Lives of Scripture

Obadiah's book is the shortest in the Old Testament — just twenty-one verses — and almost nothing is recorded about the man himself beyond his name, which means "servant of the LORD," a common name shared by several Old Testament figures. His entire message is a judgment against Edom, descendants of Jacob's brother Esau, for standing aside or actively helping when foreigners looted Jerusalem, gloating over their kinsman nation's disaster (Obadiah 1:10-14). Obadiah reminds Edom that pride in their mountain strongholds would not save them: "Though you soar aloft like the eagle... I will bring you down" (Obadiah 1:3-4). Because Edom took joy in Jacob's calamity instead of showing family loyalty, Obadiah declares "as you have done, it shall be done to you" (Obadiah 1:15). The book closes by looking beyond judgment to hope: deliverance would come to Mount Zion, God's people would possess their inheritance again, and ultimately "the kingdom shall be the LORD's" (Obadiah 1:17-21) — a brief but firm assurance that human cruelty and pride do not have the final word in God's redemptive plan.