The Book of Obadiah, Background
Obadiah’s prophecy – the shortest
book of the Old Testament - is captured in only 21 verses, but richly
compressed with God’s just anger toward the people of Edom. Obadiah is a
contemporary with Jeremiah and these two share the burden of delivering
Jehovah’s vision to the people of Israel and to all nations as well. The point
is God’s wrath against those who curse God’s people, Israel. God will judge all
those nations who are not only against Israel, but those who are against Him as
well.
Title
The book is named after the prophet
who received the vision (1:1). Obadiah
means “servant of the Lord” and occurs 20 times in the Old Testament, referring
to many other OT individuals. Obadiah is
the shortest book in the OT and is not quoted in the New Testament.
Author and Date
Nothing is
known for certain about the author.
Other Old Testament references to men of his name do not appear to be
referring to this prophet. His frequent
mentions of Jerusalem, Judah, and Zion suggest that he belonged to the southern
kingdom (cf. verses 10-12, 17, 21).
Obadiah was probably a contemporary of Elijah and Elisha.
The date of
writing is equally difficult to determine, though we know it is tied to the
Edomite assault on Jerusalem described in verses 10-14. Obadiah apparently wrote shortly after the
attack. There were significant invasions
of Jerusalem in Old Testament history: 1) by Shishak, king of Egypt, circa 925
B.C. during the reign of Rehoboam (1
Kings 14:25,26; 2 Chronicles 12); 2) by the Philistines and Arabians between
848-841 B.C. during the reign of Jehoram of Judah (2 Chronicles 21:8-20); 3) by
Johash, king of Israel, circa 790 B.C. (2 Kings 14; 2 Chronicles 25); and 4) by
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Of these 4, only the second and the fourth
are possible fits with historical data.
Number two is preferable, since Obadiah’s description does not indicate
the total destruction of the city, which took place under Nebuchadnezzar’s
attack. Also, although the Edomites were
involved in Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of Jerusalem (Psalm 137; Lamentations
4:21), it is significant that Obadiah does not mention the Babylonians by name
(as with all the other prophets who wrote about Jerusalem’s fall), nor is there
any reference to the destruction of the temple or the deportation of the
people; in fact, the captives appear to have been taken to the South West, not
East of Babylon (see verse 20).
Background and
Setting
The
Edomites trace their origin to Esau, the firstborn (twin) son of Isaac and
Rebekah Esau’s name means
“hairy,” because he was “all over like a hairy garment” (Genesis 25:25). He is also called Edom, meaning “red,” owing
to the sale of his birthright in exchange for some red stew (Genesis 25:30). He showed a disregard for the covenant
promises by marrying two Canaanite women (Genesis 26:34) and later the daughter
of Ishmael (Genesis 28:9). He loved the
out-of-doors and, after having his father’s blessing stolen from him by Jacob,
was destined to remain a man of open spaces (Genesis 25:27; 27:38-40). Esau settled into a region of mostly rugged
mountains South of the Dead Sea (Genesis 33:16; 36:8,9; Deuteronomy 2:4-5)
called Edom (Greek, “Idumea”), the 40-mile wide area that stretches
approximately 100 miles South of the Gulf of Aqabah. The famed King’s Highway, an essential
caravan route linking North Africa and Europe and Asia, passes along the
eastern plateau (Numbers 20:17). The
struggle and birth of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25) from the ultimate background
to the prophecy of Genesis 25:23, “two nations are in your womb.” Their respective descendants, Israel and
Edom, were perpetual enemies. When
Israel came out from Egypt, Edom denied their brother Jacob passage through
their land, located South of the Dead Sea (Numbers 20:14-21). Nevertheless, Israel was instructed by God to
be kind to Edom (Deuteronomy 23:7,8).
Obadiah, having received a vision from God, was sent to describe their
crimes and to pronounce total destruction upon Edom because of their treatment
of Israel.
(Genesis 25:24-26), who struggled with Jacob even while in the womb (Genesis 25:22).
The Edomites
opposed Saul (circa 1043-1011 B.C.) and were subdued under David (circa
1011-971 B.C.) and Solomon (circa 971-931 B.C.). They fought against Jehoshaphat (circa
873-848 B.C.) and successfully rebelled against Jehoram (circa 853-841
B.C.). They were again conquered by
Judah under Amaziah (circa 797-767 B.C.), but they regained their freedom
during the reign of Ahaz (circa 735-715 B.C.).
Edom was later controlled by Assyria and Babylon; and in the fifth
century B.C> the Edomites were forced by the Nabateans to leave their
territory. They moved to the area of
southern Palestine and became known as Idumeans. Herod the Great, an Idumean, became king of
Judea under Rome in 37 B.C. in a sense,
the enmity between Esau and Jacob was continued in Herod’s attempt to murder
Jesus. The Idumeans participated in the
rebellion of Jerusalem against Rome and were defeated along with the Jews by
Titus in A.D. 70. Ironically, the
Edomites applauded the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (Psalm 137:7) but
died trying to defend it in A.D. After
that time they were never heard of again.
As Obadiah predicted, they would be “cut off forever” (verse 10); and
there would be “no survivor of the house of Esau” (verse 18).
Historical and
Theological Themes
Obadiah is
a case study of the curses/blessings in Genesis 12:1-3, with two interrelated
themes: 1) the judgment of Edom by God for cursing Israel. This was apparently told to Judah, thereby
providing reassurance that the Lord would bring judgment upon Edom for her
pride and for her participation in Judah’s downfall; 2) Judah’s restoration. This would even include the territory of the
Edomites (verses 18-21; Isaiah 11:14).
Obadiah’s blessing for Judah includes the near fulfillment of Edom’s
demise (verses 1-14) and the far fulfillment of the nations’ judgment and
Israel’s final possession of Edom (verses 15-21).
Interpretive
Challenge
The striking similarity between
Obadiah 1-9 and Jeremiah 49:7-22 brings up the question: Who borrowed from
whom? Assuming there was not a third
common source, it appears that Jeremiah borrowed, where appropriate, from
Obadiah, since the shared verses from one unit in Obadiah, while in Jerusalem
they are scattered among other verses.
Outline
I.
God’s Judgment on Edom (1-14)
a.
Edom’s Punishment (1-9)
b.
Edom’s Crimes (10-14)
II.
God’s Judgment on the Nations (15,16)
III.
God’s Restoration of Israel (17-21)
Source:
MacArthur
Study Bible, NASB, Updated Edition. 2006. Nelson Bibles, Thomas
Nelson. La Habra, CA.
