What about Obadiah?

 

What about Obadiah? I could see the puzzled expressions of those of you who may be asking, “Who?”

Isaiah and Jeremiah, yes; Jonah and even Malachai but Obadiah? Who’s that?

Long story short…

Obadiah was a prophet, whose prophecy condemned the behaviour of a people called the Edomites.

The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s twin who gave up his birthright for a pottage – some bread and some lentil stew – as recorded in Genesis 25:29-34.

Esau, after his departure from Canaan, took up residence at Mount Seir. He married the daughter of one of the tribal chiefs of the Horites, who were already dwelling there. With Esau’s sons and grandsons becoming chiefs themselves, the Edomites became the dominant tribe and gradually the Horites disappeared.

Over the centuries, Edom changed from being under the rule of tribal chiefs to a monarchy; eight kings had governed this nation long before Israel had any such ruler.

The Edomites’ first quarrel with the Israelites was in the time of Moses when Edom’s king refused the sojourners passage through their land (see Numbers 20:14-21).

Later, king Saul fought against the Edomites, and king David conquered them.

There were many battles fought between these two kingdoms, but it was when the Edomites rejoiced over the Babylonians’ destruction of Jerusalem and the depopulation of the Judeans that the hatred between these two nations intensified.

Though Edom figures prominently in the prophetic Scriptures, it is the very basis for the entire Book of Obadiah.

Related through Jacob and Esau, there was no love lost between these two nations and as a matter of course, the Edomites acted spitefully toward their Jewish relatives.

Nestled between Amos and Jonah, Obadiah’s is the shortest of the books of the prophets and is a prediction of the destruction of the kingdom of Edom.

In this brief one-chapter prophecy, Obadiah did not mix words when he pronounced God’s judgment against Edom for their overt agreement for the rebellion meted out to His people.

Imagine if a powerful nation invades another, completely ignoring that country’s sovereignty, while a tiny nation with almost no power to speak of stands in full support of that invasion; Edom is that tiny nation.

Edom, though not itself the attacker, supported the attacks by other nations against Jerusalem, not once, not twice but four times, in other words, Edom was well-invested.

“See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised. 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?’ Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord. (v 2-4 NIV)

Fallen Giant by Alex Speed

Beloved, some persons feel that God does not see the evil done against His children, but He is never deceived.  They wallow in their self-exaltation, full of their self-imposed superiority, believing that they are untouchable, unaware that Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall (Proverbs 16:18 GNT).

Obadiah’s prophecy may have been made centuries ago but God’s Word is still relevant today.

Heaven and earth [as now known] will pass away, but My words will not pass away. – Matthew 24:35 (AMP)

The word of our God stands forever (see Isaiah 40:8). And even though the prophecy concerns nations, it can be applicable to your own life.

Your home, your workplace, your church, are filled with persons who, acting out of spiteful pride, delight in your distress; they are all around you waiting to rejoice over your affliction, but you need not act nor react because God sees and God will avenge.

 Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. He can clearly see all things…– Hebrews 4:13 (ERV)

the Lord says, “I am the one who punishes; I will pay people back.” – Romans 12:19 (ERV)

God exacted His punishment upon the Edomites for standing with the enemies of His people who were in utter distress, just as Obadiah had pronounced.

Obadiah exhorted Edom to discontinue its wicked association with Jerusalem’s enemies to no avail. They refused to quit that alignment and paid the consequences for their wilful stubbornness.

Eventually, Edom became subdued by the same powerhouses they had venerated and, would no longer enjoy the freedom they once knew; their mournful existence came to an end and they soon disappeared, and those so-called powerhouses fared no better.

God shows his anger from heaven against all the evil and wrong things that people do. – Romans 1:18 (ERV)

Beloved, Obadiah’s message is clear; it is to one’s own peril in choosing to fight against God and His beloved people.

If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. – Romans 8:31 (ERV)

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “What about Obadiah?” ©2026, January 8, 2026