OBADIAH
Judgement is pronounced.
Obadiah¡¦s oracle against Edom as sentenced by Yahweh Himself is severe and without hope for future restoration of this people. Edom¡¦s crime and reason for judgement is explained by Obadiah in this sense, ¡§you stood by on the day of your brother¡¦s captivity; and rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction .¡¨ Edom has displeased God by their consistent violence and hatred for their brother Jacob. Now Yahweh¡¦s judgement is passed, and there is no hope of restoration. This seems very contrary to the promise God gave Abraham in Genesis 17:7-9. Would God destroy the entire Edomite people from the face of the earth?
The Bible portrays the Edomites as descendants of Esau (Gen 36:1,9). They occupied the land of Edom also called Seir (Gen 32:3; 36:20-21, 30: Num 24:18). Through it passed two major traffic routes, the King¡¦s Highway and the road along the Arabah. After the Exodus, Israel was denied passage through Edom via these major routes. Shortly thereafter the Edomites, in confederation with the Moabites and Ammonites, raided Judah during Jehoshaphat¡¦s reign (2 Chr 20:1-2). For these actions, as well as others Edom finds itself at the words of Obadiah as he prophesies their judgement.
Although Obadiah is not related to as a ¡§prophet¡¨ of God (Obad 1:1) his purpose is clearly established as God¡¦s mouth piece against Edom, and later confirmed by his contemporary, Jeremiah (Jer 49:7-22). Obadiah¡¦s name means ¡¥servant/worshipper of Yahweh¡¦. Thus giving him the known title many of God¡¦s prophets operated under ¡¥servant¡¦. The fact also that there is no mention of a father for God¡¦s servant is interesting, in a time where most prophets were identified either by a notice of the period in which they prophesied, their hometown (or at least where the prophecies took place), and their father, or any combination of these leaves little for one to pin point Obadiah¡¦s time.
A suggested date for Obadiah¡¦s prophecy is shortly after the fall of Jerusalem in 587BC, when refugees were captured. Although Edom is not explicitly linked with Jerusalem¡¦s downfall biblically, its satisfaction at the outcome would have matched that of other nations who had opposed Judah in the past.
¡§If thieves had come to you, if robbers by night, oh how you will be cut off! Would they not have stolen till they had enough?¡¨ (Obad 1:5). Obadiah¡¦s words are clear and without dilution, God¡¦s intent and final sentence is released.
The book of 1 Samuel, a part of the Old Testament, sparks the dawn of the United Kingdom of Israel by telling of its first king, Saul. Samuel is one of the first talked about pre-literary prophets in the bible perhaps because he anointed the first king of the United Kingdom. He is a prophet by definition because he possessed the ability to converse with the almighty Yahweh. Samuel and Saul are key players to the rise of the kingdom but Saul runs into trouble and disobeys God, which leads him to his own inevitable demise.
The Israelites regarded the Edomites as close relatives, even more closely related to them than the Ammonites or Moabites. Specifically, they identified the Ammonites and Moabites as descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew, but the Edomites as descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother (Gen. 19:30-36; 36). Thus Edom occasionally is referred to as a “brother” to Israel (Amos 1:11-12). Edomites seem not to have been barred from worship in the Jerusalem temple with the same strictness as the Ammonites and Moabites (Deut. 23:3-8). Yet, as is often the case with personal relations, the closest relative can be a bitter enemy. According to the biblical writers, enmity between Israel and Edom began with Jacob and Esau (when the former stole the latter’s birthright)
...ice his revulsion and gruesome plan of action to King Ahab. When King Ahab heard Elijah he began humbling himself and repenting by fasting and weeping (1 Kings 21: 27). Because of King Ahab’s drastic change, God showed mercy on him and delayed the repercussions of his reign for another generation (1 Kings 21:28-29). This passage also reveals the extreme jealousy and unreasonableness of God. He considered King Ahab to be one of the most evil rulers of Israel because he and his wife worshipped the gods that she had known all of her life. The descriptions of how the Lord would do abolish them (1 Kings 21:19-16), illustrate a god that should be feared. While God shows mercy on King Ahab because he repents, YHWH’s strong desire for justice is also withheld in this passage as the execution of His judgement was not eliminated but rather suspended for a generation to come.
Correspondingly, other canonical prophetic books interpret Yahweh’s will during periods of social or political crisis.4 Many minor prophets wrote during one of the three critical periods: the Assyrian Crisis, the Babylonian threat, or the postexilic readjustment.5 During the Babylonian threat of the late-seventh century, Habakkuk served as a link between God and humanity. The Assyrian kingdom, led by Shalmanasar V, forced the people of Judah into harsh conditions through a heartless deportation. In time, political drama spread throughout the region. After 612 B.C.E. when Assyria fell to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Habakkuk wrote his prophetic book, focusing on the agony of humankind’s struggle to progress in such a wicked world. His message of faith and morality transcended the evil within society, ultimately revealing to the Israelites that justice would prevail.
The Old Testament book of Hosea, was written by the prophet Hosea. “He has been called the prophet of Israel’s zero hour,” because the “nation had sunk to a point of such corruption that a major stroke of divine judgment could no longer be staved off (Jensen 411).” It is the first book of what is referred to as the “Minor Prophets”. They are referred to as minor not because they lack importance, but because they are much shorter than major counterparts.
... of Israel, 2d ed.: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament. Garden City: Baker Academic, 2002.
This was the Hebrew mass departure from Egypt. Moses the messenger of God came to lead the Hebrews to becoming a nation and uplifting there believe in Yahweh, the one God. The hieroglyphics detailed events of this era but not one of them referred specifically to the Israelites and Egypt. The Israelites returned to Canaan to rejoin the other Hebrews that stayed behind and did not join in the journey to Egypt. In the 722 B.C. many Hebrew were deported to the different parts of Assyrian empire. The Hebrew that was in a sense deported were dubbed the name ten lost tribes, and lost their identities as the people who had made a covenant with God. The Hebrew vied God as being One, Sovereign, Transcendent, Good, and Loving. They believed in devoting themselves to God and harming no one.
Israel goes back to god’s covenant with Abraham around 2000B.C. (Genesis 12) God had already chosen them to be in his plan from the beginning because of His love for them and the unconditional covenant with Abraham. His plan was to use Israel as His means to love and bless everyone. Israel was the smallest in numbers among all nations. (Deuteronomy
...ression under the Egyptians. He still cares for the oppressed even when it is not the Israelites. After entering the Promised Land, the tables will turn. The Israelites will have abundant power and wealth and could become the oppressors if they do not continue in humble submission to Yahweh. However, Yahweh expects the overflow of the Israelites’ blessings—crops and tithes—to bless the Levites, aliens, orphans, and widows. The distinctness of the pericope, as previously discussed, further highlights Yahweh’s strong heart to see all of his people cared for. Yahweh sometimes gives direct blessings, such as crops and financial wealth, and other times uses indirect blessings, such as commanding those who have received the direct blessings to share with others.
Not all Jewish communities continued on their faith with YHWH. Before the exile, many communities began to scatter all over the Middle East, Egypt and Babylon; however, the exile...
Obadiah is a salvation oracle, it is arguable this was the first writing Prophet to emerge just before the prophecy of Joel. The oracle dates to the time of 840-830 B.C. (Barnes, 2012). The periods of the writings have been estimated. The King of the nation “is not mentioned”(McConville, 2002) in his writings for that time. The focus of the book by Obadiah is on the judgment of Edom by God. The Edomites had great hatred of Israel. The message of Obadiah is of disaster to befall upon Edom because of its pride and cruelty against Israel. This shows that God stands with his chosen people in times of trouble and will exalt them giving them hope. As it has been noted, the book of Joel is also written in a close sequence to Obadiah it mentions no King, nor does it mention the name of the warring nation that has been coming against Judah. Although, it is e...
His role in the future was leadership. He was destined to save a nation that had been oppressed by the leadership of Pharoah (Hebrew Bible) / Firaun (Quran). For this reason, God protected him from all the many challenges that came his way in order for him to become a great prophet and leader he turned out to be (Exodus 2).
The people of Israel heard of Holofernes destruction of the west nations and then feared him. They were worried because they just recently moved to Judea and their temple had been declared sacred after they moved. The Israelites then prepared for war and started to pray out to God. They cleansed themselves of all sins before the altar of their Lord. They prayed that God was to not give up on their people and land.
Knoppers, Gary (2000a). "Introduction". In Gary N. Knoppers, J. Gordon McConville. Reconsidering Israel and Judah: recent studies on the Deuteronomistic history. Eisenbrauns.
The priestly families of this time were politically influential. The most important leader of the time for the Ephramites, Samuel’s parents’ tribe, was Eli. Whole families made pilgrimages once a year to sanctuaries, such as Shiloh, to worshi...