5 Powerful Lessons from the Little Book of Obadiah

Obadiah doesn’t tell us anything about himself, and Bible scholars don’t agree on when the message was given. The only clue Obadiah gives is that at that time, Israel was suffering greatly at the hands of its enemies. God’s judgment comes against Edom because instead of helping their brother, they participated in the offenses against God’s people.

Genesis 25-27 lays the foundation for the strife between these two nations. Twin brothers were born to Isaac and Rebekah, but while they were still in her womb, God told Rebekah that the older brother (Esau) would serve the younger one (Jacob). As the boys grew up, their parents unwisely played favorites. Esau became his father’s pride and joy, and Jacob found favor in his mother’s tents – a childhood experience that undoubtedly resulted in jealousy and competition. 

As a young man, Esau despised his birthright as the firstborn son and sold it to his brother for a bowl of porridge. Even more surprising, Rebekah did not trust God to accomplish His purposes, choosing to interfere by deceiving her husband and scheming so that Jacob also received the blessing of the firstborn son. This event was the last straw for Esau. He threatened to kill his brother as soon as their father died, so Jacob left his home. It would be years before he saw Esau again (Genesis 33).

With the passing of time, Esau’s anger abated, and Jacob grew in humility. They reconciled personally, but the strife between them would filter down through the generations as the nations of Edom and Israel emerged. Despite the fact they were blood relatives, a deep-seated enmity for Israel lay in the hearts of the people of Edom.

God speaks to the nation of Edom through his prophet, Obadiah, to warn them of their impending judgment. Instead of showing compassion at Israel’s calamities, they showed cruelty. They touched the apple of God’s eye, His chosen people, and they would suffer greatly for it.

While Obadiah’s words are written to a specific people at a specific time in history, it is filled with wisdom for us. Here are five lessons that have relevant application as we read Obadiah in context with the rest of God’s inspired Word.

Photo credit: Pixabay/Free Photos

1. God Has the Right and Authority to Choose Whomever He Wills, for Whatever Purpose He Wills

Obadiah 1:1-2,18 – “The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom – We have heard a report from the Lord, and an envoy has been sent among the nations saying, ‘Arise and let us go against her for battle – behold, I will make you small among the nations; you are greatly despised.’ … ‘Then the house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame; but the house of Esau will be as stubble. They will set them on fire and consume them, so that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau,’ for the Lord has spoken.”

It was God’s sovereign choice to bring about a nation through Jacob; his descendant would be Jesus, the promised Messiah. At the heart of it, Edom’s issues of jealousy and hatred toward Israel were rooted in their unwillingness to accept that choice. Obadiah condemns Edom for their arrogance. One can only surmise that a bitter spirit of jealousy toward Israel was passed down, father to son, mother to daughter. We don’t know how the bitterness grew, but we can clearly see the results.

The reality is, God has the right to choose. Paul used Esau and Jacob to illustrate this truth as he cautioned the Gentile believers in Rome to avoid a prideful attitude towards the unbelieving Jews (Romans 9). It is only by God’s mercy that He chooses any of us, and God can never be accused of injustice. He is the potter; we are simply the clay in His hands. We are foolish to think we can give advice to the Creator or criticize His decisions.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/masterzphotois

Obadiah 1:3 – “The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in the loftiness of your dwelling place, who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to earth?’”

The Hebrew word translated as deceived [nāšā'] means to beguile, to lead astray, to mentally delude or morally seduce. Proverbs 16:18 warns that “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” God hates pride (Proverbs 8:13). It is the original sin that caused Lucifer to fall from serving in the presence of God (Isaiah 14:12-14; Luke 10:18) and is at the root of unregenerate man’s refusal to worship God.

Edom made a critical mistake. They challenged God to a power struggle. Pride deceived their hearts just as it will always deceive us. How much better would it have been for Edom to lay down their pride and humbly accept God’s choice of Israel. Instead of judgment, they would have benefitted from the blessings of God as supporters of His people, just as God promised Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3.

3. God’s Righteous Judgment Will Always Overcome Any Reliance on Physical Strength or Mental Craftiness

Obadiah 1:4-9 – “’If thieves came to you, if robbers by night — O how you will be ruined! – Would they not steal only until they had enough? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? O how Esau will be ransacked, and his hidden treasures searched out! All the men allied with you will send you forth to the border and the men at peace with you will deceive you and overpower you. They who eat your bread will set an ambush for you.’ (There is no understanding in him.) ‘Will I not on that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘destroy wise men from Edom and understanding from the mountain of Esau? Then your mighty men will be dismayed, O Teman, so that everyone may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.’”

Edom mistakenly thought they had the upper hand in battle by their strategic location. Likely they had enjoyed victory over other armies, but they forgot that God was not like any other enemy they had faced. God reminds them that His judgment will be complete and that no human wisdom will be able to rescue them. In fact, Obadiah warns that God plans to use Edom’s allies to carry out His sovereign judgment. 

We are foolish to try to outsmart God, and when we attempt it, we expose our wrong perspective and understanding of who God is. God speaks through the psalmist to remind us that His silence when we sin is not a sign of weakness or inability: “These things you have done and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes. Now consider this you who forget God, or I will tear in you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver” (Psalm 50:21-22).

Aren’t we grateful for God’s mercy and patience which gives us time for repentance (Romans 2:4)? Unfortunately, Edom would not rely on God’s mercy, but would go headlong into destruction; their strategies and prideful schemes would fail.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Daniel Jensen

Obadiah 1:10-11 – “Because of violence to your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame, and you will be cut off forever. On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem – you too were as one of them.”

Zechariah revealed God’s love and possessiveness for the children of Israel when he called them “the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8). God promised Abraham that those who blessed him would be blessed, and that those who cursed him would be cursed. God set His favor on the nation of Israel; they are the chosen people still and will one day recognize their Messiah (Romans 11:25-29). Just as God chose the individual Jacob, He has likewise chosen the nation of Israel, and all who come against her will suffer the wrath of God.

God’s care for His people has dual implications for New Testament believers. First, we are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, support the nation of Israel, and work for the salvation of the Jews. Second, as Gentile “children of the promise” who have been grafted into God’s family (Romans 4:16; 11:17-19). We also are under the protective care of our Heavenly Father. We are secure in Christ; no one is able to snatch us out of His hand (John 10:28-29). He protects His spiritual children, just as He does for the nation of Israel.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Aaron Amat

5. God Holds Us Accountable When We Gloat over Our Enemies

Obadiah 1:12-16 – “Do not gloat over your brother’s day, the day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah in the day of their destruction; yes, do not boast in the day of their distress. Do not enter the gates of My people in the day of their disaster. Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity in the day of their disaster. And do not loot their wealth in the day of their disaster. Do not stand at the fork of the road to cut down their fugitives; and do not imprison their survivors in the day of their distress. For the day of the Lord draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head. Because just as you drank on My holy mountain all the nations will drink continually. They will drink and swallow and become as if they had never existed.”

Edom failed to heed the wisdom provided by the writer of Proverbs 24:17-18: “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; or the Lord will see it and be displeased, and turn His anger away from him.” As a result, God turned their desire to see Israel suffer back on their own head.

God declares that vengeance belongs to Him (Deuteronomy 32:35), and this principle is repeated in the New Testament. Paul tells us to leave room for the wrath of God, and choose to live at peace with others, as far as it depends on us. Instead of wrath, we are to give our enemies what they need (Romans 12:18-20). Jesus Himself taught us to treat others as we would like to be treated (Luke 6:31), to pray for and love our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

The motivation to obey God’s commands and leave vengeance in His hands is strengthened by the knowledge that we will receive back what we give to others. If we fail to forgive, God will not forgive us (Matthew 6:14-15). If we show no mercy to others, our judgment will be merciless (James 2:13). If we are generous in giving, we will receive a blessing, as by our standard of measure it will be measured to us in return (Luke 6:38). Paul says it most clearly: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

Obadiah’s little book warns us against pride, revenge, and bitterness, and reminds us that we serve a powerful, sovereign God who loves and protects His children. May we be wise hearers and live accordingly.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Zinkevych