Obadiah

It's amazing to me that Obadiah made it into the Bible. One chapter! 21 verses! The shortest text in the Old Testament! It's like 1/60th of Isaiah! How does that happen?!?

Impressions:

1. It's a prophecy against Edom. Perhaps this is what makes Obadiah unique. In fact, I was cruising around online and one site proposed that perhaps Obadiah was a convert to Judaism out of Edom! Interesting. True or not, while other prophets have preached against Edom in the context of a larger oracle against Israel/Judah, this is the first text that is purely addressed to a foreign nation.

2. God is the judge of all the nations, not just His own. You would of course expect this in a book addressed as a woe oracle toward a foreign nation, but, as 1:15 makes clear, "the day of the Lord is near for all nations." The implications of this seem far-reaching. Not only is God aware of what is happening beyond His chosen people, He is involved and will ultimately be the judge of all people.

3. Obadiah is the prophet of the unfinished business! It was interesting to me to read Obadiah not too long after reading the story of Jacob and Esau. It's like the oracle against Edom is the end of that particular story, out of Genesis 27 and beyond. Contentious brothers who eventually reconciled and became great nations, now both facing divine wrath. Sounds almost Shakespearean!