Obadiah Flashcards
Subtitle:
The family feud
Main content part a :
It is the story of two very opposite twins who grew into two very opposite nations. It tells of a family feud which continued for almost 2000 years. It is a rivalry which began with the struggle of 2 infants in a womb and ended with the sending of many infants to a tomb. The story ends with the judgment of one of those brothers and the exaltation of the other.
Main content part B:
The two brothers are Jacob and Esau. The two nations are Israel and Edom. The central message of Obadiah is the judgment of Edom. Edom’s doom is foretold in more old testament books then any other foreign nation.
Theme:
The vindication of Israel against Edom.
Date written:
Shortly after 850 BC. Obadiah is the earliest of the writing prophets.
Destination:
Edom
Destination explained: Part A
Edom was comprised of the descendants of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob (twin sons of Isaac). The animosity grew as the birthright and the blessings were stolen by Jacob. The name Edom, which means red, came from this first incident as the birthright was traded for red stew. Esau also had a reddish appearance at birth and his people settled in the red sandstone area south east of Israel, called Seir.
Importance and distinctives:
Obadiah is the shortest old testament book (4 in the New Testament are shorter.) As noted, it is the earliest of the books of prophets. It is the first book to introduce the prophetic theme of “the day of the Lord”, a reference to the time of judgment primarily during the coming Great Tribulation.
Be familiar with Edom’s capital Petra: Part 1
The cause of their pride- “…Thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high… though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars…”. These words refer to their impregnable red rock city of Petra and their mountainous cities throughout Seir.
Be familiar with Edom’s capital Petra: Part 2
Petra is the most militarily defensible spot on earth. It can only be reached by one ravine, so narrow at places that only a single horse and rider can pass through. It’s cliffs reach to heights of 2000 feet. It’s buildings are carved out of the solid rock cliffs and extend to such great heights as to make any ground attack impossible.
Be familiar with Edom’s capital Petra: Part 3
Your allies in which you pride yourself will be the very ones who will destroy you.
God predicted that these very allies “that eat thy bread” would destroy them. This was fulfilled when the Nabateans were invited inside Petra for a banquet, once inside they murdered their hosts, plundered and conquered the city.
Be familiar with the day of the Lord in Obadiah:
This major prophetic theme is first introduced by Obadiah. It is then developed by Joel and throughout the Old and New Testament. “The day of the Lord” refers prophetically to the time of God’s judgment of the nations during the Great Tribulation and at the dreaded Battle of Armageddon, as well as to His establishment of His millennial kingdom after this event.
Be familiar with the 6 applications of Obadiah: #1
God always judges pride.
Be familiar with the 6 applications of Obadiah: #2
God judges grudges.
Be familiar with the 6 applications of Obadiah: #3
Self-security always brings insecurity.
