Obadiah

Obadiah is not only one of the shortest books of the Bible, but it’s also one of the most mysterious. Not much is given to help us understand the fuller context of this prophetic book, and yet so much impact can be had from what we do know. We know this prophecy is focused on the Edomites (the descendants of Jacob’s brother, Esau), although the specifics of the particular event which caused this prophecy is disputed. Regardless, what we read in Obadiah can be understood generally as a hope and warning and because of that, there is much we can draw from for our own context, even if the context of this prophecy is disputed. Obadiah is a common name, meaning servant of Yahweh, but not much is known about this specific prophet other than the great hope he reveals: That the day of the Lord is coming – and that is both a hope and a warning.