Meaning yahweh remembers, zechariahs name was appropriate to the purpose of his prophecies. Some have thought that this is the same obadiah that was ahabs steward in 2 chronicles 17. Obadiah the lords message about edom and what edom represents in the end times the book has only this one chapter. As brief as this book is, scholars raise many questions about it. In latin it is translated as abdias while in arabic it is. Introduction the author the author of the book is named obadiah which means servant of yahweh. This article is part of the christ in all of scripture series hope and salvation. The book of the prophet obadiah is the shortest book of the ot with 21 verses only. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make. Book of obadiah to pronounce judgment against the nation of edom for their role in assisting the babylonians in the conquest of judah, and to announce the future divine restoration of the people of israel. Yahweh will judge edom both historically through the nations and eschatologically through israel. The book of micah was likely written between 735 and 700 b. Obadiah is not only the shortest prophecy, but also the shortest book of the old testament. You will be rightly told that job is about the suffering of one of gods treasured servantshow he endured great suffering, despite being a good man, as god us.
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. Its authorship is difficult to date but was possibly written about 853841 b. Summary of the book of obadiah the story of the bible. It was written about five centuries before christ and deals with some things that were going to happen to the ancient kingdom of edom, and has some things to say that are needful for today. Edom was enemies of israel, even though they were related by blood.
The animosity between edom and the israelites, and edoms punishment because of that, is the literal theme of the book of obadiah. Obadiah overview and outline reasons for hope jesus. 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. Obadiah is classified as a minor prophet in the christian bible due to the brevity of the writing only 21 verses and. As the passage in jeremiah dates from the fourth year of the reign of jehoiakim 604 b. The book of obadiah is a sustained denunciation of the edomites, melting into a vision of the future glories of zion when the arm of the lord should have wrought her deliverance and have repaid double upon her enemies. This is what the sovereign lord says about edom we have heard a message from the lord. Overview of the book of obadiah third millennium ministries. The book consists of a series of independent sayings, many of which are rightly attributed to zephaniah, written probably about 640630 bc.
We have heard a rumour from the lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. Obadiah s prophecy closely follows the pattern of a covenantlawsuit address. Obadiah 1 commentary dummelows commentary on the bible. The brevity of obadiah means you can notch up an advanced knowledge of the whole book after a mere four to six weeks. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is only 21 verses long. The book of obadiah introduction to the book of obadiah in the bible. An envoy was sent to the nations to say, rise, let us go against her for battle see, i will make you small among the nations. The righteous power of god, not the evil plans of the nations, determines the course of history. One of the most intriguing facets of studying the book of jonah is locating its historical setting. The book of zephaniah was written during the reign of king josiah, likely in the early part of his reign, between 635 and 625 bc. Book of zephaniah, the ninth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, collected in one book, the twelve, in the jewish canon. God is in control, no matter how things look, and his kingdom will one day fill the earth. Book of obadiah encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. The book of obadiah consists of one chapter, concerning edom, its impending doom 1.
The prophet used a simple structure of eight visions zechariah 1. The authors name is obadiah, which means servant or worshiper of the lord. Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn edom for sins against both. The book of obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of edom and the restoration of israel. An obadiah was an officer in king ahab of israels court and hid gods prophets in a cave 1 kings 18. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament and is not quoted in the new testament. The author of the book of micah was the prophet micah micah 1. The small book of zephaniah is narrative history and prophetic oracle. The only subject of this short prophetical book is the nation of edom whose hatred for israel will eventually lead to their total destruction. Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn.
More than ten persons of the ot bear the same name but none of them is identical. The purpose of obadiah is to show that god will judge all those who are against his children, his chosen people. In this essay, to further treat its tripartite theme, we will analyze and consider the book of jonahs historical context, literary milieu, and theological purpose and significance. The purpose of this book was to show that god raised up his prophet zephaniah to proclaim a warning of coming judgment and to encourage repentance. When the philistines, arabians, and edomites entered jerusalem, they cast lots to decide which portions of the city would be granted to each contingent for the purpose of plunder. Obadiah, the shortest book in the old testament, is the pronouncement of doom against an ancient and longforgotten nation, the land of edom. The prophecy is largely concerned with the condemnation of edom descendants of esau for treachery toward their brother israel descendants of jacob and the resultant punishment.
Its authorship is generally attributed to a person named obadiah, which means servant or worshipper of the lord. The bible does not reveal anything regarding the prophet obadiah. Overview of the book of obadiah reformed answers to. The purpose of the book of obadiah is to express judahs hatred of edom and its confidence that edom will ultimately be destroyed.
As an oracle of judgment, obadiah presents unique challenges for gospel application. As the shortest book in the old testament 21 verses in a single chapter, its purpose is to condemn them in supporting the gentiles against judah. Yahweh will judge edom both historically through the. Obadiah, with only one chapter consisting of 21 verses, is the shortest of all. The book of obadiah is based on a prophetic vision concerning the fall of edom, a mountain dwelling nation v. Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn edom for sins. The scriptures have that beautiful faculty of appearing to be one thing on the surface, but on a deeper level, yielding rich and mighty treasures. It is primarily speaking of the condemnation and destruction of edom from god.
Obadiah, with only one chapter consisting of 21 verses, is the shortest of all old testament books and purports to be a. 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 text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21 verses, making it the shortest book in the hebrew bible in judaism and christianity, its authorship is attributed to a prophet who lived in the assyrian period and named himself in the first verse, obadiah. In this, the shortest book of the old testament, it seems the prophet obadiah. Obadiah verse 1 identifies the author of the book of obadiah as the prophet obadiah. Verses 37 in obadiah explain to the reader the reason for the punishment theme, confidence in ones power, intelligence, allies, or the. The hebrew name obadiah means worshipper of yahweh or servant of yahweh. Amid great spiritual degeneracy he maintained his fidelity to god, and interposed to protect the lords prophets, an hundred of whom he hid at great personal risk in a cave 4. This summary of the book of obadiah will help with many different forms of bible study.
On the one hand, the prophecies announce judgment upon israel for social evils, corrupt leadership and idolatry. Obadiah niv obadiahs vision the vision of bible gateway. Book of zechariah overview insight for living ministries. Obadiah means servant of the lord and occurs 20 times in the old testament, referring to many other old testament individuals. Nahum, along with obadiah, consists entirely of an oraclethough obadiah makes more explicit mention of salvation and hope obad. The form of obadiahs name used in the septuagint is obdios. The book of obadiah was likely written between 848 and 840 b. We do not know anything of the books author but his name obadiah servant or worshipper of jehovah. 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 book of obadiah is a book of prophetic oracles. Its also the least read book of all the books in the bible. The herods of the new testament are of edomite heritage.
Obadiahs prophecy closely follows the pattern of a covenantlawsuit address. Welcome to the study of the shortest book in the word. The author was obadiah, whose name means the servant of the eternal. The short book of obadiah the shortest in the ot is an oracle against the nation of edom.
Obadiahs brevity makes for a powerful preaching series. Obadiah is the shortest book in the old testament, only 21 verses long. This book, the shortest among the twelve minor prophets, is a single twentyoneverse oracle against edom. Watch our overview video on the book of obadiah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book is named after the prophet who received the vision 1. Book of obadiah christianity knowledge base fandom. The fact that the book is shortas they say in the tech industryis not a bug, its a feature. The book of obadiah focuses upon the relationship between jacob ancestor of the judeans and esau ancestor of the edomites as well as messianic and eschatological undertones. 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. The book of obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of edom and the restoration. Obadiah is a prophet of god who uses this opportunity to condemn edom for sins against both god and israel. The book of obadiah is found in both the hebrew bible and the old testament of the christian bible, where it is the shortest book, only one chapter long. 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 message of the book of micah is a complex mixture of judgment and hope. Dating the book of obadiah accurately is nearly impossible due to the scant historical information contained in the book. The most common purpose has been discovering the truths and values of the. Im going to provide you an answer that will likely not be like the others you receive. Zephaniahs message of judgment and encouragement contains three major doctrines. There are obadiahs in the old testament, and one of these may the obadiah who wrote this book. Like a number of prophetic books, it is both a book of judgment and a book of hope. The book of daniel is often read for its contribution to our understanding of endtimes events, but sometimes christians have been so obsessed with this that we have missed its main message. Be it as it may the place of the book of obadiah in the canon of the hebrew ot and of the scriptures has been secured and undisputed for ages. This small book has, amazingly and providentially, survived more than 2500 years, and while it contains a message of judgment for an ancient neighbor of israel, it has many relevant messages for us today. Book of obadiah, the fourth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the.
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