September 29, 2017
Scripture Reading – Obadiah
Today’s scripture reading is the book of Obadiah, consisting of only one chapter that is twenty-one verses in length. With the exception of his name, the exact identity of the author and the date of its writing is unknown; however, the opening sentence of the book identifies its subject… “The vision of Obadiah” (Obadiah 1:1a).
The focus of Obadiah’s vision from the LORD is Edom (1:1-16) and Israel (1:17-21). The people of Edom were descendants of Esau (Genesis 25:30; 36:1), the brother of Jacob and son of Isaac (Genesis 25:19-26). The nation of Israel was the lineage of Jacob, born of his twelve sons, the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel.
From their mother’s womb, there was jealousy and conflict between Esau and Jacob and the feud between them continued not only throughout their lifetimes, but also through their descendants. God rejected Esau and chose Jacob and his lineage as heirs of the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3). While God commanded Israel to view Edom as “thy brother” (Deuteronomy 23:7), Edom harbored resentment toward Israel (Ezekiel 35:5) and was her adversary.
For this brief commentary, I will divide the book of Obadiah into three sections:
1) The prophecy of Edom’s destruction (1:1)
2) The wrongs committed by Edom against Israel, identified as “thy brother Jacob” (1:2-16)
3) God’s promise He would deliver Israel from captivity (1:17-18), defeat her enemies (1:19-20), and ultimately establish His kingdom and throne in Jerusalem (1:21)
Obadiah 1:21 has yet to be fulfilled, but points to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ when He will sit on David’s throne, reign as the Messiah King, and “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).
Copyright 2017 – Travis D. Smith