tongues are a gift, but if they confuse rather than build up, they can mirror the judgmental confusion of Isaiah 28 and even Genesis 10, rather than the empowering grace of Acts 2.