Amos & Obadiah
18th century Russian Icon
Here is Lawrence Boadt’s commentary on Obadiah….
The small Book of Obadiah, whose twenty-one
verses make it the shortest book in the Old Testament, gives us another picture
of the terrible conditions in Judah during the period of exile. The message of
Obadiah is aimed totally at the Edomites whose land was on the other side of
the Dead Sea and below it. Their kingdom thus lay between the Arabian tribes in
the deserts to the east and the Negev area of Judah. It was a harsh land, and
the very name “edom” which means “red land” describes the poor sandy soil unfit
for farming. Apparently at the same time that the Babylonian armies captured
Jerusalem in 586, the king of Edom took the chance to seize large parts of the
southern area of Judah. He may even have sent troops to help the Babylonians.
Verses 13 and 14 suggest that Edomites were part of the forces that sacked
Jerusalem.
Israel’s relations with the kingdom of Edom had
always been difficult. The prophetic books contain many oracles directed
against the Edomites in the strongest language used against any group in the
Bible. Amos 1:11 accuses Edom of “pursuing his brother with the sword and
casting off all pity.” Ezekiel 25 charges that “Edom has acted vengefully
against the house of Judah and has seriously sinned in taking vengeance.”
Lamentations 4 ends with the cry of the author, “But your iniquity, O daughter
Edom, he will punish when he strips you bare in your sin.”
But no book reaches the peak of anger found in
Obadiah. Much of his oracle is found repeated in Jeremiah 46, so that the two
prophets may have used an older poem that was well known as the basis of their
separate judgments against Edom. But many scholars believe that Jeremiah may
have borrowed from Obadiah’s oracle because the latter seems so original in its
power of expression. Verses 1-4 summon all the nations to fight against Edom in
her mountain strongholds. Verses 5-9 go on to describe the people plundering her
of all her riches. This is followed in verses 10-14 with a series of reasons
why Edom has been condemned by God….
Finally, the book ends with an oracle in verses
15-10 that sees a day coming when Israel shall conquer Edom and rule over her
land. This final poem does not react to the present situation of exile but
looks ahead to a better time when the Lord would return as a warrior on his day
of battle to defeat all of Israel’s enemies and make her once again powerful as
in the times of David and Solomon….
Israel’s hatred of Edom no doubt had deep roots
in earlier conflicts. The Book of Numbers tells at great length how the
Edomites refused to let Israel pass through their territory on the journey to
the promised land (Num 20:14-21). Later David defeated the Edomites and made
them part of his empire (2 Sam 8:13-14; 1 Kgs 11:15-18). Two centuries later,
Edom managed to revolt and free itself from Judah’s control for good (2 Kgs
8:20-24). In all of these battles, an undying hatred was born between the two
nations. And yet the Bible remembers that the two peoples, Israel and Edom,
were once brothers. The story of Jacob (Israel) and Esau (Edom) in Genesis 25
and 27 makes them twins from the same ancestor. But, of course, since a
patriotic Israelite is telling the story, Jacob proves to be the better and
smarter son whom God blesses, while Esau is scorned and laughed at as a kind of
rough country bumpkin.
Edom’s power was short-lived after the fall of
Jerusalem. Within the next forty years or so, Arab tribes from the east
attacked and drove most of the Edomits out of their homeland and forced them to
flee across to Judah’s Negev desert area. Since Judah was unable to stop them,
they settled down there. In later centuries the area became known as Idumea—the
home birthplace of Herod the Great at the time of Jesus.
Obadiah stresses God’s sense of justice against
the wrongs committed by nations. The prophet prays not only for Edom’s
immediate punishment but also in the long run for a reversal of her state so
that she may become nothing again and Israel may be restored to greatness. It
is not a book of easy rejoicing or the praise of a God of mercy, but it does
reveal in its passion and anger a deep trust that God cares for those who
suffer and will bring justice to the world sooner or later.
Perhaps the book of Obadiah also has something to
say to us about family relationships. Think about how the conflict between
Israel and Edom found its roots, hundreds of years previously, in the
problematic relationship between twin brothers, Jacob and Esau. So often we
think of personal relationships as affecting only ourselves, or perhaps our
immediate family, co-workers, friends, or neighbors. However, the story of
Israel and Edom shows us that a relationship gone wrong, even that between just
two people, two brothers, can have negative ramifications for centuries, or
even millennia. Think about how the current conflict in the Middle East really
has its roots in family relationships gone wrong thousands of years ago. It all
goes back to the story of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael.
Perhaps if we meditate deeply enough upon this
story it will, with the help of the Holy Spirit, motivate us to seek
reconciliation when our own relationships, especially in our families, goes
wrong. There are few things more healing than the power of forgiveness, a power
and a love that can only come to us, at its deepest level, from the heart of
God.
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