The Kingdom Possessed: Gospel Real Estate Text: Obadiah 1:19-21
Introduction: The Geography of Victory
The book of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, but it packs a punch like a heavyweight. It is a book about two brothers, Jacob and Esau, and the nations that descended from them, Israel and Edom. More than that, it is a book about two principles, two ways of life that have been at war since the beginning: the way of the covenant and the way of carnality. Edom represents the proud, self-sufficient man of the flesh who despises his birthright and stands by with a malicious grin when his brother is in trouble. Israel, though often faithless, is the line of the promise, the people through whom God would bring His Messiah into the world.
The first part of Obadiah pronounces a devastating judgment on Edom for their pride and for their treachery against Judah during the Babylonian invasion. But the book does not end with judgment. As is always the case in Scripture, God’s final word is one of restoration and victory. The last few verses of this prophecy pivot from the downfall of Esau to the triumph of Jacob. But we must be careful here. Our modern evangelical landscape is littered with faulty eschatological maps, drawn up by dispensationalists who read these passages with a flat, wooden literalism. They see prophecies about land and kingdom and immediately start looking for political headlines in the Middle East. They are looking for a restored ethnic Israel, a rebuilt temple, and a revived conflict over physical dirt.
But this is to misread the map entirely. It is to trade the glorious, global reality of Christ’s kingdom for a cramped and dusty corner of the Mediterranean. The New Testament teaches us that the promises made to Israel find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ and His body, the Church. The people of God are no longer defined by bloodlines but by faith in the blood of the Lamb. The land promise has exploded from the narrow confines of Canaan to encompass the entire globe. "Blessed are the meek," Jesus said, "for they shall inherit the earth." Not just Palestine. The earth. These verses in Obadiah, therefore, are not a political forecast for the modern state of Israel. They are a glorious, Spirit-breathed prophecy of the triumphant march of the gospel. This is a description of the inheritance of the saints. This is gospel real estate.
The Text
Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau, And those of the Shephelah, the Philistine plain; And they will possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, And Benjamin will possess Gilead.
And the exiles of this military force of the sons of Israel, Who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad, Will possess the cities of the Negev.
And the saviors will ascend Mount Zion To judge the mountain of Esau, And the kingdom will belong to Yahweh.
(Obadiah 1:19-21 LSB)
The Expanding Inheritance (v. 19)
We begin with a series of geographical possessions. This is a spiritual land rush.
"Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau, And those of the Shephelah, the Philistine plain; And they will possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, And Benjamin will possess Gilead." (Obadiah 1:19)
At first glance, this reads like a military strategy for retaking the promised land and then some. The Negev is the southern desert. The Shephelah is the western foothills. Ephraim and Samaria are to the north, and Gilead is to the east, across the Jordan. This is a picture of Israel expanding in every direction. But the key is in who they are possessing. They possess the "mountain of Esau," the very stronghold of their arrogant brother, Edom. They possess the "Philistine plain," the territory of their ancient and implacable enemies. They possess Samaria, the land of the schismatic half-breeds. This is not just about regaining lost territory; it is about conquering enemy territory.
How is this fulfilled? Not by tanks and soldiers, but by the power of the gospel. The "mountain of Esau" represents the proud kingdoms of this world, the strongholds of humanistic rebellion against God. And how does the Church possess them? By preaching the gospel that brings proud men to their knees. Every time a sinner, proud as any Edomite in his rocky fortress, repents and confesses Christ, the Church is possessing the mountain of Esau. We are taking ground. This is evangelism as conquest. We destroy our enemies by making them our friends, by bringing them into the family of God through the blood of Christ.
The possession of the Philistine plain, Samaria, and Gilead all point to the same reality. The gospel breaks down the dividing walls of hostility. The Philistines were the perennial outsiders. The Samaritans were the despised cousins. But in Christ, there is no Jew or Gentile, no Israelite or Philistine, no Jerusalemite or Samaritan. Philip went down to Samaria and possessed it with the gospel, and there was much joy in that city (Acts 8). The Church, the true Israel of God, expands in every direction, claiming the nations for Christ. This is a prophecy about the successful completion of the Great Commission.
The Exiles Return (v. 20)
The prophecy continues, describing the agents of this great possession.
"And the exiles of this military force of the sons of Israel, Who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad, Will possess the cities of the Negev." (Obadiah 1:20 LSB)
Who are these exiles? In the immediate context, it refers to the Jews scattered by the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests. But the principle of exile is a profound spiritual reality. In the New Testament, Peter addresses the church as "elect exiles of the Dispersion" (1 Peter 1:1). We, the Church, are the true exiles. Our citizenship is in heaven, and we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth. But here is the glorious irony: it is precisely these exiles, this scattered "military force," who are tasked with possessing the land. Our status as exiles does not mean we retreat into pietistic ghettos. It means we are an invading army, the vanguard of the kingdom of heaven.
And look how far they are scattered. Zarephath was in Phoenicia, to the north. The location of Sepharad is uncertain, but many scholars identify it with Sardis in Asia Minor, or perhaps even Spain. The point is that they are far away, deep in Gentile territory. This is a picture of the global church. From the farthest corners of the earth, the scattered people of God will advance. And what do they possess? "The cities of the Negev." The desert south will become a place of civilization and order. This is what the gospel does. It takes the barren wastelands of human culture, the spiritual deserts, and builds flourishing cities, places of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
This is the confident, postmillennial vision of the prophets. The knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. The gospel will not just save individual souls; it will build a new civilization. It will turn deserts into gardens and build cities for God.
Zion's Rule and Yahweh's Kingdom (v. 21)
The prophecy reaches its magnificent climax in the final verse.
"And the saviors will ascend Mount Zion To judge the mountain of Esau, And the kingdom will belong to Yahweh." (Obadiah 1:21 LSB)
Who are these "saviors"? The word simply means deliverers or liberators. It is used of the judges in the book of Judges, who delivered Israel from their oppressors. This is not talking about a pantheon of mini-messiahs. It is talking about the saints of the Most High. It is the Church, filled with the Spirit of God, acting as God's agent of deliverance in the world. We are the saviors, the deliverers, who bring the liberating truth of the gospel to a world enslaved by sin and death.
And where do they operate from? They "ascend Mount Zion." In the Old Testament, Zion was the earthly city of Jerusalem, the place of the temple. But in the New Testament, Zion is transfigured. It is the "heavenly Jerusalem," the "church of the firstborn" (Hebrews 12:22-23). It is the central headquarters of the kingdom of God. We, the church, rule with Christ from this heavenly Zion. And what is the object of this rule? To "judge the mountain of Esau." The word "judge" here does not primarily mean to condemn, but to rule, to govern, to administer. The saints will judge the world (1 Corinthians 6:2). We are to apply the law-word of God to every area of life, bringing the rebellious mountain of Esau, the entire edifice of secular, man-centered society, under the dominion of Christ.
This leads to the final, triumphant declaration: "And the kingdom will belong to Yahweh." This is the goal of all history. This is the end game. The result of the saints ascending Zion to rule Esau is the visible, historical, undeniable manifestation of God's kingdom on earth. It does not say the kingdom will be given to Yahweh, as though He doesn't have it now. Christ is already King. But it says the kingdom will belong to Yahweh, meaning it will be openly and publicly acknowledged. The nations will stream to Zion. Kings will bring their glory into the city of God. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of God. This is the victory that Obadiah saw from afar, and it is the victory we are laboring to bring about in our own day.
Conclusion: Your Place on the Map
So what does this ancient prophecy about Edomites and Israelites have to do with us? Everything. It is our marching orders. It is the blueprint for the Church's mission in the world.
We are the exiles, the military force of Israel, scattered among the nations. You may feel like you are in Zarephath or Sepharad, far from the center of the action. But you are exactly where God has placed you to be a "savior," a deliverer. Your mission is to take possession of the territory around you for Christ. Your family is a patch of the Philistine plain to be conquered with love and discipleship. Your workplace is a piece of the mountain of Esau to be brought under the Lordship of Christ through your integrity and witness. Your neighborhood is a city in the Negev waiting to be built up by the gospel.
We do this not in our own strength, but by the power of the Spirit, operating from the authority of our ascended King in Zion. We are not fighting for a victory that is in doubt. We are fighting from a victory that has already been won at the cross and the empty tomb. The kingdom already belongs to Yahweh. Our job is to live like it. Our job is to advance, to possess, to build, and to rule, until that day when every knee bows and every tongue confesses, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The map has been laid out before us. The territory has been assigned. The King has given His command. Let us go up and possess the land, for we are well able to overcome it.