Introduction to the prophet Obadiah
The 31st book of the Bible, consisting of a single chapter
Judgment in a single chapter; the shortest book in the Old Testament
In the order of the “Minor” Prophets, it is the fourth book in the Book of the Twelve Prophets.
Obadiah, whose name means “servant of the LORD,” was the first of them to appear, namely in the southern kingdom of Judah.
In the Northern Kingdom of Israel, the prophets Elijah and Elisha served at the same time, about whom we read primarily in the two Books of Kings.
He was called to proclaim the word of God during the reigns of Kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, and Joash, from the beginning to the middle of the
9th century B.C.
Unlike the prophets who followed him, he did not even have to warn God’s people, but rather he was to comfort Israel and promise it a glorious future.
Obadiah’s message is directed primarily against Israel’s “brother nation,” the Edomites.
His vision, however—from his own time—looks far into the future; in verse 15, Obadiah proclaims the coming “Day of the LORD.”
The “Day of the LORD” also signifies judgment upon all the Gentile nations; the “time of the nations” will then be in the past, and the “time of grace” will have expired.
This “Day of the LORD” brings an end to the “great tribulation” that reigns over the entire planet Earth and heralds the beginning of the 1,000-year Kingdom of Peace under the rule of the returned Messiah—Jesus Christ—in Jerusalem.
The Edomites are descended from Esau, the “older” twin brother of Jacob, whom God later renamed Israel.
We can read about this in Genesis, chapters 27 through 33.
Esau settled in the mountainous region of what is now southern Jordan, southeast of the Dead Sea.
About one and a half millennia earlier, Edom was still known as Seir and was then the home of Job, as the Bible tells us.
The father of the two brothers, Esau and Jacob, was Isaac, and they were the grandsons of Abraham—so in addition to their close blood relationship, both knew and worshiped the same, one and only God who had led their grandfather up from Ur of the Chaldeans.
The responsibility arising from this explains the harsh judgment on Edom’s betrayal, its cruelty, and its joy at Judah’s misfortune.
This was preceded by a joint invasion of the southern kingdom of Judah under King Joram by the Philistines and Arab tribes, during which the capital, Jerusalem, was also plundered.
During these events, the Edomites had stabbed their relatives in the back and freed themselves from Judah’s suzerainty.
Outline of the Prophet Obadiah:
A table of contents for a single chapter with 21 verses 🙂
Obadiah Chapter 1
Announcement of judgment against haughty Edom, the brother nation of Israel
The reason for the judgment: cruelty toward their own kin
The restoration and triumph of Israel under the returning Messiah