Obadiah – One Strong Message

Have you ever wondered why the evil seem to prosper while God’s people suffer injustices and persecution? Perhaps it’s one of the reasons why we love to read stories or watch movies where good wins out in the end. Saved or not, humans inherently know the world works best when righteousness triumphs.

The people in Judah understood perfectly. They were supposed to be God’s chosen people, dearly loved, the apple of His eye. But they found themselves living in utter defeat, humiliated by a prideful enemy known to oppose the One God they worshipped. The questions that haunted Job now filled their minds, as well. Where is the One who is supposed to be looking out for us?

God raised up Obadiah, whose name means “servant of the Lord,” to answer with emphatic power. Edom’s arrogance toward God’s beloved people had not gone unnoticed, as they had suspected. God saw every injustice executed on His people and planned proportionate punishment for their actions. Though the book of Obadiah is the shortest in the Old Testament, it is packed with intense predictions of Edom’s downfall. No one would question God’s loyalty and power once He righted Edom’s wrongs, which God had sworn to do.

Strangely, Obadiah’s gloomy message to Edom means hope for believers even today. Though we may feel like God has abandoned His church to suffer alone under the world’s opposition and ridicule, He has not. Just as in Judah’s day, God sees and knows. He has promised to justly punish all those who oppress and hurt His people. He will not always remain silent. He will prove His righteousness and right all wrongs on the day Jesus comes back for His own, the perfect ending to the beginning of God’s story for His people.

Who was Obadiah? What does his name mean?

Where was Obadiah and who was he speaking to?

Do you listen to God’s guidance for your life?

How do you listen to the Lord?