Answer
The book of Obadiah, written by a prophet named Obadiah, is the shortest book in the Old Testament and remains an enigma to many Christians today. Historical information is insufficient to place the text in a proper context. The book of Obadiah addresses Edom and mentions their violence against Judah as reason for God’s judgment (Obadiah 1:10).
Obadiah may have written the book right after the Babylonian exile or possibly earlier, following an invasion of the Philistines and Arabians. Either way, the Edomites had joined the enemy in looting the city of Jerusalem. They had killed some survivors and turned others over to the enemy. Though the invasion of Jerusalem was an expression of divine judgment, the lack of compassion from the Edomites brought God’s wrath upon Edom. The Edomites were descendants of Esau and thus were related to the Israelites (Genesis 36:43). They should have helped their brothers, not joined in their destruction (Obadiah 1:10–12).
The book begins with an attribution of authorship to Obadiah (Obadiah 1:1). Beyond this introduction, the prophet’s identity remains shrouded in mystery. If he lived during the time of the Babylonian exile, he would have been a contemporary of Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Daniel. The similarity between Jeremiah 49:7–22 and the entire book of Obadiah suggests both books were written at nearly the same time and by authors who possibly knew one another. Scholars propose that Jeremiah either paraphrased from Obadiah, or the two writers drew from a single source. Given the divine inspiration of both texts and the uniform purpose, overlaps and parallels are to be expected.
How does Obadiah’s condemnation of Edom apply to us today? The first clue lies in the name of the prophet. Obadiah means “worshiper of Yahweh”—implying humility—a contrast to the pride of Edom (Obadiah 1:3–4). Human pride is always condemned in Scripture (Proverbs 8:13; 16:18; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5–6; Philippians 2:3–4), and Obadiah gives an example of God’s judgment on a prideful people.
Furthermore, we also learn compassion from the book of Obadiah, even toward people who may be suffering the consequences of their own sin. Even as God brought judgment on His people of Israel, He showed them compassion and avenged them for the brutality of other nations against them. Edom’s merciless gloating over Israel was dealt with by the Judge of all nations. “Judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).
Finally, Obadiah touches on the certainty of God’s judgment, reflecting the proclamation of Ecclesiastes 12:14, “God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad” (NLT).
