Commentary on Obadiah, Verse and commentary 9
VERSE. 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.
5. Their laſt hope is in the ſtrength of their own mighty men: this is addreſſed to Teman.
Which word as it ſignifieth the coaſt to which the Idumaeans lay from Jeruſalem: i.e. the eaſt; ſo it is the name of one of the Nephews of Eſau, Gen. 36.11whoſe poſterity inhabited a part of Arabia, called alſo by his name.
He was the eldeſt ſon of Eliphaz, the eldeſt ſon of Eſau; and under his name here the whole Nation of the Idumaeans is threatned.
And as the hope the Idumaeans had in the wiſdome of their wiſe men, faileth them, for they have truſted to falſe friends, and all their providence for their ſafety miſcarrieth:
So ſhall they fail in the hope that they have in their own ſtrong men, for they ſhall not be able to preſerve them from a finall deſtruction, even ſo great that every one of the mount of Eſau ſhall be cut off by ſlaughter.
Excellently is their judgment ſet forth; for their confederates ſhall turne perfidious to them abroad, and their ſtrong men at home ſhall be diſmayed.
Two things make wars advantagable to a Common-wealth, Conſilium & fortitudo, counſel and ſtrength: in the former verſe God befools their wiſdome; in this he enfeebles their ſtrength.
The reaſon is, he hath decreed that every one of the mount of Eſau ſhall be deſtroyed.
And when God turneth enemy, neither head nor hand, neither wiſdome nor force can reſiſt him; David and his ſling ſhall diſcomfit Goliah and his armour, his ſword and ſpear, and admired ſtrength.
The two little flocks of Iſrael, the great armies of the Aramites.
It is worth our noting, that God working by means, and directing our operations ſo, even in this work of overthrow threatned to Edom, doth deſtroy them by diſabling to them all the meanes of their ſafety, as before he turneth the hearts of their friends againſt them.
He deſtroyeth the wiſdome of their wiſe men, and now he takes away all heart and courage from their ſtrong men.
To teach us that all the outward means of ſafety are not ſufficient to keep us from ruine, except the Lord be on our ſide.
Therefore we pray, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdome come. Thy will be done. And we acknowledge,
Thine is the Kingdome, power and glory.
And this enforceth upon us the law of the firſt Table to have no other gods but one; to give him outward worſhip, to ſanctifie his Sabbath, not to abuſe his name.
And this filleth us with faith, ſaying, Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, I beleeve in God, &c.
For as David ſaith, Domine quis ſimilis tibi, Lord who is like to thee?
There is no wiſdome or ſtrength, not that which is in the god of this world, the Prince that ruleth in the air, but it is a beame of the heavenly light; can God ſuffer any of his own gifts to be abuſed againſt him, to turn edge and point againſt the author of them?
There is a time when God winketh at the outrage of the ungodly, for the exerciſing of the patience of his ſervants; but when he intendeth a cutting off by ſlaughter of his enemies, in that day the Lord will be known to be God.
Theſe things are written for our ſakes; for the enemies of our Church are here threatned to be cut off by ſlaughter, even Antichriſt the man of ſin, who ſitteth in the place of God as God, and is worſhipped, whom God ſhall ſcatter with the breath of his mouth, that is, by the power of his word preached; and we have comfort againſt him, that neither his wit nor his force ſhall prevaile againſt us.
We have two examples which I hope no time will ever forget to praiſe God for, till the ſecond coming of Jeſus Chriſt.
The power of Antichriſt was defeated in 88. when the Pope gave away the Kingdomes of England and Ireland to the King of Spaine, who ſent his Invincible Armado hither, not as a Challenger, but as a Conquerer to take poſſeſſion of theſe Lands.
They had ſpeciall revelations to aſſure their victory, and the prayers of the Popiſh Church were all in armes againſt us.
But as it is in my text, their mighty men were diſmayed, their ſtrong Ships either ſunk in the ſea, or well beaten, or conſtrained to flie, becauſe God meant to cut them off by ſlaughter, and the power of Spaine ſo weakned, and the coffers of their treaſure ſo emptied, that nothing was more welcome to them then the newes of peace with England.
The wiſdome of Rome had no better ſucceſſe in the yeere 1605. for when ſome men of bloud, the ſons of Belial, had layed a plot for the deſtruction of the whole Church and Common-wealth then in Parliament, by powder:
We cannot deny but the Serpent put his beſt wits to the rack, to ſtamp a deviſe with his own image and ſuperſcription; never was there nequitia ingenioſior, a more witty wickedneſſe, then to bring ſo many precious lives to the merciemercy of one excutioner who had nothing to do but to put fire to the train.
Yet in the very act of preparation, and the night before the intended execution, God put fire to his own train layed for them, and diſcovered things hidden in darkneſſe, and caſt them into the pit which he had digged for them; and their wit and policie proved hanging and quartering to the conſpirators; and declared the Papiſt our ſecret enemies, ſuch whom we muſt carefully look to; for if by ſtrength or wit he can deſtroy the ſtate of the Church and Common-wealth, the mercies of his heart are ſo cruell, that we can expect no favour.
That is now the cauſe why his Majeſty intending a Parliament, doth require ſo ſtrict a ſurvey of the land for the detection of all Popiſh Recuſants, as now is both by the Eccleſiaſticall and Civill Magiſtrate urged.
For they have given us fair warning, that if they can do any thing by wit or force, they will abate nothing thereof to the prejudice of this Church. But as the confounding of the wiſdome of Edom, and the diſabling the ſtrength of Edom did forerun their fall: ſo our faith is, that Antichriſt, Gods enemy and ours, hath now but a ſhort time; and every one of the mount of Eſau of the City built upon the hills ſhall be cut off by ſlaughter.
The pride of their own hearts, who think they have the keyes of heaven and of hell: not only Peters keyes, but Davids alſo; who bear the world in hand, that they can ſave or condemn, ſhall deceive them.
The rock of their habitation ſhall prove to them like an undefenced City.
Their confederates, and men of their peace, that eat bread with them, ſhall turn edge againſt them.
Their wiſe men ſhall fail them, and their Triple-crown and the temporall power of their Hierarchy ſhall be diſabled; we have the word of God for it, The man of ſin muſt be deſtroyed. Even ſo let all thine enemies periſh O Lord. Amen Amen.