The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah concerning Edom We have heard a report from Jehovah, and an ambassador is sent among the nations. Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.
Commentary for this Verse
Obadiah's twenty-one verses open with a vision, a named nation, and a call to war already moving among the peoples. Who was this prophet? Why is Edom named? And who sends the messenger?
A prophet known only by his name
The book tells us nothing about the man himself. Efforts to link him to other men of the same name have all failed:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinWe know nothing of Obadiah but his name, which means "servant of Jehovah." Scripture is silent about him, and that silence stands in sharp contrast with how badly men want to know something about him. They hoped Obadiah might turn out to be the faithful protector of the prophets under Ahab. They also wondered whether he was the son of the Shunammite woman whom Elijah called back to life, or the Obadiah whom Jehoshaphat sent to teach in the cities of Judah, or the Levite chosen, with one other, to oversee the repair of the temple in Josiah's reign. Fruitless guesses at what God has hidden! God has willed that his name alone and this brief prophecy should be known in this world.
Commentators differ over when he wrote, and the difference is large:
Arend RemmersMany would place Obadiah in the time of king Jehoram of Judah (848–841 BC), during whose reign the Edomites revolted against the rule of Judah (2 Chron. 21:8-10). In that case Obadiah would have been the first writing prophet in the history of Israel. Other scholars, however, think Obadiah lived and served at the time of Jerusalem's destruction in 586 BC, or even later. They say he must have known about that event.
Edom: brother by blood, enemy by choice
The verse names Edom. This was no stranger nation, and the quarrel goes back to before the twins were born:
Arend RemmersThe only subject of this short prophetic book is the nation of Edom, whose hatred for Israel will finally lead to their total destruction. Edom is the name of Esau's descendants. The nation of Edom lived in the mountains of Seir, south of the Dead Sea, down to the Gulf of Akaba (Gen. 36:8-9). Esau was Jacob's twin brother. Before they were even born God announced that the older son Esau would serve the younger son Jacob (Gen. 25:23). Out of despising his birthright rose Esau's hatred against Jacob (Gen. 27).
The hatred did not stay between two brothers. It spread to the whole nation, and other Scriptures record it:
J. N. DarbyThis people came from Isaac, just as Jacob did. Yet they had a deep-rooted hatred for the descendants of the younger son, the favoured people of Jehovah. Psalm 137 tells of this hatred in its seventh verse. In Psalm 83 Edom joins the final alliance against Jerusalem, and its aim was to cut off the name of Israel from the earth.
The report heard and the messenger sent
The prophet does not speak only to Israel. God's word reaches nations far from Jerusalem, and He aims each prophet at a target.
J. G. BellettThe Spirit in the prophets always looks beyond Israel and Judah. He takes notice of the Gentile nations too. "A messenger," as Obadiah says, "has been sent among the nations," now and again. So God sent Nahum to Nineveh, and now He sends Obadiah to Edom.
Notice who calls them out. The nations rise to attack, but the report they act on comes from the Lord:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe prophecy begins by announcing that news had come from the Lord. The prophet heard it, and so did the people. A messenger then goes out among the nations to summon them to battle against Edom. The hour for Edom's overthrow has come.
Small by God's decree, great by ambition
Edom's whole tragedy is a refusal to accept the size God assigned it.
William KellyGod calls the nations to rise against Edom because Edom resisted His clear will. He made Edom a little people, with the fortress of Mount Seir as a natural hiding place and security. But they wanted great things, and they hated Israel's dignity. To be despised is not the lot of a man or a people content with the place assigned and fitting. It is especially the doom of those who reach beyond their measure.
Edom, Adam and the flesh
The name Edom itself carries a lesson:
Leslie M. GrantEdom is actually the same name as Adam, only slightly disguised. So the nation stands for the flesh, and "those who are in the flesh cannot please God." The flesh can appear in many convincing forms. It pleases the natural senses and appeals to the reasoning minds of men.
Summary
- Hidden servant. The prophet's name means "servant of Jehovah." God hid everything else about him, so the message holds the stage, not the messenger.
- Named target. Edom means the descendants of Esau in the mountains of Seir. They were a brother nation, and their hatred began over a despised birthright.
- Sent summons. The report comes from the Lord, and the messenger goes out among the nations. The armies that rise against Edom move on a word they did not invent.
- Small refused. God made Edom a little people with a safe mountain. They reached beyond their measure, and that reaching brings them down.
- Mirror held up. Edom is Adam barely disguised. Read as a picture of the flesh, the book warns that the flesh can look convincing and still cannot please God.