Obadiah 1:1-21 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today we’re doing a one day look at the book of Obadiah, one of the shortest books in the Bible and the shortest book in the Old Testament. Here is some background on the book of Obadiah that you may find helpful:
- Very little is known about the author of this book, except that his name is Obadiah which means “worshiper of Yahweh”. Several individuals in the Old Testament were called Obadiah, although it is not clear which Obadiah wrote this book.
- The purpose of the book of Obadiah is to give a prophetic message and warning for the nation of Edom. The Edomites were perennial enemies of the Israelites. They were direct descendants of Esau, while the Israelites were direct descendants of Esau’s younger twin brother Jacob (later known as Israel). Despite Esau being the first born, God blessed and tasked Jacob and his descendants, the Israelites, with the special calling of being His chosen people. The conflict between Esau and Jacob would carry on for centuries between the Edomites and the Israelites.
- It is uncertain when Obadiah was written, although some scholars believe that it was written during the reign of King Jehoram of Judah in approximately 850 B.C.
- The book of Obadiah contains themes that are consistent with the rest of the prophecy books of the Old Testament, such as the justice of God, how pride goes before a fall, and how God is committed to protecting His people.
Today’s passage is Obadiah 1:1-21. Let’s go!
Obadiah 1:1-4 (NIV)
1 The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Sovereign LORD says about Edom– We have heard a message from the LORD: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, “Rise, and let us go against her for battle”–
2 “See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised.
3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
4 Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.
On verses 1-4: “The pride of your heart has deceived you” (v3). One of the big messages of the book of Obadiah is that Edom’s pride would result in her downfall. Here we see the first reason why pride goes before a fall. First, pride causes deception. When I am prideful, I have a distorted perception of myself, of others, and of God. I will tend to overestimate myself and underestimate others and God.
Obadiah 1:5-7 (NIV)
5 “If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night– Oh, what a disaster awaits you– would they not steal only as much as they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes?
6 But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged!
7 All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it.
On verses 5-7: Here is the second reason pride goes before a fall: pride produces blind spots. As Obadiah writes in verse 7, traps will be set for Edom, “but you will not detect it” (v7). When I am prideful, I become blind to my own weaknesses and shortcomings, which the enemy can then exploit.
Obadiah 1:8 (NIV)
8 “In that day,” declares the LORD, “will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, men of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
On verse 8: A third reason pride goes before a fall: pride is the enemy of wisdom. Pride and wisdom make awful roommates. Rather, pride and foolishness go hand in hand. Wisdom cannot live in any area in my life where pride has taken residence.
Obadiah 1: 9 (NIV)
9 Your warriors, O Teman, will be terrified, and everyone in Esau’s mountains will be cut down in the slaughter.
On verse 9: A fourth reason pride goes before a fall: God opposes the proud. No matter how strong, smart, experienced or well equipped we think we are, when we are prideful, God will oppose us. As 1 Peter 5:5 says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Obadiah 1:10-12 (NIV)
10 Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever.
11 On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.
12 You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble.
On verses 10-12: Notice that twice God, when talking to Edom, refers to Jacob (i.e. Israel) not as Edom’s enemy but as Edom’s brother. God tells Edom not to look down on his brother Jacob or rejoice in his destruction (v12).
What can we learn from this? God watches the way we treat our brothers and sisters. That goes for both our natural family as well as our spiritual family. God will also hold you accountable for the way we treat those we consider to be our enemies.
Obadiah 1:13-14 (NIV)
13 You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor look down on them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster.
14 You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble.
On verses 13-14: Notice that the phrase “the day of their trouble” and “the day of their disaster” keep getting repeated in verses 12 through 14. God watches what we do when others are in trouble. Do we take advantage of them, ignore them, or do something to help them?
Obadiah 1:15-21 (NIV)
15 “The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.
16 Just as you drank on my holy hill, so all the nations will drink continually; they will drink and drink and be as if they had never been.
17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance.
18 The house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame; the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will set it on fire and consume it. There will be no survivors from the house of Esau.” The LORD has spoken.
19 People from the Negev will occupy the mountains of Esau, and people from the foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead.
20 This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan will possess [the land] as far as Zarephath; the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the towns of the Negev.
21 Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the LORD’s.
On verses 15-21: Edom would be brought down while Israel would rise up and take over the land of Edom (v19, 21). This is similar to what Amos prophesied in Amos 9:12. After centuries of conflict between Edom and Israel, Israel would gain the upper hand over Edom. King Amaziah of Judah would conquer Edom (2 Kings 14:7) in approximately 600 B.C. By approximately 120 B.C. John Hyrcanus would conquer the Edomites and force the Edomites to become Jews, at least outwardly. The Edomites would join the Jews in rebelling against the Roman Empire in 70 A.D., but would be defeated soundly and soon after fade out of history, whereas Israel has continued to this day. Despite all of Edom’s power and strength in the past, the nation of Edom would fall, never to rise again, just as Obadiah prophesied. In fact, according to Walter Baker of the Bible Knowledge Commentary, “Judgment against Edom is mentioned in more Old Testament books than any other foreign nation.”
What can we learn from this? What God says is true and can be counted on to come to pass, regardless of how the current circumstances may look.
Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me why pride is so dangerous and why pride goes before a fall. I pray that pride would have no part of me, that all of my ways would be characterized by humility and wisdom from You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
