The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 5.5

Now perhaps this attitude of nonchalance had to do with pride. I see evidence of this later, so this is what draws me to that conclusion. Hezekiah, it seems, did not want to admit that he had messed up by revealing the wealth of his kingdom to the foreigners from Babylon. There are three accounts of what happened next.

2Ch 32:24  In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the LORD: and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign.

This verse is like an overview of the situation.

 2Ki 20:1  In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.

Isa 38:2  Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,

Isa 38:3  And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done [that which is] good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

Perfect:

1) complete, safe, peaceful, perfect, whole, full, at peace

a) complete

1) full, perfect

2) finished

b) safe, unharmed

c) peace (of covenant of peace, mind)

1) perfect, complete (of keeping covenant relation)

This was the error of Hezekiah. He claimed this perfection, and it was not so.

Sore:

1) great

a) large (in magnitude and extent)

b) in number

c) in intensity

d) loud (in sound)

e) older (in age)

f) in importance

1) important things

2) great, distinguished (of men)

3) God Himself (of God)

g) great things

h) haughty things

i) greatness

In another translation, the NIV, the word sore is replaced with “bitterly.” So Hezekiah did have pride. He felt that he should not be cut down so soon, “after all he had done” for God. It was that same pride that caused him to open that door to the Babylonians and show off what he had accomplished.

2Ch 32:25  But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit [done] unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

Rendered:

1) to return, turn back

a) (Qal)

1) to turn back, return

a) to turn back

b) to return, come or go back

c) to return unto, go back, come back

d) of dying

e) of human relations (fig)

f) of spiritual relations (fig)

1) to turn back (from God), apostatise

2) to turn away (of God)

3) to turn back (to God), repent

4) turn back (from evil)

g) of inanimate things

h) in repetition

b) (Polel)

1) to bring back

2) to restore, refresh, repair (fig)

3) to lead away (enticingly)

4) to show turning, apostatise

c) (Pual) restored (participle)

d) (Hiphil) to cause to return, bring back

1) to bring back, allow to return, put back, draw back, give back, restore, relinquish, give in payment

2) to bring back, refresh, restore

3) to bring back, report to, answer

4) to bring back, make requital, pay (as recompense)

5) to turn back or backward, repel, defeat, repulse, hinder, reject, refuse

6) to turn away (face), turn toward

7) to turn against

8) to bring back to mind

9) to show a turning away

10) to reverse, revoke

e) (Hophal) to be returned, be restored, be brought back

f) (Pulal) brought back

Lifted up:

1) to be high, be exalted

a) (Qal)

1) to be high, lofty, tall

2) to be exalted

3) to be lofty

a) to be lofty (of Jehovah’s ways – good sense)

b) to be haughty, be arrogant (bad sense)

b) (Hiphil) to make high, exalt

2Ch 32:26  Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, [both] he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

So it is evident that pride can make one sick, as well as incur wrath on their house/kingdom, and that this can not only affect them, but the next generation.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 5.4

In order to show you why this test came, I have to go forward in order to go back. I know this doesn’t make sense now, but hopefully it will. You see, the order of the events is not the order that we see it written in. Prior to this test, and prior to Hezekiah having to give this king the gold he had just overlaid the temple with, he did something foolish.

Isa 39:1  At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.

Isa 39:2  And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.

Merodach-baladan = “Marduk has given a son”

1) king of Babylon in the days of king Hezekiah of Judah

Baladan = “Bel (is his) lord)”

Babel or Babylon = “confusion (by mixing)”

1) Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates

He showed the resources and blessings in his store house to the wrong people. This also speaks of mixing or yoking yourself with unsaved individuals. No matter how well-meaning they may seem, such a mixture will only bring confusion.

Isa 39:3  Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, [even] from Babylon.

Isa 39:4  Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that [is] in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.

Isa 39:5  Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts:

Isa 39:6  Behold, the days come, that all that [is] in thine house, and [that] which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.

Isa 39:7  And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

Isa 39:8  Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good [is] the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.

Now, it bugs me that Hezekiah was ok with all of this. He didn’t seem bothered by the fact that this prophesy would affect his children. He was comfortable thinking that there would peace during his reign, and so he just accepted this prophesy without any sign of repentance. What he did here, was to open a door for an attack. By showing them the wealth of his kingdom, he incited the spirit of envy, jealousy and covetousness in the Babylonians.

He did continue to walk with the Lord. He did continue to be victorious, but he opened a door for devastation that would hit his children, and he never attempted, so it seems to close it. So he was somewhat negligent and self-centered in this regard.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 5.3

2Ki 18:13  Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.

Now, it took me a while to figure this one out. I couldn’t understand why God had allowed this attack. In the past, all attacks of this nature against the afore-mentioned kings were the result of sin in the camp. Some of them cleaned things up but left the idol worship intact. This was not the case with Hezekiah.

Hezekiah ordered major reforms. All of the information on his reforms is found in 2Chr 29-31. He even reinstituted Passover, and prayed for God’s forgiveness on the people that came from Israel and the surrounding areas to worship, who burnt offerings unto God, but were not clean, because they had set their hearts on seeking God.

After reading these chapters, I could only conclude that the fact that God had allowed the invading Assyrian army to not only carry off Israel for their unfaithfulness, but to invade Judah as well, was for a dual purpose.

The reason for this attack is found in verse 12.

2Ki 18:12  Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, [and] all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear [them], nor do [them].

Sennacherib = “Sin multiplied brothers” (Sin = the moon)

1) son of Sargon, father of Esarhaddon, and king of Assyria from 705- 681 BC; attacked Judah during the reign of king Hezekiah and Judah was delivered when in response to the prayer of Hezekiah an angel smote 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.

On the one hand, when Samaria was taken, opportunity presented itself for Judah to be taken as well because Samaria was the “watch tower.” When there is no one in the watch tower, the kingdom can be attacked. Secondly, note that they attacked fortified or fenced in cities and were able to capture them.

This brings to mind this:

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

The reason I’m reminded of this, is because it was fortified cities that he attacked and overcame in this first invasion. It reminds me of David, wherein Absalom was able to initiate a campaign to elect himself as ruler right outside the gates of the city because there was no one in the watch tower, and David was no longer sitting in his seat in the gates, but had withdrawn to an inner court. There was no guard on the kingdom; therefore, attack was imminent and inevitable.

Here, Hezekiah was clearly walking with the Lord, but due to the sins of the past, and the principle above in Galatians, this attack was allowed. The two-fold reason was the sins of the people had caught up with them. At the same time, it was a test of their renewed position of faith. Those cities were fortified, but they weren’t secure. In other words, they had not been tested and proven after they had been cleansed, and this invasion was that first run test.

Of all the kings of Judah, none is given higher praise than Hezekiah, which is evident in the fact that the narrative of his rule is the only one written three times in the Old Testament, (2 Ki. 18:13-20:21; 2 Chr. 32:1-33; Isa. 36:1-39:8) and points to the peculiar significance of God’s dealings with this king.

2Ki 18:14  And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

It could be looked at this way:

2Ki 18:14  And (Hezekiah) “Jehovah is my strength” king of (Judah) “praised” sent to the king of (Assyria) “a step” to (Lachish) “invincible”, saying, I have offended (to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness); return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of “a step”  appointed unto “Jehovah is my strength”  king of “praised”  three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

2Ki 18:15  And Hezekiah gave [him] all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house.

2Ki 18:16  At that time did Hezekiah cut off [the gold from] the doors of the temple of the LORD, and [from] the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

Now we can look at this one of two ways. Was the “step” to “invincible” the position of the king of Assyria, or was this really a spiritual thing about Hezekiah? What I see is the king of Assyria became, for a moment, the emissary of God. In this test, Hezekiah was actually a “step” to “invincible.” In other words, he was being proven. It is apparent to me in the fact that the tribute that was required had the number three in both amounts. And look at this:

2Ch 31:20  And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought [that which was] good and right and truth before the LORD his God.

2Ch 31:21  And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did [it] with all his heart, and prospered.

What I see here, is that we need to wake up. Not every attack is a bad one or a bad thing. Here, clearly, this guy was almost a perfected diamond, but purification requires fire. Every time we are in the “hot seat,” does not necessarily mean that we have done wrong, or are under attack. We need to keep our eyes open and on God, because just like in this circumstance, there were signs that the attack and what seemed like subjugation; was, for all intents and purposes, just a lesson in obedience.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 5.2

2Ki 18:9  And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which [was] the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, [that] Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.

2Ki 18:10  And at the end of three years they took it: [even] in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that [is] the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

2Ki 18:11  And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor [by] the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes:

2Ki 18:12  Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, [and] all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear [them], nor do [them].

I’m noting the numbers listed in this section. The fourth year of king Hezekiah. In biblical times the use of 4 was a symbol of completeness of range, of comprehensive extent. It is also used to represent the Spirit as it is a portion of the number 40 which, for those who read my study on the The Cycle of Forty, know that it is the number of the spirit. So what I see in that verse was that this event occurred in the year in which Hezekiah was walking in line with the Spirit, or the Spirit moved ahead of him, and he followed.

Then we have the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel. Seven was the expression of the highest power, the greatest conceivable fullness of force, and was regarded as the number of totality, of completeness. The Biblical use of 7 may be conveniently considered under 4 heads:

(1) ritual use;

(2) historical use;

(3) didactic or literary use;

(4) apocalyptic use.

In this case, I think the use was apocalyptic. First of all, if you read about Hoshea, you will know that he completely disobeyed God, and I really believe that this seven represented the completion of God putting up with his mess. In other words, God’s patience was done or complete, or Hoshea had reached full completion in his disobedience, and now…it is time to pay the piper.

Hosea or Hoshea or Oshea = “salvation”

1) family name of Joshua, the son of Nun

2) the 19th and last king of the northern kingdom of Israel

3) son of Beeri, and the first of the minor prophets; prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel in the reign of Jeroboam II

4) a son of Azaziah, a chief of Ephraim in the time of David

5) an Israelite chief who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah

It’s interesting how this man went so against the meaning of his name. He strayed so far from who he was. I think it can safely be said that this is an example of what happens when we try to escape our destiny, or shape one for ourselves outside of the will of God. We have to learn to recognize our limitations as well as our giftings, and flow in that, and not waste time in envying what others are gifted to do or be.  Note the connection to Joshua, who had total victory throughout his time of leadership.

Elah = “An oak”

Israel = “God prevails”

Shalmaneser = “fire-worshipper”

1) Assyrian king who probably reigned between Tiglath-pileser and Sargon; invaded the northern kingdom of Israel when the last king Hoshea was on the throne; forced Hoshea to pay tribute but had to reinvade when Hoshea reneged; it is uncertain whether Shalmaneser or Sargon concluded the siege which finally ended the northern kingdom

a) maybe a common name for Assyrian kings in the 8th century BC

Asshur or Assyria = “a step”

1) the second son of Shem, eponymous ancestor of the Assyrians

2) the people of Assyria

3) the nation, Assyria

4) the land, Assyria or Asshur

Samaria = “watch mountain”

2Ki 18:10  And at the end of three years they took it: [even] in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that [is] the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

Three is often found of persons and things sacred or secular. It is the number of Jesus, the trinity, of the death and resurrection and so on. It is also a number of completion. The sixth and ninth year are derivatives of three, and I see a solidifying of the number three in the fact that it was three times itself. So Hoshea was done. There was no salvation for him.

2Ki 18:11  And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor [by] the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes:

Halah = “painful”

1) a city or district in Mesopotamia under Assyrian control where the Israelite captives were taken

Habor = “joining”

1) a tributary of the Euphrates River in Assyria

Gozan = “a cutting off”

1) the Mesopotamian city on or near the middle of the Euphrates where exiled Israelites were settled

Media or Medes or Madai = “middle land”

1) a people descended from the son of Japheth and who inhabited the territory of Media

2) land inhabited by the descendants of Japheth; located northwest of Persia proper, south and southwest of the Caspian Sea, east of Armenia and Assyria, and west and northwest of the great salt desert of Iram

2Ki 18:12  Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, [and] all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear [them], nor do [them].

So basically, they were put in a painful place joining a middle land that left them cut off from God.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 5.1

For those following along, we are still in the first verse of the first chapter of Isaiah, and we are digging into the background information on the kings. We are on the last of these four kings.

Isa 1:1 

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Hezekiah or Hizkiah or Hizkijah = “Jehovah is my strength”

2Ki 18:1 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, [that] Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

2Ki 18:2  Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also [was] Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.

Abi = “my father” or Abia or Abiah or Abijah = “Jehovah is (my) father”

Zechariah = “Jehovah remembers”

2Ki 18:3 And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.

2Ki 18:4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

Brasen: 

1) copper, bronze

a) copper (ore), bronze (as copper alloy)

b) fetters (of copper or bronze)

c) copper (as value)

2) lust, harlotry

a) meaning dubious

Nehushtan = “a thing of brass”

1) name by which the brazen serpent made by Moses in the wilderness was worshipped in the time of king Hezekiah of Judah before he destroyed it

2Ki 18:5  He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor [any] that were before him.

2Ki 18:6  For he clave to the LORD, [and] departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.

2Ki 18:7  And the LORD was with him; [and] he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.

2Ki 18:8  He smote the Philistines, [even] unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

Ok, so by now, you must be wondering as I am, why this guy managed to be lumped with the other three, because the distinct difference I see between him and the other kings is that he did tear down the high places and all the alters to all the idols that the other kings had allowed to stand.  He does not appear to be double-minded like the other kings.

I liked this word…clave.

Clave:

1) to cling, stick, stay close, cleave, keep close, stick to, stick with, follow closely, join to, overtake, catch

a) (Qal)

1) to cling, cleave to

2) to stay with

b) (Pual) to be joined together

c) (Hiphil)

1) to cause to cleave to

2) to pursue closely

3) to overtake

d) (Hophal) to be made to cleave

These additional words parallel this word: follow hard, stick, keep fast, together, abide, close, joined, pursued, take.

This guy was holding God’s hand the whole way.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 4.10

Back to Ahaz and his mess. As we see, he’s getting invaded on all sides.

2Ch 28:18 The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Bethshemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there.

Philistine = “immigrants”

Judah= “praised”

Beth-shemesh = “house of the sun” or “sun-temple”

Ajalon or Aijalon = “field of deer”

Gederoth = “walls”

Shocho or Shochoh or Sochoh or Shoco or Socoh = “bushy”

Timnath or Timnah or Thimnathah = “portion”

Gimzo = “fertile in sycamores”

This could read: The “immigrants” also had invaded the cities of the low country and of the south of “praised,” and had taken the “house of the sun” and the “field of deer” and the “walls” and the “bushy” “portion” with the villages thereof, “fertile in sycamores” also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there.

2Ch 28:19  For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD.

2Ch 28:20  And Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.

Distressed:

1) to bind, besiege, confine, cramp

a) (Qal)

1) to confine, secure

2) to shut in, beseige

3) to shut up, enclose

2) (Qal) to show hostility to, be an adversary, treat as foe

3) (Qal) to form, fashion, delineate

And all the other words that were adverbs of this word were: besiege, lay siege, distress, bind, adversaries, assault, bags, beset, cast, fashioned, fortify, inclose, bind up.

It’s just amazing how low one will go when they refuse to serve the Lord. This man was already kissing the proverbial butt of this Assyrian king, but he stooped even lower, to outright begging, and then further to groveling, but none of this did him any good, and certainly, it turned the heat up of God’s wrath against him.

2Ch 28:21  For Ahaz took away a portion [out] of the house of the LORD, and [out] of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave [it] unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not.

2Ch 28:22  And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this [is that] king Ahaz.

2Ch 28:23  For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, [therefore] will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

2Ch 28:24  And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

2Ch 28:25  And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers.

Ahaz gave himself up to a life of wickedness and idolatry. 2Ki 16; Isa. 7-9; 16; Isa. 7-9; 2 Chr. 28). Notwithstanding the remonstrances and warnings of Isaiah, Hosea, and Micah, he appealed for help against Rezin, king of Damascus, and Pekah, king of Israel, who threatened Jerusalem, to Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria, to the great injury of his kingdom and his own humilating subjection to the Assyrians (2Ki 16:7,9; 15:29). He also introduced among his people many heathen and idolatrous customs (Isa 8:19; 38:8; 2Ki 23:12). He died at the age of thirty-five years, after reigning sixteen years (B.C. 740-724), and was succeeded by his son Hezekiah. Because of his wickedness he was “not brought into the sepulchre of the kings.”

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 4.9

The second reference to the fall of Edom was in a book I didn’t even know about in the bible…the book of Obadiah. This entire book is a book of doom, and the doom it speaks of is against Edom. And again, it mentions or references the feud between Jacob and Esau, stating the cause of the problem; pride, and indicating God’s resolution to this problem against Esau and his descendants.

Oba 1:1  The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.

Oba 1:2  Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.

Oba 1:3  The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation [is] high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

Oba 1:4  Though thou exalt [thyself] as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

Oba 1:5  If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave [some] grapes?

Oba 1:6  How are [the things] of Esau searched out! [how] are his hidden things sought up!

Oba 1:7  All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee [even] to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, [and] prevailed against thee; [they that eat] thy bread have laid a wound under thee: [there is] none understanding in him.

Oba 1:8  Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise [men] out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?

Oba 1:9  And thy mighty [men], O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.

Oba 1:10  For [thy] violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.

Oba 1:11  In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou [wast] as one of them.

Oba 1:12  But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.

Oba 1:13  Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid [hands] on their substance in the day of their calamity;

Oba 1:14  Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress.

Oba 1:15  For the day of the LORD [is] near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

Oba 1:16  For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, [so] shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.

Oba 1:17  But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

Oba 1:18  And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be [any] remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken [it].

Oba 1:19  And [they of] the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and [they of] the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin [shall possess] Gilead.

Oba 1:20  And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel [shall possess] that of the Canaanites, [even] unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which [is] in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

I can only imagine that if the Edomites knew of their impending doom, they’d be doing a lot of stupid things in their indignation, pride, rage and bitter hatred, to try to eliminate the nation that would be viewed as the cause of all their problems.

The Book of Isaiah

Chapter 1 V.1 Part 4.8

Now, this “slaughter of Edom that caused Amaziah so much pride was carried out in this manner:

2Ch 25:7  But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the LORD [is] not with Israel, [to wit, with] all the children of Ephraim.

2Ch 25:8  But if thou wilt go, do [it], be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down.

2Ch 25:9  And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.

2Ch 25:10  Then Amaziah separated them, [to wit], the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger.

2Ch 25:11  And Amaziah strengthened himself, and led forth his people, and went to the valley of salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand.

2Ch 25:12  And [other] ten thousand [left] alive did the children of Judah carry away captive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they all were broken in pieces.

2Ch 25:13  But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Bethhoron, and smote three thousand of them, and took much spoil.

Now, the following information I found in two places. The first is Jeremiah.

Jer 49:7  Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; [Is] wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?

Jer 49:8  Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time [that] I will visit him.

Jer 49:9  If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave [some] gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough.

Jer 49:10  But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he [is] not.

Jer 49:11  Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve [them] alive; and let thy widows trust in me.

Jer 49:12  For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment [was] not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and [art] thou he [that] shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink [of it].

Jer 49:13  For I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.

Jer 49:14  I have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, [saying], Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle.

Jer 49:15  For, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen, [and] despised among men.

Jer 49:16  Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, [and] the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.

Jer 49:17  Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.

Jer 49:18  As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour [cities] thereof, saith the LORD, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.

Jer 49:19  Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her: and who [is] a chosen [man, that] I may appoint over her? for who [is] like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who [is] that shepherd that will stand before me?

Jer 49:20  Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them.

Jer 49:21  The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea.

Jer 49:22  Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

The thing is, I wonder when this prophesy was given? The reason I’m thinking about this, is that it reminds me of Satan, who is in a rage per Revelations 12, because he knows his time is short.

Rev 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

Rev 12:8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Rev 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Rev 12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Rev 12:12  Therefore rejoice, [ye] heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

It makes me wonder if the Edomites were aware of this prophesy as well, and also developed more bitterness and attempted in essence to ‘rage against the machine’ in futility. I mean, think about it. If you were from a nation that God pronounced doom upon, and you knew it was because of the people you consider to be your worst enemy…the same people…your brother even, that stole the spotlight from you in every way…most people would be seriously resentful, if not downright hateful, spiteful, and problematic to say the least.

To put it another way, if you worked on a job with your sibling, and it was a job you really wanted to excel in, but your sibling kept getting the praise, and the rewards, despite being one of the worst and even laziest workers in the place; one who repeatedly violated the rules and requirements; one who constantly turned against the bosses, and even worked on the side for the competition; it might make you pretty mad.

And that sibling rivalry…that resentment of “Why does he get to have that?” or “Why does he get to get away with that?” and even worse, “Why was my raise given to him?” and “He stole my promotion!” Well, I think it might be easy to understand this situation a bit better within the scope of this scenario, particularly if the person complaining and being resentful was not a believer, because we all know that real believers don’t have these issues…or do they?