Through the Bible in 66 Days - Obadiah

 

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. The name Obadiah means "servant or worshiper of the Lord," and was the name of thirteen men in the Old Testament.

Edom was a nation whose ancestry traced back to Esau, the twin brother of Jacob (sons of Isaac and grandsons of Abraham). They should have been friendly nations, but over time, they became sworn enemies. The Edomites were a thorn in Israel's side, even though they enjoyed special protection under the Law. Herod the Great, who lived in New Testament times, was an Idumaean (a descendant of the Edomites). After Jerusalem's fall in a.d 70, the Edomites vanished from history. Some, however, suggest that there will be a future resurgence of the Edomites.

This one-chapter book records Edom's antagonism toward its neighbour, Judah. Edom not only disliked Israel, but their hatred ran so deep that they were thrilled to see them in trouble. Instead of helping them, they stood and watched as their capital city, Jerusalem, was ransacked and destroyed by the invading enemy.

 

Key Lessons from the Prophecy of Obadiah

1. God Judges Pride

Obadiah exposes Edom's arrogance—its trust in its strength, position, and alliances. Pride is the root of their downfall.

Pride is a universal human problem; to enjoy the blessings of the gospel, every human being has to humble themselves before God.

New Testament Verses

• "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)

• "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled." (Luke 14:11)

2. Violence Against God's People Brings Judgment

Edom rejoiced over Judah's suffering and took advantage of their weakness.

Gospel truth: To oppose God's people is to oppose Christ Himself.

New Testament Verses

• Jesus to Saul: "Why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4)

• "If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you." (John 15:18)

3. The Day of the Lord will one day come upon the whole world

This is not the place to explain the concept of the Day of the Lord. Simply put, it is used in the Bible to describe a period of time when God (the Lord) will judge the world for its rebellion against Him. Obadiah highlights the fact that this judgment is not only for Edom but for all nations.

Gospel truth: The Day of the Lord points forward to Christ's return and final judgment.

New Testament Verse

• "He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed." (Acts 17:31)

4. Sin always comes back to bite the sinner (the principle of reaping what you sow - Gal 6:7,8)

"As you have done, it shall be done to you" is Obadiah's moral principle.

Gospel truth: Sin has consequences—but Christ bears the consequences for all who trust Him.

New Testament Verses

• "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:23)

• "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us." (Galatians 3:13)
• "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." (Galatians 6:7,8)

5. Deliverance Comes to Mount Zion

Obadiah promises that on Mount Zion there will be deliverance and holiness.

Zion is a literal location to which the Lord Jesus will return one day. He will deliver His people, Israel, and bring back to earth with Him, His heavenly people, the church.

Bible Verses

• "Behold, a day is coming for the LORD (the day of the Lord), when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him." (Zechariah 14:1-5).
• "and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed." (2 Thess 1:7-10).

The simple lessons of this book are:

1. Sin makes people horrible, and they do horrible things.
2. You will never get away with sin; it will always catch up with you.
3. God has fixed a date when He will hold everyone accountable for how they have lived, what they believed and how they responded to His offer of salvation.
4. Jesus will return to earth one day and rescue the nation of Israel (who will by that time have been submitted to the worst forms of antisemitic hatred)
5. Salvation is presently available, but there are two reasons you might not benefit from it:
1. You die without accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour.
2. The Lord Jesus returns (as predicted in John 14 and 1 Thess 4) and empties the world of Christians. This is often called the rapture of the church.  

You have some thinking to do and some big decisions to make. If I can help, please get in touch.

All photos courtesy of Unsplash