Obadiah - Introduction

THE BOOK OF OBADIAH
LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION

Remember, Yahweh, to the Edomites' cost, the day of Jerusalem, how they said, Down with it! Rase it to the ground!"
Psalm 137:7

Lord of Justice and Mercy,
Send Your Spirit to guide us on our journey through this life to keep us from the temptation to sin. When we sin, Lord, give us the wisdom to seek Your forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, so we do not fall under Your Divine Judgment. Guide us, Lord, in our study of the Book of Obadiah, Your servant. May His obedience to Your will be an example for us on our journey to salvation. We pray in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

About the Author

The Book of Obadiah is the shortest in the Old Testament, consisting of only 21 verses. His Hebrew name means "Servant of Yahweh," and his book comes between the Book of Amos and the Book of Jonah in the Old Testament books of the Minor Prophets. No information about his family or hometown is given, but he probably lived in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Obadiah's name is not unusual; thirteen men had his name in the Old Testament. However, none can be identified as the prophet many Biblical scholars call "the poet of justice."

The Date of the Book of Obadiah

Biblical scholars have several different theories regarding when the Book of Obadiah was written:

One possibility suggests that it was written circa 850 BC during the reign of Jehoram, King of Judah (2 Chronicles 21:8-10, 16, 17), during a revolt by the Edomites when a Philistine and Arabian invasion threatened Judah.
It could also have been written later when the Edomites joined with the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem led by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in 587-586 BC. Psalm 137:7 records that the Edomites celebrated the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. Biblical scholars who support the later date point out that the prophet appears to quote from the Book of Jeremiah (cf. Obadiah verses 5-6 with Jeremiah 49:9-10, Obadiah verse 8 with Jeremiah 49:7, and Obadiah verse 16 with Jeremiah 49:12.
The third possibility is that the book was written during the reign of King Cyrus of Persia in 539 BC when the covenant people were released from Babylonian exile and returned to their homeland.

The possible dates for Obadiah are around 840 BC or between the conquest of Jerusalem in 587/6 BC and the return from exile in 539 BC.

The History of Edom

Obadiah has one of the most powerful messages of Divine Judgment in the books of the Minor Prophets. The fate of the people of Edom was sealed after being arraigned, indicted, and sentenced in Yahweh's Divine Court of Justice. Yahweh announced that His judgment was to overthrow the pride of Edom and restore the house of Jacob-Israel.

Esau, son of Isaac and twin brother to Jacob (Genesis 25:19-28), established an idol-worshiping nation south of Israel. The land was called Edom, derived from the root dm, "red," referring to the red soil of their land. According to Deuteronomy 2:12, 22, the sons of Esau dispossessed the Horites and took over their land, and Genesis 36:20ff relates that the Edomites included Horite elements. The Israelites asked permission to pass through Edomite lands on their journey out of Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan but were refused (Numbers 20:14-21). At first, they turned away, traveling around Edom by the road to the Red Sea (Numbers 21:4) rather than engaging in warfare with their kinsmen. However, God permitted them under certain restrictions to pass through part of Edom, but they were forbidden to attack the Edomites because God had given them their land (Deuteronomy 2:2-8).

Edom and Israel had a common border on the south (Numbers 34:3; Joshua 15:1), but their relationship with Israel was contentious. Copper mines and Edom's position on the international trade routes gave them prosperity and influence. The Edomites had a long history of rejecting their kinship ties to their brothers in the north and expressing pleasure in the troubles and sufferings of Israel and Judah. They formed alliances with Israel's enemies and went to war with them against the covenant people.

Edom was conquered by King David in the 10^th century BC (2 Samuel 8:13-14). An Edomite prince named Hadad revolted against Israel, ruled by David's son, King Solomon, and restored Edomite independence (1 Kings 11:47-25). The Southern Kingdom of Judah conquered the Edomites under the rule of the Hasmonean king, John Hyrcanus (135-105 BC), who forced the Edomites to convert to Judaism and submit to circumcision. They were also known by the Greek term for Edomites, the Idumeans, as it appears in the Greek translation of the Old Testament (Septuagint). The Edomite hatred for Israel/Judah manifested in their continual alliances with Israel's enemies. They participated in the Babylonian conquest of Judah, glorifying Judah's defeat, and occupied the Promised Land of southern Judah after the fall of Jerusalem in 586/7 BC. For all their wicked actions against His covenant people, God called down divine judgment on the people and nation of Edom (Psalm 137:7; Ezekiel 25:12; 35:12-15; Amos 1:11-12; Obadiah).

Herod the Great, son of Antipater, was an Idumean/Edomite (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 14.1.3; 14.7.3). Herod was appointed King of Judea by the Romans and ruled when Jesus was born. He tried unsuccessfully to murder baby Jesus, who, with his parents, escaped to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). However, Herod was successful in killing all the babies ages two and under in Bethlehem and nearby villages (Matthew 2:16).

Theme and Divisions in the Book of Obadiah

The two sections of this book are the Judgment of Edom (verses 1-18) and the Restoration of Judah (verses 19-21). The prophetic theme of the Day of Yahweh is prominent in verses 15-21. Like the Book of Joel, the Day of Yahweh brings both divine judgment and deliverance. For the Edomites, it brings a pronouncement of doom (verses 15-16). However, God's message promised deliverance for the covenant people of Judah as they experienced His blessings and restoration to the land He gave them (verses 17-21).

Prophecies of Judgment on Edom (verses 1-9)
Reasons for the Judgment on Edom (verses 10-14)
Results of the Judgment on Edom (verses 15-18)
Prophecies of the possession of Edom by Judah (verses 19-21)

**Outline of the Book of Obadiah**
BIBLICAL PERIOD	Circa 850 BC, in the reign of Jehoram, King of Judah, during a revolt by the Edomites, or In the post-exile period in the 6^th century BC, after the Babylonian captives returned to Judah.
FOCUS	Calling for God's vengeance in the "Day of Yahweh" against Israel's enemies, the Edomites.
COVENANT	The Sinai Covenant
SCRIPTURE	1:1--------------------------------------------18 -- 19-------------------------------21
DIVISION	Judgment of Edom	Restoration of Judah
TOPIC	Judah's Defeat	Judah's Victory
	Prophecy of Judgment	Prophecy of Possession
LOCATION	Edom and the Southern Kingdom of Judah
TIME	? c. mid-8^th century BC or 6^th century BC (586-539)?

All writers, even the Bible's inspired writers, are shaped by their education and experiences. The Old and New Testament writers wrote in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. They cite the Hebrew Scriptures, and they engage in common literary devices and cultural concepts. For example, the Gospel of Matthew gives ten quotes from the Old Testament as fulfillment statements. The Gospel of Luke and Acts provide a formulaic preamble consistent with ancient biographies that ancient readers would have recognized. The Gospel of John gives a masterful prologue that opens with the same two words as Genesis, "In (the) beginning," and emphasizes both the preexistence and divine nature of the Word, Jesus Christ.

Analysis of the Book of Obadiah must begin with the opening verses so the inspired writer's original meaning isn't distorted. Establishing the text requires determining the original wording and the identity of the inspired writer. Since the Biblical languages are no longer spoken and modern Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek are different from their ancient counterparts, exegesis involves translating the ancient text into the modern language. Answering questions about the original text can be determined by looking at the original Hebrew-English or Greek-English translations like the Interlinear Bible, Volume III, and the Greek Septuagint translation, which we have addressed in this study.>

All Scripture is from the New Jerusalem Bible unless listed as the NABRE (New American Bible Revised Edition), the Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English, Volume III (IBHE), or the Interlinear Bible Greek-English, Volume IV (IBGE).