DELIVERANCE

“And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be DELIVERANCE, as the LORD has said, among the remnant whom the LORD calls – Joel 2: 32

Obadiah 1:17 conveys three Great Promises: “But on Mount Zion there shall be DELIVERANCE, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their POSSESSIONS” – Deliverance, Holiness, and Possessing of Possessions! The text begins with the word “But,” which shows a direct contrast between what was about to be and what preceded it. The first sixteen verses of the prophecy are biting words of wrath and fully-earned judgment for the Edomites, which was to be measured out by God exactly according to what the sons of Esau deserved. But, verses 17-21 speak of grace, deliverance by grace, and the possession of possessions granted the house of Jacob by an act of boundless, undeserved mercy, love, and grace. What a contrast this is! When God manifests to judge the wicked, He comes to save His elect. Pharaoh was overthrown in the Red Sea, that Israel may be delivered. Amalek was conquered, that Israel may be saved. Joel 2 speaks of the first of the three Great Promises: “For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be DELIVERANCE…” (Joel.2:32).

Both Obadiah 17 and Joel 2:32 are not mere promising physical or temporal deliverance for Israel. They represent the promise of Christ our Deliverer, of redemption and deliverance from the law, sin, Satan, the world, death, hell, and the wrath to come: “And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins” (Rom.11; 26-27). Christ has also delivered us from the pollutions of the world, the vengeance of divine justice, the curse of the law, and the damnation of hell. We receive power and strength when we call upon God for deliverance from spiritual attacks and Satan’s schemes to bind us – whether to an addiction, emotion, evil thought, destructive relationship, finances, or other strongholds (2Cor.10:4-5). We are delivered from strong enemies, distress, troubles, and destruction (Psa.18:17; 107:6).

Our deliverance in Christ is three-fold: we have been saved (Rom.8:29-30; Col.1:13; 2Tim.1:9-10); we are being saved continually from evil; and, we shall be saved (Rom.13:11). Jesus came to deliver us! Liberty is God’s Will for every one of His. He has made us free from sicknesses and diseases, poverty, shame, bondage, famine and scarcity, but we must personally appropriate His accomplished redemption, by faith. God releases power to lift the down-and-out man from the dunghill, to set him among princes, to heal the sick and stop the roaring of the enemy. He releases power to put an end to the activities of the enemy so we don’t have to adjust to a miserable status quo. Concerning your deliverance and liberty, Jesus has made provision; stop begging the devil, his agents or the situation. Talk to God who has made the provision. He delivered people in the days of His flesh and He has not changed. He will do it again (Act 10:38). Deliverance is His purpose, counsel and Will, all for your own good (Eph 1:11).

Mount Zion stands for the Church; the Body of Christ; and the assembly of believers. This is the residence of God’s Power for Deliverance. There’s comprehensive provision of Christ’s power in Mount Zion, to overcome the difficulties and hard times you might be going through. Sometimes, human beings like to use their academic, mental, psychological, physical, financial or material strength and capacity to bring solution to myriad of anxieties and needs; but Jesus has already made provision for every need in Zion. God is against anything holding you back from the complete provision Jesus has already made available for you. Anything contrary to your life is actually an enemy of God: “That we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us” (Lk.1:71). May the Lord surround you with “songs of deliverance” (Psa.32:7).