Obadiah – By Hulen L. Jackson

Outline

Introduction

1. General theme
2. Origen’s statement
3. No reference in the New Testament
4. Other prophets also discuss Edom’s sins

Discussion

A. The author of the book

1. A common name
2. Not much is known

B. When did Obadiah live and write?

1. Different dates are proposed
2. Connections with Jeremiah and Joel
3. Is Obadiah speaking retrospectively or prospectively about Edom’s sins?
4. Even with the unknowns, the truths continue to our day

C. The contents of the book; its message

1. Edom and Judah
2. Edom’s history
3. Their sins, especially at Jerusalem’s fall
4. An outline of the book
   a. The announcement to the Edomites of the judgment against them (verses 1-9)
   b. The sins that caused this judgment to be passed upon them (verses 10-16)
   c. The restoration of downtrodden Judah (verses 17-21)

Conclusion — Lessons to be gained from this book

Introduction

Origen once stated that in his day there was not a trace of the people or the language of Edom left in the world. Hence, by his time the major burden of the prophecy of Obadiah had been fulfilled. That prophet of God said that it would occur and naturally in the fullness of time it did occur exactly as he had spoken. This book when properly understood is truly a faith builder. Yet, for some reason it is not quoted in the New Testament at all. The sins of Edom, the topic of the book of Obadiah, must have been great in the sight of Jehovah since He had not only this prophet but also Ezekiel, Amos, Jeremiah, and the author of Psalm 137 as well portray their sins and the impending doom of the nation. Obadiah, though the shortest book in the Old Testament, has within it tremendous truths concerning God’s dealings with His people and the other nations of the earth. But, first let’s find out about the author of this little book.

Discussion

Dr. E. B. Pussey in his introduction to the commentary on Obadiah (Barnes’ Notes) says: “The silence of Holy Scripture as to the prophet Obadiah stands in remarkable contrast to the anxiety of men to know something of him.” Definitely, we know only that his name was Obadiah. There is no other reference to him as a man in any other book of the Bible. Maybe the silence of the Divine record makes us anxious to know more about him. Who, for sure, was Obadiah? When did he live in Judah? Who was his father? Was he trained as a prophet, or did he belong to the school of the prophets? Was his entire adult life spent prophesying among God’s people, or did God call him to deliver this special message concerning Edom to them and to Judah and then allow him to return to his former vocation? The answer to all these questions must be: we do not know. If we had but one man in the Old Testament wearing the name Obadiah, the problem would be a little simpler. To show how complex it is, notice what the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, volume 4, page 2173, says concerning the name. It lists 13 different persons, biblical characters, named Obadiah and finishes the paragraph by referring to an ancient Hebrew seal bearing the inscription “Obadiah the servant of the king” stating that this one could have been the prophet about whom we’d like to know more. Jerome (347-419 A.D.) thought that Obadiah, the prophet, was the governor of Ahab’s house in Israel, the northern kingdom of the Jews, and the one who hid and fed 100 prophets whom Jezebel would have destroyed. Maybe so. Dupin thought that he lived in the time of Ahaz in whose reign the Edomites in conjunction with Israel made war with Judah. Others think he was the one Josiah made overseer of the work of the temple mentioned in 2 Chronicles 34:12. Such a man was named Obadiah, but was he the prophet and the author of the book we are studying? Still others believe Obadiah was a contemporary of Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, in the southern kingdom of the Jews: that he witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in 586 B.C.; that he saw for himself how the Edomites conducted themselves in this sad ordeal; that shortly thereafter God gave him the vision recorded. In commenting on this explanation we’ll have to say again, “Maybe so.” Obadiah as a proper name means “servant of Jehovah.” This much we do know about the man: he was truly God’s servant and on this occasion at least spoke for God.

At the very outset of the book he claims inspiration for himself as God’s spokesman. Note the words, “The vision of Obadiah”. It, the message to follow in the book, was a vision, a revelation of God’s purposes and plans concerning the future of Edom, a neighboring nation to Judah. The next words in verse 1 of this short book says, “Thus says the Lord God”. If Obadiah were not a prophet of Jehovah and spoke by divine inspiration, he was not and could not have been even a good man to have claimed such for his message here written down. Obadiah frankly claims the message was not the product of his own reflection; of his keen insight as a citizen in Judah into the scriptural, moral, and political conditions of his day or generation, nor that he was but applying principles given earlier by other men of God to the people of his own day, but rather that the message came to him as a vision. God was speaking in and through him about Edom, that sinful, wicked, and rebellious neighboring nation. May I then say it makes little difference about his personal life. We do not need to know.

If we knew when the book was written, we might know who Obadiah was. Maybe he was not anyone of the 13 mentioned above. Some authorities feel that the date of the writing depends upon two facts. Did Obadiah borrow expressions found in his book and thoughts contained therein almost exactly like some in the book of Jeremiah from Jeremiah, the earlier prophet, or did Jeremiah borrow his expressions from Obadiah? Did Obadiah rebuke Edom for sins they had already committed, or is the book a warning against sins he knew they were about to commit? Or, was Obadiah speaking retrospectively or prophetically in condemning Edom’s sins against Judah? Would you take time to compare these verses in Obadiah with the corresponding ones in Jeremiah chapter 49? Obadiah verse 1 and Jeremiah 49:14, Obadiah verse 2 and Jeremiah 49:15, Obadiah verses 3-4 and Jeremiah 49:16, Obadiah verse 5 and Jeremiah 49:9, Obadiah verse 6 and Jeremiah 49:10, and Obadiah verse 7 and Jeremiah 49:7. A person’s views concerning the relation of these passages would be a determining factor as when Obadiah wrote his book. Did he write after Jeremiah, or did his writing antedate Jeremiah’s? Some critics have believed that neither is a quote or borrow from the other, but rather both Obadiah and Jeremiah were borrowing from the same common source. However, what would be wrong in believing that God could and did give to these two prophets visions concerning Edom and in describing it employs similar expressions? That is not disturbing to me in the least. The wisdom of God was the common source for what both prophets said. One authority from whom I read suggested the following ideas concerning the date of Obadiah. To him Joel 2:32, “As the Lord has said for in Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape,” is an allusion to Obadiah 17. Obadiah does express this very thought. Did Joel the prophet have in mind that God had spoken it through Obadiah, and did he have access to the book of Obadiah when he wrote his book? If so, you can easily see that Obadiah would antedate Joel and maybe be the earliest of the prophets who wrote books in the Old Testament. The Jews of Obadiah’s day and the Edomites of his generation knew the answers to these questions. Thanks be to God that we do not need to know much today in order for the message of Obadiah to mean much to us. From one standpoint, the time of the book depends upon your interpretation of verse 10:14. To what calamity is the prophet referring? As we have already mentioned, was he referring to that which had occurred already, or to that which was about to occur? The advocates of the earlier writing date claim that he was referring to the revolt of Edom against Judah in the time of Jehoram (2 Kings 8:20). The Philistines and Arabians did lay siege to Judah and Jerusalem, taking his sons and wives captive leaving only Jehoahaz and also taking all the substance from the king’s house. But, would such a calamity fit the figures given in Obadiah? I doubt it. John Richard Sampey says, in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Volume four, page 2174, “Our choice is between a very early date and the later date, with the scales balanced.” Psalm 137 states that Edom cried out that Jerusalem be razed even to the foundation thereof. If this refers to the same event in history as Obadiah, then it couldn’t refer merely to a defeat in battle suffered by Jerusalem and its king but rather to the complete destruction thereof. This did occur when the Babylonians swept down in keeping with God’s promises and razed the city to the foundations thereof in 586 B.C. At this time, according to profane history, Edom did the exact things mentioned by Obadiah and the other prophets as enemies of Judah.

So, whether the book was prediction or history in relation to its author, let’s agree that he has in mind the attitude of Edom toward their blood relatives, the Jews and Judah, when the people of God suffered at the hands of the Babylonians. Ezekiel 35:5 shows that Edom hated the Jews and shed their blood at the time of this calamity. The Edomites, descending from Esau, had hated the other children of Jacob from that very day. The Pulpit Commentary, volume 14, tells us that the Edomites did join with Nebuchadnezzar in sacking Jerusalem and cut off those Jews who endeavored to escape the city. They stood by and encouraged the Babylonians to utterly destroy Jerusalem and participated in the casting of lots for the spoils of God’s people. A few Jews tried to take refuge among the Edomites, and they joyfully delivered them up to the king of Babylonia. Yes, these blood relatives of the Jews had sadistic tendencies in rejoicing in the miseries and sufferings of Judah. They should have been sympathetic and helpful. Truly, these Edomites were “past feeling” and had seared their consciences “with a hot iron.” They must be punished. God could not overlook their horrible crimes against Him and His people.

But, tell us more about Edom. In those days Edom was bound on the north by the land of Moab and the south shore of the Dead Sea; on the east by the Midianites; on the south by the Gulf of Aqaba; and on the west by the desert of Arabia. It was a mountainous strip of land about 110 miles long and 30 miles wide (177 kilometers by 48) . When Esau drove out the Horites and settled his people there, it was called Mount Seir. The word “Edom” meaning “red” could refer to the red pottage in the story of Jacob and Esau or to the red sandstone mountains in that area. Through the years these people became vainly proud, vengeful, and cruel. Wandering farther and farther from God and His laws, Edom continued to hate deeply everything Jewish. At times they were subjects to Judah, and this relationship caused them to hate them more deeply. They had their own ambitious interests, not realizing that they would become but pawns in the hand of the Lord. They refused to let Israel go through their country in the time of Moses on their journey to Canaan, forcing them to go to the south and east through Moab. Edom is not mentioned during the period of the judges, but they were defeated by King Saul and later conquered by King David. At the division of the kingdom at the death of Solomon, Edom was held by Judah, but afterward they did rebel. At one time in their history they controlled the land almost to the confines of Egypt. Their most remarkable feature as a nation was that they were cave-dwellers. They did live in caves and grottoes. Nelson Glick in The Other Side of Jordan, page 140, states, “Practically every site throughout the length and breadth of the land consisted either of a great fortress or a strong blockhouse.” They were never completely subdued by Judah and watched continually for a chance to strike at Judah and to carry away captives. The ancient capital was Bozrah, but in Obadiah’s time it seems to have been Petra. Because of its difficult accesses, its rock-hewn dwellings, and its natural defenses, Edom had a spirit of security and complete independence, though small as a nation compared to several others in the world. On the east and west sides about Petra the cliffs rise almost perpendicularly 650 feet (200 meters). In the words of Obadiah Edom truly exalted herself as the eagle and set her nest among the stars (verse 4). In his day Edom verily considered themselves powerful, mighty, and impregnable. In New Testament days this land was called Idumea. Josephus refers to it as Gebalene meaning “mountainous.” Don’t think because of the location of the country or the topography of it that it was barren and destitute for these mountain sides were exceedingly fertile and green with vegetation. Isaac had promised his son Esau, “Your dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above” (Genesis 27:39). His children lived in such a land in Edom at this time.

Let me give you this simple outline of the message of Obadiah to Edom and Judah. The announcement to the Edomites of their impending doom and complete destruction because of the Divine judgment against them (verses 1-9). In verse 15 the prophet says, “For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; as you have done, it shall be done to you. Your reprisal shall return upon your own head” (verse 15). Obadiah makes it plain that Edom shall be totally stripped and plundered, and not just punished. The Edomites must have been trusting implicitly in: their allies, their impregnable exalted position in the tops of the mountains, their treasures, and their mighty men of wisdom. All these shall fail said the man of God to them for God has spoken it. Though they dwell in the cliffs of the rocks, Jehovah said He would bring them down (verses 3-4). Their hidden treasures would be plundered (verses 5-6). Lest they misunderstand it, Obadiah explains in these verses that thieves when they rob you, leave a little, and grape gatherers when they harvest, would have left a few grapes. Yet they would be completely eradicated from off the earth. There would be but a memory of Edom left for future generations. Along with others, Edom would become an extinct nation. The poor Edomites would discover that their allies in whom they trusted for protection and military aid had been deceiving them and would (at the proper time) betray them. The plans of God would dismay the wisdom of the “mighty men of Teman” (verses 8-9). They might as well have attempted to prevent or delay the setting of the sun as to avoid their own destruction. God had spoken. It would be. At the beginning of this message to Edom, God says, “I have made you small among the nations” (verse 2). Perhaps at the moment no one would have thought so. Edom for sure didn’t. Maybe their allies would have not agreed. But notwithstanding all these facts, God said — “I have made you small”. He spoke the future as if it had already occurred. Heaven had willed it, and who could change it. God has ever held the destiny of even the nations of the earth in the palm of His hand. This thought might be considered the key to the entire book of Obadiah. God had made them small. Their destiny was fixed. Their doom was sealed. God said so. God places Himself in command in verse 1 when He says to the other nations, “Let us rise up against her in battle” (verse 1).

What were their crimes that caused this judgment of God upon them (versus 10-16)? Even a casual reading of this short book will show that Edom would be punished for their cruel and unbrotherly conduct toward Judah at the time of its national calamity. Shame would cover them because of their violence to their brother Jacob (verse 10). Their overthrow would be due to this inhumane cruelty and violence to their kindred. The perverted nature of the Edomites in their degraded condition was shown in their gloating over the destruction and utter ruin of the city of Jerusalem. They stood by as the cheering squad while Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the sacred city of David. They blocked the exits and saw to it that none of the Jews could escape into their land. Rather than being saddened because Israel was being punished for their own sins, Edom rejoiced over it and spoke proudly of it (verse 12). With a clear conscience they moved in as the city was being razed and shared in the spoils of Jerusalem. Yes, Edom rejoiced when Judah wept. It was a case of heartless cruelty by those who should have known better. They could have known and served the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but they stubbornly refused. They turned their backs upon Him, His law, and His people. They had drunk upon the holy mountain of God (verse 16), but they had forgotten that the completion of sin is the commencement of punishment. As a nation and seemingly almost to a man, they had reveled in their crimes and felt they had gained a victory over the God of Judah and Jerusalem. They were filled with worldly pride and had the haughty look coming just before their fall.

How did Jehovah bring down the exalted nation of Edom? Some historians indicate that about five years after his siege of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar, on a march against Egypt, sent an army of Arabs against Petra and took possession of it. Sometime later, one of the generals of Alexander the Great conquered these people, despoiling Petra, their capital and rock city. Some of the Edomites, the few remaining, took refuge in southern Palestine. The Jews who had in the meantime returned to their own land around Jerusalem befriended by first the Persians and later by the forces of Alexander spread out north, south, east, and west reducing the few Edomites left to slavery, forcing them to accept circumcision and the other rites of the Jewish law of Moses. Within a few years Edom was no more. Just a memory at last. “God said – and it was so.” This has ever been true. Ezekiel (Ezekiel 35:1-15) said that Edom would be desolate: her cities would be destroyed; her mountains would be filled with slain men; her valleys and rivers with men slain with the sword. Why couldn’t they realize “righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34)? Why can’t we realize this today before maybe it is too late?

But, Jehovah had great plans involving the remnant of Jews to be carried off into Babylonian captivity. They must be returned and restored to their land (verses 17-21). The day of retribution was near. Edom shall fall and fall forever. Judah, however, shall “possess their possessions” (verse 17). “But upon Mount Zion shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy” (verse 17). Other prophets in foretelling the doom of Judah had spoken of the restoration of these Jews. To fulfill His purpose to all men, God had to return them to their own land. After they had spent 70 years in a foreign land where the Jews did “hang their harps on the willow trees” (Psalms 137:2), God raised up the Medo-Persians who allowed them to return to Mount Zion. God’s people were once again in their own land where through the providence of Jehovah they prospered, spreading out, extending their borders, at times even possessing at least some of the land which once was Edom. Some of the prophetic thoughts in the last few verses of this book may have been literally fulfilled in the days of the Maccabees (167-37 B.C.). These Jews who had been crushed under the heel of Babylonia and had been the object of scorn and ridicule by the Edomites would someday bring to all nations the Redeemer of the world. God had a purpose in crushing the Edomites, and God had a plan for these Jewish folk. The Law of the Lord must go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3). Obadiah reaches a glorious climax and summation of his last statement of this brief but wonderful message: “The kingdom shall be the Lord’s” (verse 21). The Lord God Omnipotent reigns. Oh glorious thought!

Conclusion

If these things were “written for our admonition” (1 Corinthians 10:11), what lessons can we learn from the study of the book of Obadiah? Some of the most heartwarming and faith building lessons are based on Old Testament stories and truths. God’s hand is in it all–this wonderful thought is interwoven throughout the book. The God of heaven can give to kings their thrones, but He can take the thrones from them. To carry out His will, He can and often does bring about the rise or the fall of kingdoms. Had He not raised up Pharaoh? Did not other tribes and nations serve His purposes during the days of the judges and the earlier days of the kings of Israel? To be sure. Edom sinned. Edom must suffer. God would see to that. The reward would return upon their own head (verse 15). We reap what we sow. This has ever been true with men and nations. You can’t rule God out of your lives. You need not try. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof” (Psalms 24:1). It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man (Psalm 118). This great truth from David the Edomites did not believe. “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust” (Psalm 40:4). Man would have said that Edom will never be destroyed, but God knew better. Edom would learn and Judah needed to learn that it is vanity to trust in their own strength or the strength of others. Hadn’t Edom heard of the words of Jeremiah, the prophet, “Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:5)? Ungodly kings and potentates have in the fullness of time been brought low by Jehovah. How sorely we need to recall this great lesson today in America and especially in these trying times. After all, let not our trust be in our hydrogen and atom bombs, in the size of our armies, and in the number of our ships sailing the seas. But rather in God, who made us and who rules over all.

Can you not see from what we’ve said about this prophetic book of the Old Testament the providential care of God’s children? The men and women of Judah were the Israel (beloved) of God. He had a plan and purpose for them. He had divinely fed and clothed them for 40 years on the journey to Canaan. He had fought their battles for them time and time again, giving them victory over their enemies. If they would only trust in Him, God would take care of them. We do need to learn that as His children today, the Israel of God of this dispensation, we cannot pass beyond the sphere of the providence of God. Again, oh blessed thought!

When calling Abraham to leave Ur (Genesis 12), God promised him, “I will bless them that bless you and curse them that curse you”. As the Lord cared for Abram and later his family, He kept this promise. As his sons multiplied and their problems became many there in Canaan, God remembered to keep His promise to them. When they, Abraham’s children, became the nation of Israel, God continued to bless those who bless Israel and to curse the nations that cursed Israel. You couldn’t be an enemy of Israel without being an enemy of the God of Abraham and bringing His curse upon you. God truly rewarded the nations that befriended Israel and punished at times, even to the point of extermination, those tribes and nations that opposed His people. Israel, to be sure, was the elect and select people of God. God willed it to be so. Had He not also said to Abram in calling him that through his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3)? He had to punish them many times as a nation for their own sins, but always God remembered His promises to Father Abraham and preserved the remnant. Eventually, the lowly Nazarene was born in the city of David as the son of Abraham. He prepared the soil and laid the foundation. When one of His disciples stood on Pentecost day and preached that the promise of God was “to you and your children and to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call,” the glorious day had finally arrived for the word to go forth from Zion where Peter stood at that moment. Redemption was to be found on Zion in Jerusalem. All nations were to hear the word of the Lord and be blessed through His Son of Abraham. We today are the recipients of this outpouring of the promises of God. May God help us cherish it, and as best we can, walk worthy of it.

Bibliography

• Bible Atlas, Hurlbut.
• The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, vol. 8.
• Edward Young, An Introduction to the Old Testament, pp. 276-277.
• Theo Laetsch, The Minor Prophets, pp. 193-213.
• Clarke’s Commentary, vol. 4.
• Barnes’ Notes on the Old Testament (Pussey), The Minor Prophets, Vol. 1.
• Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, p. 182.
• Horne, An Introduction to the Critical Study of the Bible, Vol. 2, pp. 282-283.
• The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. 4.

Questions for Class Discussion

1. Give a definition of the word “vision” as used in verse 1.
2. How much do we know about Obadiah as a man?
3. Locate Edom on a map and show the relationship with the Jews.
4. In what did Edom trust for security? Note verses 4-9. List them.
5. Can you enumerate the sins of Edom mentioned in verses 10-14?
6. List the expressions used by Obadiah showing the extent of Edom’s punishment.
7. Who were some allies in whom the Edomites trusted in their day?
8. Endeavor to find out the exact end of Edom or when the last Edomites died.
9. What nation made possible the return of Judah from their captivity?
10. Briefly show how God destroyed Edom as a nation.
11. What other books in the Bible mention this destruction of Edom?
12. Make a list of lessons you have learned from studying Obadiah.