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Obadiah, Brotherly Love

Obadiah is one of the shortest books in the Bible. It is a whopping twenty one verses long. It is entirely possible that this blog entry will be longer than the book itself. Still just because it is short doesn't mean there isn't something there for us to learn.

Background

The book of Obadiah was written after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. It was written by the prophet Obadiah, but we don't know much about him. Obadiah was a common name during that time (there are multiple Obadiahs in the Old Testament). 

Themes

Obadiah is a book with a singular focus; denouncing the actions of the nation of Edom. Edom was a country that bordered the south east of Judah. They were descendants of Esau, brother of Jacob from whom the Israelites were descendants. As such the Israelites typically viewed the Edomites as brothers, though the two nations seldom got along.

We learn in Jeremiah that the king of Judah had gathered the rulers of the neighboring kingdoms in order to make an alliance. The idea was that if all the nations banned together they could fight off the Babylonian Empire. Edom was one of those in the alliance. However when the Babylonians arrived Edom didn't come to Judah's aid. In fact they hunted down the Israelites who were trying to escape and turned them over to Babylon.

This betrayal was felt by all the people of Judah. These were there relatives. The two nations were supposed to be brothers. Instead Edom stabbed Judah in the back. Now the people of Judah are in exile while Edom remains at home, expanding into their former neighbor's lands. 

Obadiah emerges with a strong message concerning Edom. He tells the people of Judah that God saw what Edom had done and that he would punish them for it. The book of Obadiah is God's proclamation of destruction upon Edom and a promise of restoration for Judah.

Theological Point

The way we treat our family is important. Edom is specifically singled out because they betrayed their "brother", Israel. God holds family in high regard (he did create it after all) and does not tolerate wanton betrayal. God is just and will avenge the victims.

This applies to more than just our blood relatives. The way we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ matters a great deal. We are one family in Jesus Christ, and we are supposed to love each other as a family. God has established these types of communities for a reason; to bring glory to him. When we abuse these relationships it not only hurts those closest to us, it distorts and takes away from the glory we should be giving God.

Conclusion

God does not expect our families or churches to be perfect. We are going to sin and mess up. We are broken human beings trying to live together in a broken world. What Obadiah is talking about is a blatant betrayal. Edom didn't mess up; the people knew exactly what they were doing. They purposefully hunted down Israelites. 

Too often in our families and churches there is blatant betrayal that goes beyond imperfect people striving to live together. We go after one another and hurt each other intentionally. This is what God denounces in Obadiah. This is what God does not tolerate.

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