Obadiah 1:5 Commentary and Bible Study

These are fascinating pictures. ‘If thieves come to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough?’ The words in backets are a parenthesis that interrupt the question half way through. It is as if the speaker cannot continue to take seriously his own question, when he knows any attempt to pretend all is well is so preposterous. He bursts out with this exclamation which goes immediately to the inevitable end result of all this. Look at your geography, look at your remote cities, look at your lofty peaks and your deep protective canyons and passes. You think this is to your advantage, but there is a disadvantage there because you are all so cut off. Your towns are all quite small and you can't help each other. You are in isolation and you are rather like a house, way out in the countryside. You are a wealthy man or woman and you live in this great house in the countryside. You are very vulnerable because even if you call the police when you hear some trouble, it's going to take them half an hour to get to you. By that time the thieves are in and out and gone, and you are trussed up on your beds at best. But look at the illustration. ‘If thieves come to thee … would they not have stolen till they had enough?’ The thief comes and he just takes what he wants. He doesn't strip the house. That's too much work. He just pulls open the drawers and the cupboards and throws stuff everywhere. He knows what he's looking for. He takes what's valuable. He takes only as much as he wants, and he's off, and you are left with all kinds of stuff. Not with valuable stuff, but probably enough to boil an egg and just about survive. He hasn't taken all your soap and your towels and all this sort of thing. He's not interested in your shaving tackle. But, says the Lord, when you fall, Edom, you will have everything plundered from you.