God has enemies, and the book of Obadiah is a short prophetic oracle about God’s action against his enemies. Ultimately, however, it’s a message of hope for God’s people.

God has enemies. This truth is difficult to stomach. It can be hard for us to square with other truths we read in our Bibles, truths like “God is love” (1 John 4:8). But don’t take my word for it. Consider Scripture’s testimony:

Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you” (Ps. 66:3).

God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered…God will strike the heads of his enemies (Ps. 68:1, 21).

The LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies (Nah. 1:2).

Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4).

God has enemies, and the book of Obadiah is a short prophetic oracle about God’s action against his enemies. Ultimately, however, it’s a message of hope for God’s people.

2 Boys, 2 Nations

In Obadiah, God’s enemies are the Edomites, and if we’re going to understand this short book, it’s important for us to know exactly who they are. Edom’s biblical history begins in Genesis 25 when Isaac and Rebekah become proud parents of twin boys: Esau and Jacob.

Brothers are frequently competitive, but these two are in competition from the womb (Gen. 25:22–23). The tension continues throughout their young lives. Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew (Gen. 25:29–34), and later Jacob steals the family blessing that should be reserved for Esau (Gen. 27). As a result of their conflict, the twins part ways, and the descendants of Jacob become the nation of Israel while the descendants of Esau become Edom.

The strife between the two boys continues in discord between their descendants. One prominent example of the strife between the two nations occurs when Edom refuses to give the wandering Israelites safe passage through their country (Num. 20:14–21). Perhaps their location encourages Edom’s arrogance in the face of Israel’s plight. Many Edomite cities sat atop mountains more than 5,000 feet above sea level. The narrow tracks that led to these cities made them almost impregnable to invading armies. Thus, there was no need to pity Israel.

Like their forefathers, these twin nations wrestle with one another. As Douglas Stuart writes, “Israel’s estranged brother nation opposed its kin at every possible point from the time of the exodus until the Babylonian conquest of Judah and Jerusalem, which it welcomed and abetted” (421). The strife even persists to the time of Christ when Herod the Idumean, a descendant of Edom, seeks to kill the newborn king of the Jews (Matt. 2:1–12).

Brotherly Betrayal and Glorious Hope

The prophet Obadiah reinforces the intimate, brotherly relationship between Israel and Esau. Their shared family history leads the prophet to see Edom’s actions as a family betrayal. While Jacob’s descendants in Jerusalem experience invasion, destruction, and exile, Esau’s descendants watch (Obad. 1:10–11), rejoice in the evil (v. 12), and even join in (vv. 13–14).

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