Obadiah: When Family Becomes an Enemy

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God delivers a powerful message of judgment against Edom in the book of Obadiah, addressing their betrayal of Israel and their destructive pride. This shortest book in the Old Testament reveals how family rivalry turned into national enmity, with God promising justice for the oppressed while establishing His eternal kingdom.

• Obadiah, meaning "servant of Yahweh," delivers God's judgment against Edom
• Edom descended from Esau while Israel descended from Jacob, making them family
• The rivalry between Jacob and Esau began in the womb and continued through generations
• Edom's sin of pride centered on their seemingly impenetrable mountain fortresses
• During Jerusalem's invasion, Edom betrayed Israel by gloating, looting, and blocking escape routes
• God's justice principle: "As you have done, it will be done to you"
• The Edomites were eventually wiped out in AD 70, fulfilling Obadiah's prophecy
• Obadiah ends with hope: "The kingdom will be the LORD's"
• Jesus fulfills Obadiah's prophecy as the true King who humbles the proud and exalts the humble

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Related Episode:

Unveiling Old Testament History: A Virtual Journey Through Time

Sources:

• MacArthur, J. (Ed.). (2006). The MacArthur Study Bible. Thomas Nelson.
• MacArthur, J. (2002). MacArthur’s Quick Reference Guide to the Bible. Harvest House Publishers.
• Mangum, D. (2016). Obadiah the Prophet. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.
• Benware, P. N. (2003). Survey of the Old Testament (Rev. ed.). Moody Publishers

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Note: All scripture references are from the NIV translation unless otherwise indicated.

Episode Transcript

Jacqui (00:12):
Greetings listeners.
Today we're exploring Obadiah,the shortest book in the Old
Testament.
But don't let its size fool you.
This prophecy delivers a boldand powerful message.
At its core, obadiah is God'sjudgment against the nation of

(00:34):
Edom.
But you might be wondering whois Edom and why does God care so
much about them?
Let's explore that together.
God cares so much about them.
Let's explore that together.
Well, welcome everyone.
I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole,and this is the Bible Basics

(00:57):
Podcast, where weekly, we breakdown the basics of the Bible
into understandable, bite-sizedchunks.
Today we're looking at the bookof Obadiah, one chapter 21
verses, one of the shortest butmost intense books in the Bible.
This prophecy is a directmessage from God against Edom, a

(01:20):
nation with a long andcomplicated history with Israel.
But Edom wasn't just anotherenemy.
They were family, descendedfrom Esau, jacob's twin brother.
Edom and Israel had adeep-rooted rivalry that turned
into open hostility.
And when Jerusalem was invaded,Edom did something shocking.

(01:45):
They didn't just stand by.
They took advantage of Israel'ssuffering Because of this

(02:11):
betrayal.
Edom's down.
Ezekiel and the Psalms containwarnings of Edom's judgment.
Clearly, Edom's actions left alasting impact.
But before we unpack why Edomfaced such severe judgment,
let's take a moment to talkabout the man behind this

(02:32):
prophecy, obadiah.
Who was the prophet Obadiah?
Well, unlike some of the otherprophets, we don't know much
about Obadiah himself.
His name means servant ofYahweh or worshiper of God,
which fits his role as amessenger of divine judgment.
There are over a dozen mennamed Obadiah in the Old

(02:52):
Testament, but none of them canbe definitively linked to this
prophet, although the book givesno personal detail.
It's his message, not hisbackground detail.
It's his message, not hisbackground.
That's what takes center stageand in a way that's fitting.
Obadiah's prophecy isn't abouthim.

(03:13):
It's about God's justice, hisfaithfulness to his people and
the ultimate triumph of hiskingdom.
But who was this prophecydirected at?
Of all the nations in theancient world?
Why did Edom receive such astrong judgment from God?

(03:35):
Before we can understand whyGod was so angry with Edom, we
need to understand who they were.
Edom was a nation south ofIsrael made up of the
descendants of Esau, jacob'stwin brother.
Recall that Israel is made upof the descendants of Jacob Okay

(03:59):
, made up of the descendants ofJacob Okay.
This connection is importantbecause Edom and Israel weren't
just neighboring nations, theywere family.
But instead of standing withtheir Israelite relatives.
Edom became one of theirgreatest enemies.
They resented Israel, opposedthem in battle and even

(04:20):
celebrated when Jerusalem wasattacked.
However, god instructed Israelto be kind to the Edomites.
That's in Deuteronomy 23, 7-8.
And that's why Obadiah'sprophecy is so intense.
It's not just about a nation,it's about betrayal.

(04:41):
Edom should have been Israel'sally, but instead they turned
against them.
So to understand Edom's actions, let's go back to the beginning
, to the man who started it allEsau.
Esau and his twin brother Jacobwere the sons of Isaac and

(05:03):
Rebekah.
They were the grandsons ofAbraham.
Even before they were born,there was tension between them.
In Genesis, chapter 25, verse23,.
God told their mother, Rebekahtwo nations are in your womb and
two people from within you willbe separated.

(05:24):
One people will be strongerthan the other, and the older
will serve the younger.
Esau struggled with his brotherJacob then, and they continued
to struggle.
That prophecy shaped theirentire relationship.
Though Esau was technically thefirstborn, god had already

(05:48):
determined that Jacob'sdescendants, who are Israel,
would take priority.
But Esau's own choices madethings even worse.
But Esau's own choices madethings even worse.
First, esau sold his birthright, and we find that in Genesis,

(06:12):
chapter 25, verses 29 through 34.
Esau was known for being anoutdoorsman, a skilled hunter.
One day after hunting, esau wasfamished.
Jacob offered him a bowl of redstew in exchange for his
birthright, and that birthrightis the inheritance and the
spiritual leadership of thefamily.

(06:33):
Esau agreed he traded somethingof lasting value for a fleeting
moment of satisfaction.
He also married those paganCanaanite women.
We see that in Genesis, chapter26, verse 34 to 35.

(06:54):
These marriages went againsthis family's wishes and deeply
grieved his parents.
To cap it off, esau also losthis father, isaac's blessing,
because Jacob, with his motherRebecca's help, tricked Isaac
into giving the blessing toJacob instead.

(07:16):
When Esau realized whathappened, he begged for a
blessing, but it was too late.
Jacob had already received thebest one.
Isaac could only give Esau alesser blessing, telling him
he'd live by the sword and servehis brother, but one day break

(07:37):
free as a result.
But one day break free as aresult.
Esau resented his brother Jacob, and we see that in Genesis,
chapter 27, verse 41.
Though the two brothers latermade peace and we see that in
Genesis 33, 4, esau'sdescendants, the nation of Edom,

(07:57):
remained in conflict withIsrael for centuries.
Now here's where it gets evenmore interesting.
Scholars debate when Obadiah'sprophecy took place.
There are two main views.
Verses 10 through 14 describean invasion of Israel in which

(08:20):
Edom actively participated.
The uncertainty about whichinvasion this was has led to
scholarly debates over thebook's date.
Here are the two views.
First, some believe it waswritten after Babylon's
destruction of Jerusalem in 586BC, aligning it with Jeremiah

(08:43):
and Ezekiel's prophecies.
Others argue for an earlierdate, possibly during King
Jehoram's reign, when Jerusalemfaced attacks from the
Philistines and the Arabians.

That's in 2 Chronicles, 21: 16-17. (08:57):
undefined
Regardless of the exact timing,Obadiah's message remains clear
Edom's betrayal led to itsdownfall.
This brings us back toObadiah's prophecy.
Specifically, what did Edom doto deserve judgment?

(09:20):
Let's take a closer look.
The subject matter of this bookis the coming judgment on Edom
because of their two sins.
First, pride, which we see inverse 3.
And second, injury done toJudah in verse 10.

(09:40):
And second, injury done toJudah in verse 10.
First, that sin of pride Edombelieved they were untouchable.
Edom's fortresses, includingthe famous city of Petra, were
built high in the mountains,making them nearly impossible to
invade.
But God had a message for them.
Quote the pride of your hearthas deceived you, you who live

(10:13):
in the clefts of the rocks,though you soar like the eagle
and make your nest among thestars.
From there I will bring youdown.
That's Obadiah verses three andfour.
They thought their geography,power and wealth could protect
them, but nothing can standagainst God's justice.
The other sin was betrayal.

(10:37):
Edom didn't just dislike Israel,they actively worked against
them.
Obadiah verses 10 through 14describes their crimes in detail
.
Starting with verse 10, quotebecause of the violence against
your brother, jacob, you will becovered with shame.
You will be destroyed forever.

(10:59):
On the day you stand aloofwhile strangers carried off his
wealth and the foreignersentered his gates and cast lots
for Jerusalem, you were like oneof them.
Unquote.
So they stood by whileJerusalem was attacked.
Instead of helping theirrelatives, edom watched as the

(11:22):
enemies invaded the city.
Now let's move on to verse 12.
Quote you should not gloat overyour brother in the day of his
misfortune, nor rejoice over thepeople of Judah in the day of
their destruction, nor boast somuch in the day of their trouble
.
You should not march throughthe gates of my people in the

(11:44):
day of their disaster, nor gloatover them in their calamity in
the day of their disaster, norseize their wealth in the day of
their disaster Unquote.
So they looted the city.
When Israel was weak, Edomgloated and took advantage of

(12:08):
their suffering.
So now we'll move on to verse14.
Quote you should not wait atthe crossroads to cut down their
fugitives, nor hand over theirsurvivors in the day of their
trouble Unquote.
So they cut off the escaperoutes.
As the Israelites fled fortheir lives, edom blocked the
roads and handed them over totheir enemies.

(12:30):
This wasn't just passivebetrayal, it was active
participation in Israel'ssuffering.
And Obadiah's prophecy wasn'tjust about Edom, it was about
all nations who reject God.
Verse 15 declares quote the dayof the Lord is near for all

(12:52):
nations.
As you have done, it will bedone to you.
Unquote.
This is a powerful warning.
God holds nations accountable.
No one gets away with injusticeforever.
Note Edom had an ongoing rolein biblical history, even past

(13:15):
the close of the Old Testament.
Herod the Great, one of Esau'sdescendants, tried to kill Jesus
shortly after he was born.
The Edomites were eventuallywiped out during the conquest
and destruction of Jerusalemthat occurred in AD 70.
Their extinction fulfilledObadiah's longstanding

(13:39):
prophecies that they would bequote cut off forever.
That's verse 10, and that quotecut off forever, that's verse
10.
And that quote no survivorshould remain in the house of
Esau.
Unquote.
That's verse 18.
But Obadiah's prophecy doesn'tend with destruction.
It ends with hope.

(13:59):
While Edom would be brought low, judah would be restored.
Verse 21 gives us a finalglimpse of the future.
Quote deliverers will go up onMount Zion to govern the
mountains of Esau, and thekingdom will be the Lord's.

(14:19):
Unquote.
So God wasn't just judging Edom.
He was declaring that hiskingdom would prevail, no matter
how dark things seemed.
God's justice would triumph.
But this promise wasn't justabout Israel's restoration after
exile.
It pointed to something evengreater, greater.

(14:52):
The ultimate fulfillment ofGod's justice, his kingdom and
his victory is found in Jesus.
Obadiah may be an Old Testamentbook, but its message connects
directly to Jesus.
Let me share three ways.
First, jesus and the finaljudgment.
Obadiah's quote day of the Lordwe see that in verse 15, points

(15:18):
to a future time when allnations will be judged.
Revelation 11, 15 confirmsquote the kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of ourLord and his Christ, and he will
reign forever and ever Unquote.
Second, jesus is the true king.
Obadiah ends with a vision ofGod's kingdom prevailing that's

(15:44):
ultimately fulfilled in Jesus,the king who will reign forever.
And three God lifts up thehumble.
Edom's downfall was their pride,but Jesus taught the opposite
Quote whoever exalts himselfwill be humbled, and whoever

(16:06):
humbles himself will be exalted.
That's Matthew 23, 12.
So let's sum it all up.
Obadiah's message is clear Godhumbles the proud, defends his
people, and his kingdom willlast forever.
This book warns us about thedangers of pride and

(16:27):
indifference to others'suffering.
Edom believed they wereuntouchable, but their
self-reliance led to theirdownfall.
God calls us to humility andfaithfulness, not arrogance and
betrayal.
So the choice is ours.
Will we follow the path ofpride, like Edom, or will we

(16:52):
follow the way of Jesus, walkingin humility and trust?
Thank you so much for joininginto this study of Obadiah.
Don't miss next week's episodeas we go further into the books
of prophecy.
Until then, keep reading, keepseeking and keep growing in your

(17:16):
faith so that we spread God'sword further.
Please share, like, follow,comment and subscribe.