Obadiah - Introduction
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Introduction
Author
NOTHING IS KNOWN ABOUT OBADIAH. His common Hebrew name means “servant of the Lord.”
Historical Background
Scholars are uncertain when Obadiah was written. The most likely option is that it was penned shortly after the final destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Verses 10-14 mention Edom’s participation in the downfall and plundering of Jerusalem (see also Ezek 35:15).
Message and Purpose
Obadiah, the shortest book in the Old Testament, is a prophetic condemnation of Edom for its treatment of the people of Judah. Theirs was a conflict dating back to the twins in Rebekah’s womb, who were their patriarchs. The Edomites were descendants of her elder son Esau, and the people of Judah were the descendants of Jacob.
Just as there was conflict in the womb between Jacob and Esau (see Gen 25:21-26), there was conflict between their peoples. The Edomites had closed their borders and their hearts to the people of Israel on their way to the promised land. They also reveled in the judgment and destruction of Judah years later by the Babylonians, picking off some stragglers and returning others to their captors. They even looted Jerusalem after its fall.
God’s judgment against Edom, therefore, was harsh: the nation would be destroyed with no possibility of recovery. It tells us God is opposed to piling additional troubles on those who are suffering, even if they are being disciplined by him. Obadiah, in fact, teaches the vital lesson that God’s treatment of us is based in part on the way we treat others in his kingdom family.