While many of the Old Testament
prophets
address nations other than Israel and Judah to some
extent, Obadiah
is somewhat unique in that his recorded prophecies are all directed at a
foreign power: Edom.
The Edomites were descendants of Esau, the brother
of Jacob. The
tension between the brothers continued and worsened through the generations.
Obadiah delivers an indictment against Edom because of its haughtiness
and the way it gloated over the fall and hardship of Israel. Rather than
seeking peace
with their neighbors, ostensibly their long distant cousins, they were
belligerent and delighted in Israel’s subjugation to foreigners.
The judgment of Edom would come in the form of its own fall and
eventual obliteration as a nation. The territory of Edom would be possessed by
Israelites returning from captivity.
