Today we left the land of the Ammonites and Moabites and headed south of the Dead Sea to the land of Edom. Unlike Ammon and Moab who descended from Lot…Edom was from Jacob’s brother Esau. Esau had rough red features which seemed to match the land, rocky and barren. We noted that Edom welcomed some nomadic traders, the Nabateans, who in time suddenly turned on them and forced them out.
This seems to confirm Obadiah’s prophesy against Edom, “All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you” (Obadiah 7).
We moved to the southern point of Edom called Petra, meaning “rock” as was Peter. The place suddenly appears through a crevice in the rocks and is a well preserved series of temples and graves. There is little direct mention of this in the Scriptures but many scholars cite possible references to indicate Petra will be a major meeting place when Christ returns.
Keep praying! More later!
Paul Hopler