AUTHOR: Obadiah was an obscure prophet who probably lived in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. However, it is assumed that he was not a priest since his father is not mentioned and nothing is given of his background. There are 13 Obadiah’s in the Old Testament. Four of the better prospects for this Obadiah are: (1) the officer in Ahab’s palace that hid God’s prophets in a cave (1 Kings18:3); (2) one of the officials sent out by Jehoshaphat to teach the law in the cities of Judah (2 Ch 17:7); (3) one of the overseers who took part in repairing the temple under Josiah (2 Ch 34:12); or (4) a priest in the time of Nehemiah (Neh. 10:5).
TIMES: 840 BC
KEY VERSE: Ob 10
THEME: Obadiah is a prophecy against Edom, the nation that descended from Esau. Edom included the area south and east of the Dead Sea. Throughout most of Old Testament history, if Edom is mentioned, it is in the context of some kind of skirmish. This friction started when the king of Edom refused to let the Israelites cross his territory as they journeyed towards the promised land in Numbers 20:14-21. When Israel and Judah were taken into exile, Edom stood by and watched. The purpose of Obadiah seems clear. He is out to encourage the Israelites in the context of captivity. God will rescue His people.
Edom Will Be Humbled
V2 I shall [humiliate you and] make you small means God would bring about a reversal of Edom’s inflated self-importance.
V3 Who will bring me down to earth? Edom’s presumed physical safety (some peaks in Edom reached 6000 feet which is more than Jerusalem’s 2,300 feet above sea level) led the Edomites to become haughty; this would be their downfall.
V4 “Though you build [your nest] on high like the eagle,
Though you set your nest among the stars, I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord. Edom’s location caused the nation to have a proud and haughty spirit which they displayed at the time of Judah’s distress. Trusting in their high places and mountainous strongholds, the people of Edom reckoned that no one could bring it to account for its actions.
V6 The Lord says [in the Amplified version] that Esau (Edom) will be ravaged by men with divine approval which means that God will allow it.
V8 The Lord says He will destroy the wise men from Edom (removing all wisdom). It is to be noted that Edom had a reputation for having many wise men among its citizens (Jer. 49:7).
V9 The mighty men of Edom will be dismayed and demoralized, O Teman, so that everyone from the mountain of Esau may be cut off in the slaughter.
(Teman was the son of Eliphaz who was the firstborn of Esau).
Edom Denounced
V10-11 The Lord says because Edom sided with Babylonians when they attacked Judah, they would be cut off forever. Edom was like one of them [collaborating with the enemy].[Numbers 20:18-20; Amos 1:11-12] And the Lord tells Edom not to mock, or rejoice over the misery and ruin of Judah, and to not hand over any of the survivors to the enemy.
The Day of the Lord and the Future
V15 The judgment day of the Lord draws near-This is a technical term used by the prophets to indicate the day of God’s judgment (Am 5:18-20). Here the term refers to the time when God would judge all nations, including Edom, that had participated in Judah’s destruction.
V18 Then the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame [in executing God’s wrath]; But the house of Esau will be like stubble. They [Jacob] shall set them on fire and consume them [the Edomites], so there shall be no survivor of the house of Esau. For the Lord has spoken. [Ezek. 25:12-14] Together these signify a unified Israel. God intends to rejoin the kingdoms of Israel and Judah as one people again.
V19-21 The restoration of Judah from exile, which these verses predict, was a sign to Judah and all nations that the God of Israel was not just a local God. He had not been defeated by the Babylonian god Marduk. The fact that He could allow His people to be carried into captivity in a foreign land and then bring them back to their own land was proof of His power and sovereignty over all the earth. The Judeans who had been taken into captivity would come back as deliverers, and they would reign over the people of Edom. And the kingdom and the kingship shall be the Lord’s.
These were Obadiah’s last words against all human arrogance, pride, and rebellion. Edom had thought itself indestructible, but the Lord humbled that nation and restored the fallen Judah. Many people are tempted to consider themselves beyond the reach of God. But God will bring them low, just as He will lift those who humble themselves before Him. And one great day, He will establish His just rule over all. [Zech. 12:8,9; Mal.1:2-5; Matt. 24:27-30; Luke 1:31-33; Acts 15:14-17]
CONCLUSION
Obadiah encourages the Israelites that God will rescue His people. And God tells what will happen to Edom because of them standing by to watch Judah being destroyed by the Babylonians and shows that their actions will bring upon themselves horrible consequences. And there is a message to all those who are prideful and arrogant. God will bring down the proud and exalt the humble [every time]. This is also stated in 1 Peter 5:6.
Have you ever mocked someone who was experiencing defeat? Have you ever thought that you were in a place where you considered yourself were untouchable?
Have you ever thought that you were invincible and either ignored God or did not acknowledge the sovereignty and power of God? If so, did God bring you down a peg or two? Feel free to comment below, if you feel led to do so.