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THEBOOKOFOBADIAH
Lesson1,IntroductionandChapter1
TheBookofObadiahistheshortestbookintheOldTestament,butthathardly
makesitthesmallestwhenitcomestoitsimportanceandrelevance,orinits
complexity.InHebrew,thenameoftheProphetisoved-yah,whichprobably
meanssomethinglikeservantofGodorperhapsworshipperofGod.Theprimary
subjectofObadiahisaprophecyofdoomagainstthenationofEdom.While
EdomismentionedregularlyinanumberofthePropheticbooksasanationthat
willsufferGod’sjudgment,Obadiahpaysthemostattentiontoit.Evenso,aswe
movethroughObadiahIwillincorporateothersofthevariousProphets’
messagesaboutEdomtoaddsomemuch-neededfleshtothebonesthat
ObadiahleavesoutbecauseheisquiteawarethatearlierProphetshadalready
establishedthecontextconcerningGod’sstancetowardsEdom,andso,forthe
Judeansofhisday,therewaslittleneedtorepeatitasitwasalreadywellknown.
ThereisafoundationalprincipletheundergirdsthewordsofObadiahthatwe’ll
seeinactioninallofthe12MinorProphets.Itisthatthosewhoarethepeople
ofGod,andthosewhoarenot,willeachexperiencedifferentendresultsinthe
fullnessoftime.ThosewhoareGod’speoplewillbeblessedandtheywillbe
delivered;thosewhoarenot,willnot.ThosewhoarenotGod’speoplemaynot
seetheirnegativeconsequencesplayingoutintheirearthlylifetimes;but
nevertheless,thesecursesuponthemwillmanifestintheeverlastingworldof
eternitythatistocome.
TheBibleisclearthatalthoughEdomandotherforeignnationsaredepictedas
thosewhoarenotthepeopleofGodandthustheywillbejudgedharshly,itisnot
thatahumanbeingmustbeanethnicorracialIsraelitetobepartof,andseen
as,oneofGod’speople.GodplantedaspecialpeopletobeHis…theHebrewsthat
beganwithAbraham…butalsogavetheopportunityforotherstojoinHispeople
ortosupportHispeopleiftheysochoose.WereadinGenesisaboutthemixed
multitudeofvariousethnicitieswholeftEgyptwithIsrael,choosingtobepartof
Israel.Ontheotherhand,Paulwentastepfurtherandevensuggestedthatnot
everyonewhoisethnicallyorraciallyaHebrewwillbeautomaticallyacceptedby
GodaspartofIsrael.
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CJB
Romans9:6ButthepresentconditionofIsra'eldoesnotmeanthattheWord
ofGodhasfailed.FornoteveryonefromIsra'elistrulypartofIsra'el;
ThepointI’mmakingisthatmerelybeingdescendedfromEsau,orbeingpartof
thenationofEdom,didnotbyitselfcondemnapersontoGod’sjudgment…nor
didbeingfromanyotherforeignnation.Obadiahdoesnotmakesuchaclaim,
nordotheotherProphets.Yet,sincethismere21-verseoracleofGodrevolves
aroundthesubjectofEdomandagreatjudgmentitisfacing,it’sprettyclearthat
EdomholdssomespecialsignificancetoYehoveh,GodofIsrael.Therefore,I
thinkit’simportanttorecognizewhoEdomishistorically,exactlywhereitis
located,howitevolvedoverthecenturies,andwhatroleitplaysinthe
developmentofIsrael.Thatway,whenwereadObadiahandthenbeginto
dissectitverse-by-verse,we’llhavethebackgroundneededtobetter
understandwhatishappeningandwhyGod’sireisraisedagainstit.
"ThelandofEdom"isthemostcommonnameintheBibleforthisregioninthe
MiddleEast.Ithad,however,othernamesthatinclude"thefieldofEdom","Seir",
"MountSeir",and"thelandofSeir"alongwithafewcombinationsofthenames
Ijustgavetoyou.There’safairamountofscholarshipthatbelievesthatafew
timesintheBiblewhenwecomeacrossthenameAram(thattypicallyisclearly
meanttodenoteSyria),infactthecontextsuggestitisacopyisterrorandought
toreadEdom.How,youask,couldArambemistakenforEdom?It’sbecause
bothofthesewordsareonly2letterslong.Thevowelsounds(for“a”,“e”,and
“o”)arenotusedinHebrew.So,Aramisspelledreysh-memwhileEdomis
spelleddalit-mem.TheissueisthattheHebrewlettersreyshandthedalitlook
nearlyidenticalandsoitisamongthemostregularmis-readingsandcopyist
errorswhenBiblesarehandcopiedastheywereformillenniauntilthe16
th
centuryA.D.withtheinventionoftheprintingpress.Accordingtocertain
EgyptianandAkkadiansources,thename“Seir”isprobablythefirstnamethe
regionwasgivenandknownbyanditlikelyoccurrednoearlierthanthe
14
th
centuryB.C.ThismeansithadthisnamepriortothetimeofMoses.The
nameSeirislikelywhattheresidentsofthatarea,theHorites,calleditaswefind
itrecordedinDeuteronomy2:12.OnlysometimeaftertheHoriteswereejected
didthesenewresidentschangethenametoEdom.
TheterritoryofEdomisonlyroughlydefinedintheScripturesandtheperceived
boundarieschangedovertimewitheachnewcivilizationthatmovedintothe
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area.Further,establishinganddescribingpreciseboundariesfornationsthatwe
areusedtoinmoderntimeswasn’tpossibleintheancientpast.Oncethearea
wasgiventhenameofEdomtheboundariesconsistedofthemountainrange
thatstandsatthenorthernendoftheDeadSeaandondowntotheRedSea(or
theGulfofAqabaasitisalsoknownbyinmoderntimes)inthesouth.The
northernborderofEdomwastheZeredRiver(Wadial-Hesa),whichwasalsothe
recognizedsouthernborderofMoab.Totheeastitsboundarywasthedesertand
anareathatisnowpartofJordan.Edom’ssouthernborderwaswhattodayisthe
portcityofEilat.Therewasprobablynofixedorwell-discernablewestern
boundary,howeveritseemsthatitverylikelyextendedtowhattheBiblecalls
theZinDesert.Kadeshseemstoalsobesomesortofwesternboundaryidentifier
becauseduringIsrael’sexodusfromEgyptwereadinNumbers20:16thatthe
IsraelitesaskedpermissiontopassthroughEdomandrecorded:"Nowweare
inKadesh,thetownontheborderofyourterritory".Stillanotherplaceusedto
helpdefinewhatEdomconsideredtobeitswesternborderisrecordedin
Numbers20:23,as"MountHorontheboundaryofthelandofEdom".Whatis
keytounderstandisthatEdom’sboundarieswerenotperfectlyfixedorclear,
andovertimetheterritoryclaimedandoccupiedbyEdomwouldexpandor
contract.Thiswasnotanunusualstateofaffairsfornationsinveryancient
times.
ThecapitalofEdomwaslikelyBozrahsinceBozrahseemedtobetherichestand
mostimportantcityinEdom.Inthisera,thethoughtofanationhavingasingle
identifiablecapitalcity(likeaWashingtonD.C.oraLondon)wasn’tuniversal.
Rather,insomenationsakingmightchoosesomecitywherehepreferredtolive
andestablishhispalace…anditcouldhavebeeninmorethanoneplace…andthe
governmentsimplyfollowedhimthere.Thus,capitalsforsomenationswere
morealongthelinesofwhatwemightcall“unofficial”.Whatisratherastonishing
torealizeisthatarchaeologicalfindingsandresearchshowthattheregionof
Edom(longbeforeitwascalledEdom)wassettledandhadaprettyhighlevelof
civilizationasearlyas2200B.C.…wellbeforethetimeofAbraham.But,asoften
happenswiththeseancientcivilizations,eithersomekindofadisasterbefellthe
people…perhapsadroughtorpestilence…maybeeveninvaders…anddestroyed
that400-year-oldcivilizationaroundthemid-1800’sB.C.Forthenext5
centuriesthatregionwouldremainmostlyemptyandwasjustastop-overplace
fornomads.Inotherwords,therewasnonationorgovernmentorevenacityin
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existencethere.Therefore,itwasopenterritoryforthenextpeoplegroup
lookingforanewhometoarriveandestablishitself…andofcoursethat’swhat
happened.
Archeologytellsusthatattheendofthe14
th
centuryB.C.therewasarenewal
ofanagriculturalcivilizationamongtheEdomites,theMoabites,theAmmonites,
andtheAmorites,whoquicklydividedintonationalgroupswithinbetterdefined
territorialboundaries.Thesekingdomsallprosperedfromaboutthe13
th
tothe
8
th
centuriesB.C.untiltheirdestructioninthe6thcenturyB.C.,aboutthetime
whenJudahwasinvadedandexiledtoBabylon.
ItisinformativethatourknowledgeaboutEdomcomesmostlyfromtheBible
andwhatwelearnaboutEdomwellexceedswhattheBibletellsusaboutother
kingdomsneighboringIsrael.ThisgreatamountofmaterialintheBibleabout
Edomissoveryhelpfulfromthehistoricalpointofview.Genesis36devotes
itselftothepeoplewhowouldinhabitEdom,howEdomgotitsname,thefamily
relationshipsinvolvedandclearlytheseinhabitantsarealldescendantsofEsau,
Jacob’stwinbrother.
OncethetribesdescendedfromEsaumovedintotheregion,theyweremuch
liketheIsraeliteswhentheyfirstarrivedinCanaan.Thatis,theywereanything
butacohesivenation.Eachtribehadtheirownterritorytocontrolandsowere
mastersoftheirowndomain.Ontheflip-side,eachtribalprincealsocaredonly
aboutwhatwashis.But,intime,kingscameintopowerandthetribeslosttheir
independence.Duringthisperiodoftribalprincesandthenkings,Edomwas
stronganditsborderssecuredbyastringofborderfortresseswhichprevented
nomadictribescomingfromthedeserttoinvadethem.AseriesofEdomite
fortresseswerediscoveredduringanarchaeologicalsurveyineasternand
southernEdom,andsomealsoinwesternEdom.Thereisalmostnobiblical
informationinregardtocontactsbetweenIsraelandEdomduringthisperiod,
exceptthatEdomislistedamongthenationstroublingIsrael;nationsthatKing
Saulfoughtagainstattheendofthisperiod.
WhileEdomiscertainlyalargelyaridregion,itwasnotwithoutinfluenceor
advantage.Edom'sgeographicallocationprovedtobestrategicallyimportantin
theancientworld.Theregionwasblessedwithvaluableresources,particularly
coppermines.ThecityofTimnawasrenownedforitscopperproduction,and
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theseminescontributedtoEdom'seconomicprosperity.Edomwasalsolocated
atthecrossroadsofkeytraderoutes,whichaddedtoitssignificanceandits
wealth.So,whiletheArabworldtothisdayclaimsthatEsaugottheshortendof
thestickandhisdescendantswereunjustlyrelegatedbyIsraeltoawasteland,
thatissimplynothistoricallyaccurate.
HereIwanttoinjectsomethingthatweneedtokeepinmindaswestudy
ObadiahwhenitcomestounderstandingjustwhoEdomwas,is,andwhythey
reactedagainstIsraelastheydid(andstilldo)….andwhyGodreactedtowards
thedescendantsofEsauasHedid(andHestilldoes).IntheBookof1
st
Samuel,
wearetoldthis:
CJB
1Sam.15:2-3
2
HereiswhatADONAI-Tzva'otsays:'Irememberwhat
'AmalekdidtoIsra'el,howtheyfoughtagainstIsra'elwhentheywerecomingup
fromEgypt.
3
Nowgoandattack'Amalek,andcompletelydestroyeverything
theyhave.Don'tsparethem,butkillmenandwomen,childrenandbabies,cows
andsheep,camelsanddonkeys.'"
WhoisAmalekandwheredidtheycomefrom?Esauisconsideredthefatherof
theEdomitesbutheisalsothegrandfatherofAmalek.AccordingtotheBookof
Genesis,AmalekwasthesonofEliphazandhisconcubineTimna.Eliphazwasthe
first-bornsonofEsaubyhiswifeAdah.Amalekisthetribalfoundingfatherofthe
Amalekites.AretheAmalekitesandEdomitesdifferentnamesforthesametribe?
OraretheEdomitesadifferenttribewithaseparatelineagetoEsau?Although
differentgroups,theywereunitedequallybyveryclosefamilyrelationshipas
wellasbytheirprimarycommondesire:theannihilationofIsraelinitsentirety.
TheirliveswerecenteredarounddespisingGod'schosenpeopleandattacking
anythingrelatedtothem.EdomandAmalekwerecutfromthesamecloth:Esau,
whohatedhisbrotherJacobforwhathesawwasastolenbirthright.Italso
seemsthatAmalekwasinfiltratedbythedreadedNephilim…theillicithybrid
spirit-being/human-beingpeoplethatcamefromthesonsofGodcomingdown
fromHeaventohavechildrenwiththedaughtersofmen(humanbeings).So,it
oughtnotbesurprisingthatGodsingledAmalekoutforextinction,andpaid
specialattentiontoEdomforHiswrath.Many,ifnotmost,ofthePalestiniansin
GazaandtheWestBanktodayarerelatedtoEsausoitisnowonderthatthey
havethismaniacalhatredtowardsIsraelandopenlystatedintenttokillallthe
JewsandwipeIsraeloffthefaceoftheearth.Theselongrelationshipsmatter,
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evenifthemodernpeoplewhorepresenttheseancientpeoplesdon’tunderstand
it.
BecauseoftheconstantthreatfromEdom,KingDavidfinallyconqueredEdom
afteradecisivebattleintheValleyofSalt.Contrarytohisusualwayofdealing
withtheothernationsoftheTransjordanthatheconquered,Daviddidnotleave
theEdomitekinginpowerasavassalbutmadeEdomintoanIsraeliteprovince
ruledbyIsraelitegovernors.HisreasonsforturningEdomintowhatwas
essentiallyanIsraeliteprovincewasprobablyprimarilyeconomicsinceEdom
hadthewherewithaltogiveupsubstantialtribute,andtheycontrolledthe
all-importanttraderoutes,bothoverland–the"King'sHighway"–andmaritime
–theportofEzion-Geber-Elath.Israel'sruleofEdombymeansofgovernors
lastedthroughoutDavid'sreignandapparentlyalsothroughmostofSolomon's
time,untilHadad,adescendantofthelastEdomiteking,rebelledagainst
Solomon.
WehavenoinformationaboutEdomfromtheendofSolomon'sreignuntil
JehoshaphatcametothethroneeitherfromtheBibleorfromothersources.It
maybereasonablyassumedthatafterthedeathofSolomonandthekingdom’s
quickdescentintocivilwarandfinallyitsdivisionintoseparateandindependent
northernandsouthernkingdoms,andespeciallyaftertheEgyptianKing
Shishak'scampaigninJudahandIsrael,Edomfinallyoverthrewtherepressive
ruleofIsraelandre-establisheditselfasanindependentkingdom…butitwasa
kingdomthatlastedforonlyaround50years.WiththeexpansionofJudah
southwardinthetimeofJehoshaphat,EdomwasagainconqueredbyJudah.
LaterduringthetimeofKingJoram,EdomrebelledagainstJudah,regainingits
independence.ThenatthetimeofKingAhaz,Edomcameundertheruleof
Assyriaasavassalstate.BackandforththesagawentforEdom;from
oppressingIsraeltobeingthemselvescontrolledorconqueredbyaforeign
power.
TowardstheendofthekingdomofJudah(atthefirstpartofthesixthcentury
B.C.),whenJudahwasrisingupagainstBabylonianrule,Edomwasreadytojoin
theminrebellionsincethey,too,hadbeensubjugatedbyBabylon.Thekingof
EdomsentmessengerstoameetingofrebelscalledinJerusalembyZedekiah
kingofJudah.But,alas,Edomsoonshoweditshistorictruecolorsandduringthe
invasionofJudahbyBabylon,Edomswitchedsidesandsentitstroopsagainst
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Judah.EventhoughEdomgainedsomuchofthewealthofJudahby
piggy-backingupontheBabylonian’ssuccessandsubsequentexileofthe
Judeans,injustafewyearsEdombecamethetargetofBabyloniandestruction.
Afterthat,severalsmallnomadictribesinfiltratedthenowseverelyweakened
Edom,andthehistoricalresidentsofEdomturnedtowardJudah’sterritoryand
settledinitsonlylightlypopulatedsoutherndesertregion.Here,then,isalso
whenduetotheEdomitesmoreorlessvacatingtheirhistoricalhomelandledto
whatarcheologistscallTheNabateanKingdom.Inthe4
th
centuryB.C.,the
Nabateans,anomadicArabtribe,migratedintothevacatedEdomiteregionand
establishedapowerfulkingdomcenteredaroundtheamazingcityofPetrathat
hasbeenfeaturedinmanymoviesanddrawsthousandsofvisitorseachyearto
viewit.TheNabateansprosperedthroughcontroloftraderoutesandthe
developmentofadvancedwatermanagementsystems.3centurieslater,the
landofEdomwentthroughyetanothergreattransition.
Bythe1
st
centuryB.C.,theRomanEmpirehadconqueredtheNabatean
Kingdom,incorporatingEdomintothebroaderprovinceofArabiaPetraea.This
markedthefinalchapterofEdom'sindependenthistory.Theregionexperienced
aslowdecline,exacerbatedbychangingtraderoutesandeconomicshiftsand
soontheareabecameknownasIdumea,anditretainedthatnamerighton
throughthetimeofChrist.
ItshouldnotgowithoutnoticethattheinfamousKingHerodwasanIdumean;
meaninghewasreallyanEdomiteeventhoughheattemptedtopawnhimselfoff
asaJew.AswereadintheNewTestament,hewashatedbytheJewishpeople
whowellknewthathecamefromthelineofEsau…fromEdom…theirhistorical
enemy.AtthissametimetheunderstandingofjustwhereEdomwaslocated
geographicallychangedradicallyfromwhatithadeverbeen.Edomhadn’tso
muchexpandedintosouthernJudahastheyhadfledtoit,andsotheylostthe
partoftheirterritorythatwasontheeastsideoftheJordanRiver.Theirmain
homebecamethesouthernJudeandesertanditwasduringthattimeitwas
renamedIdumea.
DuringthoseearlydaysofEdombeingmoreorlessforcedintoashrinking
territoryinthesouthofJudah,asubstantialchangeintherelationsbetweenthe
twonationstookplaceinthedaysoftheMaccabeeswhenJohnHyrcanus,atthe
endofsecondcenturyB.C.conqueredthewholeofIdumeaandundertookthe
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forcedconversionofitsinhabitantstothereligionoftheJews.TheEdomites
worshippedanumberofgodsofnatureandfertility,buttheirmaingod,their
nationalGod,wasQos.Thus,theEdomiteswerepagansandbeingforcedto
accepttheHebrewfaith.FromthattimeforwardtheEdomites,nowcalled
Idumeans,becameasectionoftheJewishpeople.SinceKingHerodwasan
Idumean(anEdomite),Idumeaservedingeneralasthefirmbasisofhis
authorityashequitenaturallyconsideredtheIdumeanstobemuchmoreloyal
tohimthantheJudeanswhohatedhim.
TheIdumeans(thinkEdomites)participatedintheJewishrebellionagainstRome
thatresultedinthedestructionoftheTemplein70A.D.Strangelyenough,they
foundthemselvesinleaguewiththeradicalJewishZealotswhowerenotonly
fightingagainstRome,theywerealsofightingagainstthemainstreamJewswho
wereundertheleadershipofAnanb.Anan,becausetheZealotswerethoroughly
convincedthatAnanandthoseJewswithhimintendedtodeliverthecityintothe
handsoftheRomansratherthanengaginginbattlewithRomebelievingthat
suchafightwouldbepointlessandsuicidal.Notlonglater,Idumeafadesfrom
thepagesofhistoryandthelonghistoryofEdomseemstolargelygo
undergroundandundetected.Butwhenthewillofalineofpeopleisfocused
solelyongoingagainstGod’swill,andagainstGod’sset-apartpeople,the
Adversarywholeadsthemdoesn’tacceptsuchatemporaryset-backastheend
ofthestory.Likeariverthatgoesundergroundonlytore-emergefromtimeto
time,Edomseemstore-surfacefromtimetotimeinhistory,aspersecutorsof
theJewishpeople,andnomoresothanweseetodayin2023,astheyonceagain
dobattleagainstIsraelunderthenameof“Palestinians”.
ThereisnoacademicconsensusastowhentheBookofObadiahwaswritten.
However,thepredominanceofBiblescholarsplacesitearlyinthe6
th
centuryB.C.
ataroundthesametimeBabylonhadinvadedJudahandleveledJerusalem.The
reasonforthisdateplacementisthattheprophecyObadiahwrotespeaksabout
Edom’sroleinaidingBabylon’sonslaughtagainstJudah.Aswewindourway
throughObadiahit'salwaysimportanttokeepinmindthatwhenthevarious
biblicalProphetswrote,itwasusuallyinthecontextofwhatwasgoingonintheir
timeeventhoughatleastsomeoftheirprophecyconcernedfuturehappenings.
EspeciallyinObadiah’sday,EdomwassecondonlytoBabylonasthechief
persecutorofIsraelsoitisnotsurprisingthatitwastheywhowerethefocusof
Obadiah’sprophecy.
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BecauseEsau’sdescendantscontinuedtoharbortremendousjealousyand
enmitytowardsJacobandhisdescendants(andstilldotothisday),theyused
theopportunityofBabylonconqueringJudahtomoveintoandtakeoverthe
southernmostpartofJudah’sterritorysincesomanyoftheJudeanshadeither
abandonedtheirhomestofleefromtheBabylonianarmy,ortheyhadbeen
capturedandhauledofftoBabylon.Thus,thereweremanyJudeanhomes,
farms,andvineyardsthattheEdomitessimplymovedintoandtookover.They
alsoweremostpleasedtoblockthefleeingJudeansfromescapingBabylon’s
forcesbycapturingthoseJudeansthatwerefleeingtowardsthesouthwest,and
givingthemovertoBabylon.ThelongandshortofitisthatEdomhelped
BabylontooppressJudahandsoObadiahpropheciesthatEdomisgoingtohave
essentiallythesamethinghappentotheminreturn.
ThethingwemustnoteisthatEdomwasnotbeingseverelypunishedbecause
theyaccidentallybumbledintodoingsomethingtoIsraelthatYehovehdidn’tlike.
Itispreciselybecausetheydidknowbetter,butdiditanyway,thatisbringing
God’sheavyhanddownuponthem.Wefindmoreorlessthissamefatebeing
pronouncedamongalltheforeignnationsthateitherdirectlyattackedand
harmedIsrael,oraidedandabetted(orinsomewaysupported)thosenations
whodid.RememberingthatitisessentiallythedescendantsofEsauthatare
attackingIsraelfromGazatoday,thenitdoesn’ttakemuchmorethanreading
thenewsheadlinestoknowwhostandswithGazaversuswhoisopposedto
Israel,andthuswhatfateawaitsIsrael’senemiessoonerorlater.The
God-principleissimple,timeless,andirrevocable:IsraelisGod’speople.
Therefore,toharm,fight,oroppressIsrael,ortoaidIsrael’senemiestodoso,is
thesameasfightingagainstGod.
Aswehavediscussedinotherlessons,theHebrewBiblewastranslatedinto
Greekinthemid-200’sB.C.ThistranslationiscalledtheSeptuagintanditisthe
basisforsomeoftheEnglish(andotherlanguage)BibletranslationsoftheOld
Testament.Notsurprisingly,theanti-JewishConstantinianChurchimmediately
adoptedtheGreekSeptuagint,ratherthantheHebrewtext,foritsOld
TestamenttranslationatleastpartlybecauseGreekwasthepredominant
languageoftheRomanEmpire.Butdoingsoinjectedasignificantissue…an
unintendedconsequence…forproperunderstandingoftheProphets,especially,
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becausetheProphetstendedtointersperseHebrewpoetryintheirwritings.
Don’tthinkofHebrewpoetryquitethesamewayEnglishandmodernWestern
poetryworkswheretherhymingofwordsisitsmainattribute.Hebrewpoetrydid
sometimesinvolverhyming,butevenmoreoftenthe“poetry”aspectwas
reflectedbyusingtwoparallelstatementsofthesamelength.Somescholars
havetakentocallingHebrewpoetry“thought-rhythm”.Word-playwasalsopart
ofHebrewpoetry.Wedon’tneedtogetintoallofitsnuances;it’sonlythatyou
needtoknowthattheproblemwiththeGreektranslation(theSeptuagint),and
franklymanyEnglishtranslationsthatareeventakenfromtheHebrewOld
TestamentandnottheGreek,isthatBibletranslatorsandteachersdidnotand
donotalwaysgraspHebrewpoetryandsomisinterpretwhatismeantbywhatis
beingsaid.ObadiahemploysmuchHebrewpoetryandsowe’llbecognizantof
thataswestudyitsinspiredwordsinordertoarriveatabetterunderstandingof
theintent.
SomuchofthepropheciesofdoomagainstEdomandallthenationscome
togetherintheconceptoftheDayoftheLord(theDayofYehoveh)thatthe
ChristianandMessianicworldisprettyfamiliarwith.WhiletheDayoftheLordis
notasingleeventthatoccursonlyonce,nordoesitrepresentsomethingthat
happensinasingle24-hourtimespan,itdoesalwayssignifyanactofdivine
wrath.ItisGod’ssovereigninterventionintotheaffairsofmentoputdownthe
willsofmeninordertoestablishHiswill.And,yet,italsoreassuresthosewho
aretrulypeopleofGodthattheywillbedeliveredandpreserved.
Withthat,let’sopenourBibleandreadthe1-chapterBookofObadiah.
READOBADIAHCHAPTER1all
InHebrewtheopeningwordsofObadiaharehazonovad-yahmeaningObadiah’s
vision.SomescholarssayitmeansObadiah’srevelation,butvisionand
revelationaresimilarinmeaningsoasthereisnoneedtoquibbleoverwhichis
right.Hazonoccurs35timesintheBible,withabout1/3
rd
oftheoccurrencesin
theBookofDaniel.Fromapurelygenericstandpoint,thewordmeans“tosee”
something.However,intheProphetsitalwaysreferstothecontentofthe
propheticrevelation.Inacademictermsthisratherstandardformforbeginning
abookiscalledasuperscription.SincesomanyBiblebooksbeginwitha
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superscription,butitsrelevanceisrarelyevertalkedaboutorexplained,its
significancegoesunnoticedbyBiblestudents.So,let’sbrieflydelveintothe
literaryuseandmeaningofsuperscriptionaswefinditintheBible.
Thebasicdefinitionof‘superscription’is,“Somethingwrittenaboveoroutside
somethingelse.”IntheBible,theycontainfourpossibletypesofinformation:
First,personalnames(usuallyincludingtheHebrewprepositionlĕ).For
instance,morethan70psalmsinvokethenameDavid;somePsalmshaveAsaph
(Psalms50and73–83).ThereareevenPsalmsthatbeginwiththewords“the
sons(ordescendants)ofKorah”(wefindthatinPsalms42,44–49,84&85,and
87&88.ThenameSolomonisfoundtobeginPsalms72and127,EthaninPsalm
89,HemaninPsalm88,andMosesinPsalm90.Again:alltheseare
superscriptionssoweoughttobeabletograspwithoutbeingtheologiansthatit
matterswhotheauthorofaPsalmwas.
Thesecondtypeofsuperscriptionare“Genre”classificationssuchas“psalms”
(inHebrewmizmôr)or“songs”(inHebrewšɩ̂r),andsometimessomevery
nuancedliterarytermslikemiktāmormakkɩ̂lareincluded.
Thethirdtypeofbiblicalsuperscriptionisaboutliturgicaldirections,suchas
lamnaṣṣēaḥ,meaning“totheleader”;andtherearealsosometimesincluded
otherobscuretermsdenotingmelodies,musicalinstruments,andproperritual
proceduresthataretobeperformed.
Thefourthtypearereferencesthatrelatetocertainindividualpsalmsconcerning
David’slife(Psalms.3,7,18,34andseveralothers).Manyoftheseinclude
technicalnotationswhoseexactmeaningwasofcoursecleartothewriterand
thepeopleofhisday,buttheyarenotsocleartous.Forexample,mostofthe
PsalmsaredescribedintheoriginalHebrewasmizmôr,a“psalm,”butthis
almostcertainlyincludedtheunderstandingthatmizmôrmeantthatwhenthe
wordswererecitedtheyweretobeaccompaniedbymusicalinstruments.A
numberofPsalmscalled“Song”(Hebrewšîr)alsoincludemorenuanced
directionsastoexactlywhattypeofmusicalinstrumentsweretoaccompanythe
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singingorchanting,suchasPsalm4withitsnote,“Tothechoirmaster:with
stringedinstruments”;andPsalm5withitsdirection,“Tothechoirmaster:for
theflutes.”Thereare55ofthesePsalms.Wealsoregularlyfindtheword“selah”
inthesuperscriptionandwhiletherearemanyeducatedguessesabouttheword,
thetruthisthatitsmeaningremainsamystery.ThewaytheGreekSeptuagint
translatesit,itistakentomeanamusicalinterludeorevenapauseor
intermission…thisishighlydoubtful.Bottomline:therecanbealotof
informationinasimplesuperscriptionthatbeginsaBiblebook.Inthecaseof
Obadiah,wefindtheauthor’snamealongwiththekind,orsource,ofthe
messageheisgoingtodeliver:itcomesfromavisionhehad.
Continuinginverse1,followingthesuperscriptionwegetthewords:“Thus
spoketheLordYehovehtoEdom”.Iprefernottogetusboggeddownintoo
muchtechnicaljargon,andyetaswithourrealizingtheimportanceofwhatthe
informationthesuperscriptionbringswithitbringstous,soitisthatweneedto
understandwhatthesenextwordsmeanthatcompleteswhatacademicsafter
call“themessengerformula”.
So,thefirstpartofthemessengerformulaisthesuperscription.Then,thenext
wordistheHebrewwordkohthatmeans“thus”inthesenseof“whatfollows”.
Thesecondwordisamar,whichsimplymeans“spoke”.Thisisfollowedbythe
nameofthespeaker:theLordYehoveh,andthenrecipientofthemessage,
Edom.So“themessengerformula”thatwefind19timesintheHebrewBible
alwaysconsistsof3partiesbeingidentified.Themessenger(inthiscase
Obadiah),thesenderandauthorofthemessenger(theLordYehoveh),andthe
recipientofthemessage,Edom.Thisgivesusaveryplainunderstandingofthe
processbywhichthiscommunicationisoccurringandrelievesusofany
ambiguity.Thatis,thisisnotObadiah’smessagenorisithiswords…itisthe
LordYehoveh’smessageandtheLordYehoveh’swords.And,itidentifies
Obadiahastheauthorizedpersonwhoistodeliverthemessage.Inadditionto
the19timeswhenGodistheonethatissendingthemessage,therearealso
over400timesintheBiblewhenthissamemessengerformulaisused,butthe
senderisahumanbeing.Thistellsusthatthe“messengerformula”was
embeddedandunderstoodwithinthebiblicalHebrewculture.
Lesson1-ObadiahIntro&Chapter1
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So,tobeginObadiahwehavethesentence:hazonoved-yahkohamaradonai
Yehovehleedom.“Obadiah’svision;thusspoketheLordYehovehtoEdom”.
NoticethatGod’sformalnameisused.Thisisnotrare,buttotheaverageBible
readeritwouldcertainlyseemso.TherealityisthatGod’sformalnameiswritten
over6000timesintheHebrewScriptures.However,EnglishBiblesomititnearly
entirely,perhapsallowingGod’snametoappearahalf-dozentimesonaverage.
InsteadofGod’sname(asitiswritten),we’lljustfinditasLordGod,orasLord.
PartofthereasonforthisisbecausewhenwegettotheNewTestament,wefind
Yeshuaregularlyreferredtoas“Lord”.Thus,theConstantinianChurchbegana
traditionofsortstotransfertheofficeofGodfrombeingYehovehtobeingJesus
bysimplyusingthewordLord(insteadofYehoveh)andtherebyallowingthe
ChristianreadertoassumethatthismustmeanJesus.If,likemyself,youfindit
importanttoknowwhichpersonageorattributeofGodcommandedcertain
thingsorgavevisions,etc.,thenknowingforcertainitwastheFather,Yehoveh,
ratherthanTheSon,Yeshua,matters.
OK.There’sbeenagreatdealofinformationimpartedinthislesson,andIthink
we’llleaveitfortoday.