Obadiah – Don’t Be a Part of Edom
Jan. 20, 2023 version
This book, shortest in the Old Testament, is exclusively a prophecy against the people of Edom. The land of Edom was an arid place, fully of mountains and cliffs, located just east of the far southeast border of Israel. The people of Edom was descended from Esau, so they were basically brothers to the Israelites, though they did not act that way. When the Israelites under Moses wanted to pass through Edom, Edom would not permit them. David conquered Edom in 2 Samuel 8:14. Israel and Edom also fought in 1 Samuel 14:47-48; 2 Samuel 8:13-14, 1 Kings 11:14-22; and 2 Chronicles 20:22; 21:8-11. When the Babylonians captured Jerusalem, the Edomites rejoiced as they gathered spoil and kill some of the Israelite survivors in Obadiah 10-14. Then they occupied many Judean villages.
On a deeper level, this book is against any group, including an organization, political party, people, or nation, that sets itself up to oppose God. Just as a person following God would not want to fall under judgment by leaving the promised land to live in Edom, believers today should not be a part of any group that is set up against Jesus. There are many groups, such as your local recreational center, that do not have any stance, for or against Jesus, at all. Other groups are “embattled”, in that some are against God and others are not. Those groups are fine to be a part of. But if a group’s official stance is anti-God, or anti- what God has clearly taught, why would you want to support that group? Even if they do some good things, or stand for some good things also, if they are officially opposed to Jesus and His teachings, it is highly likely God does not want you to be a part of something in opposition to Him. God will give groups like Edom what is coming to them. Do you really want to be a part of that?
1. On the surface, one might think it is only a prophecy of the destruction of Edom.
2. On a deeper level, it is a warning to all about pride and rejoicing in the downfall of godly people.
3. On a still deeper level, one can explore the concept of the corporate sins of a people, how it is passed on through the culture and preserved history, and how God punishes it.
Many Pre-Nicene writers refer to the “Twelve” and the twelve minor prophets include Obadiah. But none refer to Obadiah per se.
Outline: Here is a simple outline.
1-9 Esau’s pride and coming destruction
10-16 Why Esau will be punished
17-21 God’s deliverance of Israel
Obadiah – Don’t Be a Part of Edom
1. In Obad 1, why write an entire book about judgment on the nation of Edom?
2. In Obad 1, who was this Obadiah?
3. In Obad 1, when was Obadiah written?
4. In Obad 1, how would you react if God or circumstances in life placed you under someone else, who was in no way worthier than you of hers or his position?
5. In Obad 1, how was an envoy sent to the nation to go against Edom?
6. Why does Obad 1f-4, 5-6 repeat Jer 49:14-16; 9-10?
7. In Obad 2, why do some want to take what belongs to others, and some want to take everything that belongs to someone else, and what’s the difference?
8. In Obad 3, why would Edom be so proud?
9. What does Obad 5 teach us about punishment?
11. In Obad 9, is it easier to deceive a wise person or a not-so-wise one?
12. In Obad 10, how do people today fail to learn what this is teaching here?
13. In Obad 12-14, what do you think about rejoicing over the disaster or destruction of another?
14. In Obad 20, was this a false prophecy since the Israelites never returned, as Asimov’s Guide to the Bible p.641 suggests?
Obadiah – Don’t Be a Part of Edom – some brief answers
1. In Obad 1, why write an entire book about judgment on the nation of Edom?
A: Here is one possible reason, with eight parts.
1. The Edomites consistently chose to be enemies of God’s people.
2. When the Edomites were hostile towards their Israelite brothers in Numbers 20:14-21, they were given another chance because of their close relationship.
3. When Jerusalem fell, they were active in hunting down Israelites and turning them over to the Babylonians according to verses 11-13 and Amos 1:11-12.
4. Specific sins of Edom are listed as pride (verses 3-4) and violence toward the Israelites.
5. It is true the Edomites were not as bad as the Canaanites, and they were not as harmful to the Israelites as the Assyrians and Babylonians.
6. Nevertheless, they knew about the true God, and with greater opportunities for knowledge comes greater responsibility
7. The Edomites are an example to us not to be proud or rejoice over the destruction of godly people.
8. The Edomites are an example of God’s judging a nation collectively.
See the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.1125 and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1453 for more info.
2. In Obad 1, who was this Obadiah?
A: We do not know anything about Obadiah apart from this book. There were a dozen other people named Obadiah in the Old Testament, and the writer was probably not any of them. Josephus mistakenly thought this was the same Obadiah who hid 100 prophets in 1 Kings 18:3-4. However, the skeptical work Asimov’s Guide to the Bible p.639-641 correctly points out that since Obadiah 1:11 refers to the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem, the Obadiah in 1 Kings 18:3-4 lived almost 300 years earlier. In conclusion, we have no record outside of the Bible of this particular Obadiah. In Jewish literature there have been at least three speculations on who this Obadiah, but they are nothing but speculations.
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.10 p.337 and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.7 p.337 for more info.
3. In Obad 1, when was Obadiah written?
A: We do not know when and where Obadiah was written apart from the book. We do not know which time the Edomites attacking the Jews, but 2 Chronicles 28:17 (around 731-715 B.C.), is one time. Another time is in 2 Kings 8:20-22 and 2 Chronicles 21:16-17 where the Philistines and Arabs attacked Jerusalem. That being said, there are three main theories of when Obadiah was written.
1. Under King Jehoram (848-841 B.C.)
2. Under King Ahaz (731-715 B.C.) Only a few hold to this view.
3. Soon after the fall of Jerusalem, around 585 B.C.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1453,1457 for more info.
4. In Obad 1, how would you react if God or circumstances in life placed you under someone else, who was in no way worthier than you of hers or his position?
A: Some people might not care. If someone gets wealthier or more powerful, it does not necessary harm you. Others might lose ambition and become detached from the situation. Others might be resentful, and irrationally view another’s success as insulting or harmful to them. Sometimes this is the perception of one sibling vs. another, such as Jacob and Esau, and going all the way back to Cain and Abel.
See H.A. Ironside’s The Minor Prophets p.126 for more info.
5. In Obad 1, how was an envoy sent to the nation to go against Edom?
A: This would be a spirit rousing the nations up for battle. In this case, it does not specify whether it was angels of God commanded to do this, or demons that God permitted to do this. But there is a similar situation in Revelation 16:12-14 where three evil spirits that resembled frogs came out of the mouth of the dragon to rouse the kings of the world for battle.
6. Why does Obad 1f-4, 5-6 repeat Jer 49:14-16; 9-10?
A: The answer depends on the dating of Obadiah. If Obadiah was written before Jeremiah, perhaps Jeremiah used these words. On the other hand, if Obadiah was written after Jeremiah, then Obadiah likely used Jeremiah’s words. That would make Obadiah written after 586 B.C., and the Edomite killing of Jews would refer to them cutting down the Jews fleeing after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. Alternately, God could have revealed the exact words to both, and not used their own personalities, or there could have been an earlier common source, except that there is no evidence for this last view.
See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.639, the New International Bible Commentary p.914, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.10 p.340-341 for more info.
7. In Obad 2, why do some want to take what belongs to others, and some want to take everything that belongs to someone else, and what’s the difference?
A: Some steal and rob with no feelings towards their victims. They just want to take what they can, and live to take more later. But here they will take from Edom with feelings; feelings of hatred and revenge. Some people are mean and destroy what they cannot take. This was taking with a vengeance. See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.808 for more info.
8. In Obad 3, why would Edom be so proud?
A: One of the reasons they wanted nothing to do with Israel was their pride. Like an eagle it soared over any concern for their family. The Hebrew word for pride, zedon, comes from the word zid, “to boil up”.
The mighty, rich, and beautiful do not have a monopoly on the sin of pride. The Edomites were proud of their (apparently) impregnable mountain defenses at cliffs of Seir (the later Petra). Having good defenses is not a bad thing, but when you rely on them, and turn away from God that is bad. However, Edom did more than just that. When Jerusalem fell, they raided the defenseless Israelites themselves (Obadiah 10,11). Sometimes people feel that rules of decency and niceness do not apply to them anymore, when they are proud and think they can trust in their own defenses.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1456 and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.7 p.342 and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.808-809 for more info.
9. What does Obad 5 teach us about punishment?
A: There are different degrees of punishment from God. Sometimes, like in Haggai 1, it is merely having less financial prosperity than you would naturally otherwise have. Other times, it might be like thieves who took whatever they wanted. However, this is a third, more severe type, where, as in a locust plague in Joel 1, there will be nothing left. But while the locust plague was severe over a very limited range, this destruction would affect all of Edom. Most prophets appealed to the people they were prophesying about to repent, but Obadiah did not with the Edomites. Their mind was all made up, and then so was God’s. Historically, in Jesus time, there were not any Edomites left. The land had been taken over by Nabataean Arabs, called Idumeans.
They thought that their major city, Sela, was impossible to attack, since it was carved out of a cliff and impossible to attack from the west. The carved building in Petra were not made by the Edomites, but rather by the later Nabataean Arabs. Edom was finally destroyed because they were betrayed by friends. They took in Nabataean Arabs into their capital city in a banquet, and once inside the city the Nabataeans turned on the Edomites. Nabataean inscriptions in Edom show this happened before 312 B.C.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1454, 1456, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.640, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.808 for more info.
A: Edom was known for having wise men. One of them apparently was Eliphaz the Temanite, who is mentioned in Job 2:11. The Bible does not say where Job was from, except that the place names suggest Edom. Job could have been an Edomite too.
11. In Obad 9, is it easier to deceive a wise person or a not-so-wise one?
A: You might think the not-so-wise person, but the correct answer is: it depends. If a person is wise in their own eyes, then they might not have their guard up, especially when someone appeals to their pride. Similarly, someone once remarked that salespeople are the easiest to sell to.
See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.641 for more info.
12. In Obad 10, how do people today fail to learn what this is teaching here?
A: While the golden rule commands us, on good things, to do unto others as we would want them to do unto us, this verse is the flipside. God will have done to you the bad things that you did to others. The Bible teaches “as a man sows he shall reap” (Galatians 6:7f), and Jesus said that those who live by the sword die by the sword in Matthew 26:52. When someone wants to get ahead by stepping on someone else, they should be prepared, sooner or later, for that to come back upon them.
Do the evil things we do always come back to haunt us? Many times they do, even if not in this life in the judgment after death. But praised God that by His grace we can be free of that. Through the blood of Jesus our sins are forgiven and put behind us, and God rescues us from the severe, eternal, hellish consequences of what we did. So if you do something terrible, and then repent as a Christian, are there no consequences at all? – not necessarily. Someone who commits a crime, goes to prison, and then becomes a Christian has their sin forgiven by God, but they are still in prison. Someone who destroys a family, either their own or someone else’s by the unfaithfulness, can be forgiven, but they will still have to live with the regret of the continuing consequences of their past sin. People who suffered the consequences of your sin (not theirs), will still have consequences of your sin. Finally, when Paul came to the Lord all of his past sins were forgiven and Paul could now honestly say “I am innocent of the blood of all men” in Acts 20:26. Yet, given all the suffering Paul had caused Christians as Saul of Tarsus, it seems one of the most prominent “gifts” God gave Paul was to endure much suffering for Christ, as was told to Ananias in Acts 9:15-16. But rather than ask “why me”, Paul obediently and faithfully endured the suffering, not just knowing how much suffering he caused others, but also how much Jesus suffered for him, and all of us.
So apart from God’s grace, everyone, whether a Christian or not, should be ready to get the consequences, sooner or later, of the bad things they have done to others. God’s grace can remove the law of “as a man sows he shall reap”, but often God’s grace instead of removing the consequences transforms the consequences, where even those can be used for His glory, if we will allow that.
13. In Obad 12-14, what do you think about rejoicing over the disaster or destruction of another?
A: The Edomites were condemned here for doing in Judah’s destruction. But on the other hand, there is great rejoicing in Revelation 18:20; 19:1-4.
14. In Obad 20, was this a false prophecy since the Israelites never returned, as Asimov’s Guide to the Bible p.641 suggests?
A: No. The exiles who returned, who were called the Jews, did possess the land. While it is true that the majority of the returned exiles were from Judah, Ezra 2:3-63 and Nehemiah 7:6-63 and Nehemiah 11 shows that people from other tribes returned, too. Since a group from among the Benjamites was selected to live in Jerusalem in Nehemiah 11:7-9, there had to be Benjamites from which to select.
by Steven M. Morrison, PhD.