I am curious about this guy. Edom was the name given to Esau after he rejected his birthright. His descendants settled in southern Palestine below the Dead Sea. They were Philistines. The Greeks and Romans later called the area Idumaea and its people Idumeans. It appears from history that the Herod family was the last to carry that name.
We remember the Edomites mostly because they refused to grant the Hebrews safe passage through their territory when Moses and the Jews came out of Egypt on their way to the Promised Land. (And Moses had sent the King of Edom a very nice message requesting politely that they be allowed to just pass through. "Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the king's highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory") (Numbers 20).
It was a very polite request. But it was denied, and, in fact, the Edomite army came out to make sure the Hebrews got the message.
Later the prophet Obadiah pronounced judgment on the Edomites because of their mistreatment of God's people, the Israelites. And that is a reminder to all of us to not mistreat God's people, whether it be Jews or our sisters and brothers in Christ, since they are, with us, God's people.
"Obed" means servant or slave. And "Gittite" means from Gath, the area Goliath was from. So this man must have been a proselyte to Judah. His people were long-standing enemies of the Jews and he was a humble farmer. But he must have made a good impression on King David, since he entrusted him with the priceless Ark.
When David returned in 3 months to transport the Ark, he told the Levites to "appoint their brothers as singers, to sing joyful songs, accompanied by musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals" (1 Chron. 15:16). Obed-Edom was appointed to play one of the harps.
So now we have gleaned a little more information: Obed-Edom, a humble proselyte to the Hebrew God, maybe married to a woman of the Levite clan, was trusted by David, and he was musical. And chosen to accompany the Ark into Jerusalem with King David!
And we know that this humble man, whose family was enemies of Israel, was greatly blessed the 3 months the Ark was in his possession.
It was when someone brought up God's blessings on Obed-Edom that David decided to go back and try again to bring the Ark to Jerusalem.
Could this be a reality show on TV? When God moved into Obed-Edom's house, things changed. It was no secret. Everyone saw it. His livestock produced healthy offspring.
His fields had abundant harvests. He went about his work with expectant joy and received God's extraordinary blessings with humility and gratitude. After all, who was he anyway? Just a servant, a member of a group of people who were Israel's enemies.
But when God moved in everything changed. God's presence, in the Ark, radically affected his whole household. That always happens when God moves in. Nothing will ever be the same. In those days God symbolically inhabited the Ark.
Today God inhabits us.
You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? ...God's temple is sacred, and you are the temple. (1 Corinth. 3:16)
In those days God spoke to the people from the Ark, not inside with the broken law, but outside, above the mercy seat. It is the same today. He walks and talks with us, not in judgment, but in mercy and grace. He does not punish us. He is eager to give us His blessings -- poured out -- with our cups overflowing -- because we have invited Him to come in and live in us. We are His house.
He is not a visitor. He lives in us.
He wants to use all of His power to bring blessings into our lives. The greatest miracle we will ever experience on this earth, is to have the Sovereign, Supreme Lord of the Universe, Creator of all that is, come, through the Holy Spirit, into our hearts to live.
And it will not be a secret. Just as Obed-Edom's blessings were evident to everyone around him, so God's presence in our hearts will be evident, visible, to everyone around us. We will have more energy, more joy, more peace, more comfort, when He comes to live in our house.
But He has to be invited. He does not barge in and "crash" the party. Remember the picture of Christ knocking at the door? The handle is on the inside. There is no way He can get in, except to be invited, and the door opened for Him. Have you done that? Or is He still outside?
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