Obadiah 15
“The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head."

Legal systems in almost every civilisation reflect a standard principle that the punishment fits the crime. If I were caught running a red light on my bike, I would be liable to pay a £30 on-the-spot fine. If a bus driver were to run a red light and knock me off my bike as a result, they would be liable to lose their licence and even to spend some time in prison, depending on the severity of my injuries. We would have committed the same offense, but the consequences would mean that our crimes were not comparable in the eyes of the law.

In God’s great justice system, just as in ours, the punishment always fits the crime. Yet to God each sin is the same, for they all equally depose God from the throne of our hearts. In other words, with God, the crime is always one of rejecting him and following idols. The punishment is one of devastating judgment. God’s message through Obadiah is of an unavoidable day when the guilty will be punished. “The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.”

God’s judgment of evil and sin is good. It means that he is righteous and just; that he will not tolerate wrongdoing; that he is serious about the things which ruin the world. But mercifully, God has offered salvation. Obadiah’s vision from God continues from words of judgment to words of deliverance for those who trust in God. God will forgive the repentant and will give them a heavenly inheritance.

“The day of the Lord is near for all nations.” These words are a warning to those who do not trust in God, for God’s punishment of sin is rightly severe. But they are far more than a warning: they are an invitation. Obadiah proclaimed a message of judgment from God, but ultimately his message was one of hope. God has made a way for sinful people to inherit eternal life, delivered from judgment, and he calls all people everywhere to put their trust in him.

http://crossring.com/readings/the-day-of-the-lord-is-near-for-all-nations/