BOOK OF OBADIAH - OVERVIEW
Obadiah is the shortest of all the books of the Old Testament, with only 21 verses and 670 words. However, Obadiah is not the shortest book in the Bible because there are some shorter books in the New Testament with fewer than 21 verses.
See the list of short books below.
---1. 3 John: 1 chapter, 14 verses, 299 words
---2. 2 John: 1 chapter, 13 verses, 303 words
---3. Philemon: 1 chapter, 25 verses, 445 words
---4. Jude: 1 chapter, 25 verses, 613 words
---5. Obadiah: 1 chapter, 21 verses, 670 words
---6. Titus: 3 chapters, 46 verses, 921 words
---7. 2 Thessalonians:3 chapters, 47 verses, 1042 words
---8. Haggai: 2 chapters, 38 verses, 1131 words
---9. Nahum: 3 chapters, 47 verses, 1285 words
--10. Jonah: 4 chapters, 48 verses, 1321 words
--11. Habakkuk –3 chapters, 56 verses
--12. 2 Peter –3 chapters, 61 verses
--13. Zephaniah: 3 chapters, 53 verses
--14. 2 Timothy: 4 chapters, 83 verses
--15. Malachi: 3 chapters, 46 verses
About Obadiah
---1. Obadiah was a common in ancient Israel and Judah. It means“Worshiper of Yahweh” or “Servant of Yahweh.” Thirteen different men are named Obadiah in the Bible.
---2. This Obadiah was one of 12 minor prophets around the same time as Hosea, Joel, and Amos. They all prophesied about judgment coming on "Day of the Lord."
---3. Obadiah’s prophecy is unique because he doesn’t deal with Judah or Israel much at all.
---4. Obadiah was called to preach to the Edomites about their sin and to warn them about the judgment coming upon them.
---5 Obadiah was very rich, but all his wealth was expended in feeding the poor prophets, until, in order to be able to continue to support them, finally he had to borrow money at interest from Ahab's son Jehoram.
About the Book of Obadiah
The Book of Obadiah was written exclusively for the Edomites descendants of Esau. This book is entitled, "The Vision of Obadiah" because he wrote the vision of what he saw. He wrote his book and prophesied only about Edom. He was an Edomite by birth, but a proselyte to the Jewish religion.
Other prophets prophesied against Edom, and some of them seem to have borrowed from Obadiah in their predictions against Edom, such as in Jeremiah 49:7 and Ezekiel 25:12
Obadiah's Message
Obadiah prophesied judgment against the prideful Edomites who were gloating over Jerusalem’s devastation by foreign powers.
Obadiah’s prophecies focus on God’s judgment against the Edomites (a hostile neighbor of Israel) for their part in destroying Jerusalem.
Obadiah’s message is that God will not forget His people even in their captivity but will accomplish His purpose through and beyond the appalling conditions they endure.
The Edomites
The Edomites were 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.
Obadiah spoke against Edom for sins against God and Israel. The Edomites are descendants of Esau and the Israelites are descendants of his twin brother, Jacob. A quarrel between the brothers has affected their descendants for over 1,000 years. This division caused the Edomites to forbid Israel to cross their land during the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. Edom’s sins of pride now require a strong word of judgment from the Lord.
Things to Remember
The Edomites' major sin was that they hated Israel because God had prospered Israel. Edom's sin was that when Jerusalem was destroyed, the Edomites rejoiced.
Key Verse
Verse 10 - "For your violence against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever."
Book of Obadiah's Outline
I. Predictions of Judgment (1-9)
II. Reasons for Judgment (1-14)
III. Results of Judgment (15-18)\
IV. Possession of Edom by Israel (19-21)
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