Obadiah

Book Reviews aim to provide succinct, thoughtful summaries of books I have read. Each review contains quotes from the book, thoughts from others, and also some thoughts of my own. Typically they will be structured in the following order: author, introduction, message and purpose, remarkable chapter, and conclusion. This review will cover Obadiah, a book written over 2,500 years ago and one that is part of a larger collection of books called The Bible.

Obadiah

Author

Obadiah

Introduction

Many Prophetic Books contain prophecies against several nations, but the book of Obadiah focuses exclusively on the nation of Edom. Obadiah's short message centers on the approaching Day of the Lord and the promise that Israel will possess the land of Edom. It is the shortest book of the Old Testament.

Message and Purpose

The message and purpose of Obadiah can be broken into three segments:

Judgment on Edom's arrogant presumption. Yahweh's judgment was predicted for Edom because of her arrogance in trusting geographical security, diplomatic treaties, and the counsel of her famed wise men instead of the true God of Israel.

The Day of the Lord. Obadiah spoke of the nearness of the Day of the Lord, focusing on the darkness and gloom of Yahweh's wrath. He emphasized the dual nature of Yahweh's retributive judgment on Edom while also focusing on bringing salvation and restoration for the nation of Israel.

Israel's repossession of the land. The Hebrew word meaning "possess by dispossessing" is used five times: four times of Israel dispossessing the inhabitants of the promised land and once describing those enemies who had dispossessed them.

Remarkable Chapter

The book of Obadiah is only one chapter, with a whopping total of twenty-one verses. Perhaps my favorite is verse twenty-one, which brings to a resounding conclusion the good news of what is to come:

"Saviors will ascend Mount Zion to rule over the hill country of Esau, but the kingdom will be the Lord's."

The land of Edom will be given to the Israelites living in the Negev or the southern section of the land. God's people, who were once exiles, will once again possess the land that they had taken originally from the Canaanites. "Saviors" (or "deliverers") will rule the hill country of Esau and the Lord will rule over the entire kingdom.

Conclusion

Like the book of Revelation, which proclaims the downfall of the persecuting Roman Empire, the book of Obadiah sustains faith in God's moral government and hope in the eventual triumph of His just will. It brings a pastoral message to aching hearts that God is on His throne and He cares for His own.