Obadiah Bible Study

Preston Reedy
Dec 3, 2024
7 min read

Obadiah-Blog Bible Study

Thank you for joining me for a bible study today. Go ahead and grab your Bible. We will be looking at one of the minor prophets in the Old Testament Obadiah. In the Old Testament their are books classified as Major prophets and minor prophets. Not minor in significance or importance, but title minor because their books are shorter.

There are 13 “Obadiahs” in the Old Testament, and one of these may be the Obadiah who wrote this book.

An Obadiah was an officer in King Ahab of Israel’s court and hid God’s prophets in a cave (1 Kings 18:3).
An Obadiah was sent out by King Jehoshaphat of Judah to teach the law in the cities of Judah (2 Chronicles 17:7).
An Obadiah was one of the overseers who helped repair the temple in the days of Josiah, King of Judah (2 Chronicles 34:12).
An Obadiah was a priest in the days of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:5).

1 The vision of Obadiah.

Edom Will Be Humbled

Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!” 2 Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised.

3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock,[b] in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” 4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord.

5 If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night—how you have been destroyed!—would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings?

6 How Esau has been pillaged, his treasures sought out! 7 All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread[c] have set a trap beneath you— you have[d] no understanding.

8 Will I not on that day, declares the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of Mount Esau? 9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.

Edom's Violence Against Jacob

10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. 11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.

12 But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin;do not boast in the day of distress. 13 Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity; do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity. 14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress.

The Day of the Lord Is Near

15 For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been.17 But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.

18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken.

The Kingdom of the Lord

19 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb. 21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. (ESV)

Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom: Obadiah’s prophecy is unique because he doesn’t deal with Judah or Israel much at all. His focus is on the sin of Edom and the judgment coming upon them. Who were the Edomites?

The Edomites are the people descended from Esau, the son of Isaac and Rebekah and the brother of Jacob (Genesis 25:19-34). Esau was nicknamed “Edom” (which means, “red”) probably because he had red hair.
When Israel came out of Egypt and wanted to pass through the land of the Edomites to enter into the Promised Land, the Edomites wouldn’t let them (Numbers 20:14-21).
The Edomites opposed Saul and were conquered under David and Solomon (1 Samuel 14:47, 2 Samuel 8:14,- 14 He placed army garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s subjects. In fact, the Lord made David victorious wherever he went. (NLT) 1 Kings 9:26-26 King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, a port near Elath[a] in the land of Edom, along the shore of the Red Sea (NLT)).
In the days of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, Edom joined with Moab and Ammon to attack Judah, but the Lord fought for Judah and defeated them (2 Chronicles 20:1-27,
They fought side by side with the Jews in the rebellion against Rome in A.D. 66-70 and were crushed by Rome, never to be heard of as a people again. The predictions of Obadiah 1:10 and 1:18 were proven true.

10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.

V3 You who dwell in the clefts of the rock: The Edomites didn’t have all that much to be proud about. They were a small, relatively poor and insignificant nation. Yet what they could be proud about, they were - they lived in an area of great natural fortifications and strength, so they boasted in the clefts of the rock around them.

V4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle,: And boast they did! Pride is so ingrained in fallen human nature that even if we don’t have much to be proud about, we’ll find something to exalt our self. This also reminds us that we don’t have to be rich or powerful or great to be filled will pride. Sometimes those who have the least reason for pride have the most of it.

The sobering truth about our pride is that God can bring us down anytime. He can shatter our proud deception and bring us low.

The Edomites were proud of their great natural defenses, but God would break their pride and bring them low.

When God brings judgment against Edom, they will know the sting of treachery against them. The alliances they once trusted in would come to nothing, and they would be double-crossed by their former friends.

The Edomites were proud of their political alliances, but God would break their pride and bring them low.

V8 Destroy the wise men from Edom, and understanding from the mountains of Esau: The Edomites were renowned for their great wisdom, but God would bring such great judgment that even their wise men would be destroyed.

The Edomites were proud of their reputation for wisdom, but God would break their pride and bring them low.

17-21- Obadiahs’s words were for God’s people who were suffering then, but they apply to all people who suffer. While we may have troubles now, God will preserve his people and bless them in the future. Though life may be rough now, God’s promises offer us hope for our future restoration.

21 Those who have been rescued will go up to[h] Mount Zion in Jerusalem to rule over the mountains of Edom. And the Lord himself will be king!”

This note of encouragement may be the central purpose for this prophecy of Obadiah. We wonder if it ever had much of a reading in the streets or palaces of Edom; but it certainly was received as welcome encouragement among the suffering people of God. Obadiah tells all God’s people: “Don’t worry about those who ignore your need, those who rejoice at your problems, those who take advantage of your crises, those who join their hands with others in attacking you. I will take care of them.”

What a joy to know that God the creator of the universe is there for all who believe through the His grace found in Jesus.

There is much more to unpack and study. I encourage you to do so on your own. Check out Pastor Gary Hammrick for Cornerstone Chapel a verse by verse preacher. https://cornerstonechapel.net/teaching/20120822/

Thank you for joining me for a short Bible study.

Sources:

Verses provided from Biblegateway.com ESV & NLT

NLT Study Bible, 2011 Crossway Publishers

Blueletterbible.org

thegospelcoalition.org