OUR FATHER WHO JUDGEMENT AGAINST THOSE WHO STRIKE HIS PEOPLE IS FEARSOME 

The book of Obadiah chapter 1 verses 5 - 6 says this;

“If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night—oh, what a disaster awaits you!—would they not steal only as much as they wanted?

If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes? 

But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged!

This passage uses two metaphors to accentuate how thorough the destruction of Esau shall be when judgement is brought against them.

When thieves target a person's home, they don't take everything. Instead they pick and chose what they deem valuable and though it is a bona fide disastor for the person, at least the robbers leave what they don't want. They would take your laptop but they would at least leave your couch behing.

Similarly, when thieving harvesters visit a person's vineyard to loot a harvest of grapes, even though it is a great loss, at least they leave behind a few grapes that they did not bother to reach for. 

In contrast, the calamity that will be visited on the nation of Esau (who in this case, stands in for the kingdoms that will array themselves against the kingdom of God to wreak havoc on the people of God and unjustly refuse to support them on their day of adversity), will be absolute and permanent. Verse 10 says it like this;

Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever.

Verse 18 suggests that it will be prayers of God's people that will accompliah this;

Jacob will be a fire and Joseph a flame;

Esau will be stubble, and they will set him on fire and destroy him. There will be no survivors from Esau.”

The Lord has spoken.

Revere the Lord whose power can erase nations and kingdoms.

9