“The vision of Obadiah. Thus said the Lord God concerning Edom (…)” (Obadiah 1:1) In the book of Genesis, the Torah calls Esau “Edom”, and narrates how he became the nemesis of his twin brother, Jacob. Let’s reflect on what Edom represents in our consciousness. Opposites exist for us to discern between them, and act accordingly. All we have around invites us to observe every single thing, recognize their purpose or function, and deal based on what we need or want from them.
Opposites and antagonists exist since Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden fruit, offered by an opponent in disguise called the serpent. Evil turned, from a hypothetical reference to make goodness prevail in life and its surroundings called the Garden of Eden, into an evident and tangible tendency settled in our consciousness.
This twist of events turned extremely difficult to uproot evil out of our lives. Only by embracing and enthroning the Messianic Consciousness in all aspects and dimensions of life, evil will be completely removed from the face of the Earth. This is the Final Redemption where we will live by the regency of Love’s ways and attributes.
The specific goal of Jewish Prophecy is to herald the final prevalence of good over evil, and the regency of Love in all levels of consciousness, as the material manifestation of God’s Love also as ruler in all His Creation. As Cain was the antagonist of Abel, Ham the nemesis of Noah, Nimrod the persecutor of Abraham, and Avimelech the coveting neighbor of Isaac, Edom became the mortal enemy of Israel. As Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob are brothers. This represents a dilemma, considering that both are children of the same parents the Torah refers to as righteous.
Genetics explains it. Their mother, Rebecca, was the daughter of Bethuel and the sister of Laban, two individuals the Torah and our oral tradition depict as epitomes of evil. This means that in our genetic consciousness, from where consciousness derives, we find the negative traits to be transformed into goodness as the ruling principle in the destiny God prepared for us. This destiny is entirely fulfilled in the Messianic era.
We must insist that good and evil interact in order to make evil subservient to good. This is a Divine decree applied to Esau and Jacob, when Rebecca asked God regarding her troubled pregnancy: “And the Lord said unto her: Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples shall be separated from your bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23) In this sense, “nations” are principles by which we live.
In a deeper meaning, one represents our materialistic approach to life: “Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field” (25:27), while the other our connection to the Creator: “and Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.” (ibid.) The first definition is clear, but the second we must look up to.
Our Sages explain that the word translated here as “quiet” has several encompassing meanings, including “perfect”, “innocent” and “wholesome”. These qualities in the context of living inside of covered places, which represent introspection in terms of being related to what dwells within. These don’t necessarily imply living permanently indoors or avoiding the field of the material world. The purpose, determined by our Creator is to make “the elder serve the younger”. This is the premise to assimilate the message of the Prophet.
“For the violence done to your brother Jacob shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.” (Obadiah 1:10)
Edom represents, not only a materialistic approach to life but also the negative ways towards it. Hence this affects our connection and relationship with God, and His will regarding our destiny. Edom is our utmost antagonist, therefore we have to prevail over him. We have said that the only way to subdue negativity is by filling all levels and dimensions of consciousness with Love’s ways and attributes. We achieve this by uniting our Love with God’s Love, for His Love is our Redeemer from the domains of ego’s materialistic fantasies and illusions. Only God as the Creator of all has the power to make His will prevail. By cutting off the negative trends of our consciousness, His Love ushers our entrance to the Messianic era.
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you. Your dealing shall return upon your own head.” (1:15)
Regarding the dawn of the Messianic Consciousness, and the Final Redemption referred to as “the end of days” and “the day of the Lord”, let’s bear in mind that our negative trends, “the nations”, lead us to our destruction. This is another way to understand that “sin is its own punishment”.
“But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” (1:17)
Our Prophets remind us in their messages that Zion/Jerusalem is the holiest place because it represents the awareness of our permanent connection with the Creator. Zion is the Temple, the House where God dwells in us. Those who live in the tents of Jacob and the dwellings of Israel find in our bond with God the Redemption from the violence of Edom.
“And the house of Jacob shall be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken.” (1:18)
In His message through the Prophet, the Creator reaffirms His will. God speaks about the day we yearn for and cry out. The day when the intensity of our Love becomes the transforming fire of our consciousness. Jacob and Joseph are mentioned as the bearers of this redeeming fire. They embody Love’s ways, means, qualities and attributes that maintain our connection with God’s Love. These are our Essence and identity that transcend vanity, uselessness and futility of ego’s negative fantasies and illusions embodied by Esau.
The fire of Love devours the stubble that negative ideas, thoughts, emotions, feelings, passions and instincts store in our consciousness.
“And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel, that are among the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath, and the captivity of Jerusalem that is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South.” (1:20)
The Messianic Consciousness encompasses a transformation process in all dimensions of our inner and outer life. The positive creative potentials, traits and qualities represented by the Tribes of Israel are gathered to fulfill God’s will in the Messianic era. This is the gathering of the exiles from their dispersion among the nations. The goodness of life recovered and redeemed from the negative trends of consciousness.
This also means the physical return of the lost Tribes dispersed and assimilated among peoples all over the world. Many of them are descendants of forced converts to Christianity (“the captivity of Jerusalem that is in Sepharad”) who will return as converts to Judaism. Lots of others assimilated into different races and nations will return also as converts. Interestingly, our oral tradition tells us that the Prophet Obadiah was a Jewish convert.
The goodness in the strength of their Jewish roots will lead them to return to the goodness of our common ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is the goodness of Love’s ways and attributes as the material manifestation of God’s Love. And His will to make them prevail in all aspects, levels and dimensions of human consciousness. These are the saviors and redeemers that transform evil and negativity into goodness, heralding the Messianic Consciousness in the day of the Lord.
“And saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.” (1:21)
Amen.
