Where it fits

Obadiah is the 31st book of the Bible and the shortest in the Old Testament, with one chapter of 21 verses. Nothing is known about the prophet except his name, which means “servant of the LORD.” The most likely setting is the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon in 586 BC, when Edom took advantage of Judah's disaster, although some scholars place it earlier, in an attack on Jerusalem in the 800s BC. Read straight through, it takes about three minutes.

The prophet and his message

To understand Obadiah, start with Genesis. Edom's people were descendants of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob, whose descendants became Israel. The two brothers fought before they were born, and Jacob took Esau's birthright and blessing (Genesis 25–27), but they later reconciled (Genesis 33). The two nations remained relatives, and the Law told Israel not to despise an Edomite, because he is a brother (Deuteronomy 23:7). Yet Edom refused to let Israel pass through its land on the way to Canaan (Numbers 20:14–21), and tension continued for centuries.

Edom lived in rugged, rocky highlands southeast of the Dead Sea, with strongholds carved into cliffs, and felt safe. Obadiah says that this security is false: the pride of Edom's heart has deceived it, as it lives in the clefts of the rock (vv. 3–4). The center of the book is Edom's betrayal when Jerusalem fell. Edom stood aside while foreigners carried off Judah's wealth, gloated over its brother's misfortune, looted the city, cut off its refugees, and handed them over (vv. 10–14). That is why Obadiah's judgment is so sharp. The day of the LORD is near for all nations, and as Edom has done, it will be done to Edom (v. 15). The book ends with hope for Israel: they will possess their land, and the kingdom will be the LORD's (v. 21).

Three ideas to hold on to

1. Pride is a poor defense. Edom trusted its mountain fortresses and its allies (vv. 3–4, 7), but they did not save it.
2. Don't gloat over another's disaster. Obadiah lists Edom's sins as standing aside, gloating, looting, and betraying (vv. 11–14). Proverbs 24:17 warns against the same instinct.
3. God's justice and God's kingdom will prevail. Obadiah's last word is that the kingdom belongs to the LORD (v. 21).

Passages people ask about

• Obadiah 1–4. A warning against pride and false security.
• Obadiah 10–14. The charge: what Edom did on the day Jerusalem fell, with a list of “do not” commands about gloating, looting, and cutting off survivors.
• Obadiah 15–16. The day of the LORD, and the principle that what you do will be done to you.
• Obadiah 17–21. Restoration, deliverers on Mount Zion, and the kingdom of the LORD.

How it points to Jesus

Obadiah ends with the promise that the kingdom will be the LORD's (v. 21), and Jesus came announcing that this kingdom was at hand (Mark 1:15). The deliverers who go up to Mount Zion (v. 21) are a hint of the deliverer to come. There is also an irony in the New Testament: Herod the Great, the king who tried to kill the infant Jesus (Matthew 2), came from an Idumean family, the later name for Edom's people. The old conflict between Jacob and Esau meets again in the story of Jesus' birth.

A common misunderstanding

Obadiah can seem to be only about an old grudge, or to show a God who simply hates a nation. The prophecy is aimed at a particular betrayal: family members who stood by, and then joined in, when their brother was suffering. The Bible elsewhere calls God's people to leave vengeance to him (Romans 12:19) and to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44), and Obadiah's own concern is that justice would be done by God, not by Israel. The picture of a brother kicking someone when they are down, and God's response, is one that many people recognize.