This book of obadiah is only one chapter long, with 21 verses in the king james version. However it is quoted in several places by the prophet joel and jeremiah. The book is named after the prophet who received the vision 1. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testamentonly twentyone verses. The name obadiah means servant or worshipper of jehovah.
The minor prophets are called minor, of course, because they. The problem with it being so small is that it can get lost and people never find it. Much of edom was a deep, desolate valley that ran between the southern end of the dead sea and the gulf of aqabah. Welcome to the study of the shortest book in the word. Like so many of the prophets, little is known of obadiah.
Book of obadiah, the destruction of edom, judahs misfortune. The short book of obadiah the shortest in the ot is an oracle against the nation of edom. The book of obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of edom and the restoration of israel. Obadiah meansservant of the lord and occurs 20 times in the ot, referring to at least 20 other ot individuals. About the book obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament, having only 21 verses, 670 words, one command, four questions, no promises, 30 predictions, 12 verses of prophecy, five verses of fulfilled prophecy, seven verses of unfulfilled prophecy, and three distinct messages from god. Its also the least read book of all the books in the bible. The book of obadiah is the shortest in the old testament. Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn edom for sins.
When the babylonians invaded jerusalem, the people of edom didnt help. Obadiah john karmelich before i even start, i am wiling to. Pdf the book of obadiah 2018 edition gary everett, mdiv dmin. The book does not give any indication who this obadiah is or when he lived. Obadiah was the prophet who declared judgment upon edomites. Form critics have identified three types of oracles. Our goal in putting together a summary of this prophetic book from a preterist viewpoint is to give the student of the scriptures a specific advantage of approaching each book of the bible, especially the book of obadiah. Before i even start, i am wiling to bet that if i asked most of you if there is an old testament book called obadiah, most of you would shrug your shoulders and say, how would i know. Title the book is named after the prophet who received the vision 1. Thus says the lord god concerning edom we have heard a report from the lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying, arise, and let us rise up against her for battle.
Almost the same message was delivered by joel, the only difference is that joel prophesied to the nation of judah. The book of obadiah opens with a report from the l through a messenger who had been involved in what we today would call shuttle diplomacy v. Edoms pride and downfall is disclosed in the book of. Obadiah is part of a group of books called the minor prophets in contrast to the major prophets. Like an envious brother, edom was glad to see judah overcome. The origins of this story take us back to genesis chapters 25 onwards where rebekah and isaac had twins and it was told that they would become great nations. If for no other reason, this book is important because it is part of the inspired bible ii timothy 3. This summary of the book of obadiah provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of obadiah. The hebrew name obadiah means worshipper of yahweh or servant of yahweh. Pdf social values in the book of obadiah researchgate. Introduction the author the author of the book is named obadiah which means servant of yahweh. The book of obadiah stoke poges is a small village in england not too far from windsor castle. The book of obadiah is a book of prophetic oracles.
Murrell an anonymous british engraving, london 1676. But the brevity of the message does not render it less important or less significant for us today. Our goal in putting together a summary of this prophetic book from a preterist viewpoint is to give the student of the scriptures a specific advantage of approaching each book of the bible. Obadiah announces edoms downfall to babylon, which is an image of how god will bring down all arrogant and violent nations. The book of obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament, the 4th book of the twelve minor prophets. Obadiah foretold of the doom that awaited the people of edom because of their cruelty toward judah. It suggests that the social and theological problems to. The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21 verses, making it the shortest book in the hebrew bible. The ubs, a translators handbook on the books of obadiah and. The authors name is obadiah, which means servant or worshiper of the lord. Obadiah shows what the day of the lord will be for israels enemies joel 3. Obadiah means servant of the lord or one who serves shortest book in the old testament. Obadiah, with only one chapter consisting of 21 verses, is the shortest of all old testament books and purports to be a record of the vision of. The animosity between edom and the israelites, and edoms punishment because of that, is the literal theme of the book of obadiah.
Minor prophets bible study the book of obadiah meaning obadiah means servant of the eternal or worshiper of the eternal. God gave these children to rebecca and told her before they were born that the elder shall serve the younger. So let us plunge right into the book, which is found on page 925 of the church bibles. Remember that many of the minor prophets are of supreme importance in understanding scripture and prophecy in particular. Prophets are of supreme importance in understanding scripture and prophecy in particular. Obadiah, book of, servant of yah, the shortest ot book, stands fourth among the minor prophets in the mt, but fifth in the lxx. Like the other minor prophets, the message is primary, it is pertinent, it is practical, and it is poignant.
Edoms pride and downfall is disclosed in the book of obadiah. The prophet presents a twofold messagea powerful message. The book of obadiah is the only one chapter book in the old testament. The oracle structure for the book of obadiah is set up as a lawsuit. Book of obadiah, the fourth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, in the jewish canon treated as one book, the twelve. Yet, all the prophecies of obadiah have been fulfilled with the exception of vs 21 that is yet to be completely fulfilled. It has nothing to do with the importance of the book or the message, since all of gods word is important. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament, tightly tucked between amos and jonah, and obadiah is as obscure as any of the prophets. Point of note this is one of the 7 old testament books that are not quoted in the nt. History is replete with small nations that strut across the world stage, proudly. Exegesis of the book of obadiah christian truth is needed. The book of obadiah offers a threefold thematic scheme that supports the central claim of the pentateuch, the claim found in deuteronomy 6. While several options have been proposed by scholars, the best argument places obadiah in the 840s bc, making him the earliest writing prophet, a few years prior to joel, and a contemporary of elisha. The second clue to the date of obadiahs prophecy is the place of the book in the hebrew canon.
Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is only 21 verses long. God is the plaintiff, prosecutor, jury, judge, etc. However, most researchers believe that the book of obadiah is. The designation major and minor prophets was made by bible scholars. A word from the prophet obadiah wade street church. Like a number of prophetic books, it is both a book of judgment and a book of hope. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament, only 21 verses long.
Constables notes on obadiah 2020 edition unity some scholars have contended that this small book, the shortest one in the old testament but not in the bible, is a collection of prophecies that. So obadiah is just a prophet who wrote one of the great prophecies of the scripture. Some think that obadiah was a steward in the household of king ahab 1 kings 18. Vernon mcgee, who used to preach messages on 5year program of thru the bible radio network, said in his study of obadiah. Some have thought that this is the same obadiah that was ahabs steward in 2 chronicles 17. This is what the sovereign lord says about edom we have heard a message from the lord. Jerusalem had been previously plundered in the days of jehoram 2 chronicles 21. Pdf this paper presents a poetic and socialscientific analysis of the book of obadiah. This book of obadiah is only one chapter long, with 21 verses in the. This article looks at the book from the viewpoint that considers gods wrath and judgment on ethnic hatred, his assurance of justice and his plan to give hope to victims of ethnic hatred. Some believe obadiah may have been a contemporary of elisha.
God had sent an envoy to the surrounding nations, calling them to unite in battle against edom to humiliate it. We think the reason ezra, who superintended the compilers of the old testament, inserted obadiah after amos, rather than much further on, is that this book concerns only. Of the five messages, this one has been the most difficult to study and preach. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament only twentyone verses. It is a book of unmitigated condemnation, unrelieved by any suggestion of compassion or hope. If it is, surely it cannot be very important because it only has 21 verses which is the shortest book in the old testament. The animosity between the edomites and the israelites is one of the oldest examples of a discord in human relationships. Study notes on the holy scriptures using a themebased approach to identify literary structures by gary h. This book is not addressed to the jewish people but to the nation of edom who were the descendants of esau who was the oldest son of isaac and rebekah and the brother of jacob. This relationship began with the two sons of isaac and rebecca, jacob and esau gen. In fact, edom was a guilty participant in the action against.
Obadiah is a little book, but it is an example of an atomic bomb in the bible. Obadiah nkjv the coming judgment on edom the bible gateway. Outline of the book of obadiah introduction the book of obadiah gives the historical record of edoms wickedness and consequential fall to the allseeing eyes of jehovah god ezek. We have heard tidings from jehovah, and an ambassador is sent among the nations, saying, arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. What on earth is there to say about this, now ive got to come up with a sermon on it. Obadiah means servant of the lord and occurs 20 times in the old testament, referring to many other old testament individuals. Ill give you just a little longer to find obadiah than id give you for genesis. The book of obadiah shows that there is hope for victims of ethnic hatred.
As brief as this book is, scholars raise many questions about it. There are obadiahs in the old testament, and one of these may the obadiah who wrote this book. Worshiper of yahweh or servant of yahweh year written. Obadiah was the name of a variety of individuals in the ancient world. Nothing is known of the author, although his prophecy against edom, a neighbor and rival of israel, indicates a date of composition sometime after the babylonian destruction of jerusalem in 587 b. Exegesis of the book of obadiah christian truth is. The book of obadiah the prophecy of obadiah is unique in the character of its contents. Pride took hold of edom and moved like a contagious disease throughout the nation cf. An obadiah was an officer in king ahab of israels court and.
Unit 17 session 1 january 45, 2020 lesson obadiah the. Historical background in general, the background for the book of obadiah is the relationship between israel and edom. The book of obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament. Dating the book of obadiah accurately is nearly impossible due to the scant historical information contained in the book. This relationship began with the two sons of isaac and rebecca, jacob and esau. Its authorship is difficult to date but was possibly written about 853841 b. The book of obadiah is gods message about edom in response to their sinspecifically their gloating over the babylonian invasion of jerusalem. Edom was such a nation, and its story was graphically detailed by the prophet obadiah in the short book that bears his name.
Obadiah with only one chapter and a total of 21 verses is the shortest book of the old testament and is shorter than most of the books in the new testament. We have already read the book this evening, all twentyone verses of it. Second, the content of the book may consist of from two to five oracles. Book of obadiah encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. Nov 28, 2017 the oracle structure for the book of obadiah is set up as a lawsuit.
They debate its author and date of composition, and they point to the striking similarity between passages in obadiah and jeremiah to question whether obadiah. The defendants are edom which the charge being for its arrogance for what it has done to israel. Pusey said, god has willed that his name alone and this brief prophecy should be known to the world. This book, the shortest among the twelve minor prophets, is a single twentyoneverse oracle against edom. He also prophesied of the future restoration of zion and the. I just wish i had more time to teach you why i came up with this particular interpretation of verses 1521, but for now you will just have to.
The first of the the minor prophets we shall consider is obadiah, whose book is the shortest of all the books in the old testament 2. Obadiah verse 1 identifies the author of the book of obadiah as the prophet obadiah. Obadiah probably lived in the southern kingdom of judah. Book of obadiah overview insight for living ministries. We are concluding our study of the book of obadiah today. Of name theme 1 day of the lord 2 destruction of edom, israels principle enemy for all ages 3 israels restoration and eventually the restoration of all nations. There are twelve different men named obadiah in the old testament but no one looks like a candidate as the author of this book. The book of obadiah was likely written between 848 and 840 b.
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