Following a hefty recap, and brandishing the maps and timelines requested by the congregation last week, I launched into Obadiah 15-21...
In verse 15 Obadiah's prophecy takes on a grander flavour...
The day of the LORD
* is near
* is for all nations
* involves perfectly fair justice
* you need to be on Mount Zion to be safe then
* God will rule
The fourth point was the longest - it involved a test case of OT prophetic interpretation, following David Field's lead, putting Obadiah in the context of apostolic usage of Amos 9 (which Obadiah expands on) and Joel 2 (which quotes Obadiah regarding deliverance on Mount Zion). This leads us to see the fulfilment of these prophecies (including those regarding land) in Christ and in the renewal of Israel by the incorporating of Gentiles through the mission of the church.
Some technical hitches (!) and I have now lost my voice, which does not bode well for a talk I have to deliver tomorrow, but I am grateful to God for getting me through my first OT 'mini-series' in a way which was helpful to me and to at least some of the listeners.
Need to think more about specific works that help us to find Christ in the Old Testament, as it were, as a good question by Al revealed... He recommended Motyer, Look to the Rock, which I ought to get hold of ASAP.
