The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Sovereign LORD says about Edom—We have heard a message from the LORD: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, “Rise, let us go against her for battle”— - Obadiah 1:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 2, 2019): Obadiah 1

What does your name mean? I am not sure that we pay much attention to name meanings anymore. My name means “strong spear.” But I doubt that the definition of my name had anything to do with the reason my parents named me Garry. My children are Alyssa, a name which means “rational” or of “good humor,” and Craig, a name which means rock, but the meaning of their names played no role in my or my wife’s [Nelda which means “champion,”] reason for choosing the name. My name could have been David, which means “beloved,” except that I have a second cousin who bears the name David Mullen.

Obadiah means “Worshipper of Yahweh,” And there are a total of thirteen of them mentioned in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. And the one who authored this book might have been one of the other twelve, or he might not be. If he was one of the other Obadiah’s, it is most likely that he was the Obadiah who lived during the prophetic ministry of Elisha and who is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 17:7. But that is really nothing more than a guess.

What is important, and unique, about the vision of Obadiah is that the prophecy really doesn’t deal with Israel or Judah. It was a message against Edom, a nation that existed just to the southeast of Judah. It is a “Breaking News” announcement that God was going to move against Edom, the descendants of Esau, and the cousins of Israel.

Edom had a complicated relationship with their cousins in Israel and Judah. Sometimes they opposed Israel, but there were also times when they supported the nation. When Israel was in the desert, they called on their cousins to ask if the Edomites would allow Israel to pass through Edomite territory. Edom refused passage. When Jerusalem fell during the reign of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II, Edom helped the Babylonians, plundering the city and killing the surviving Judeans.

But on the other side of the coin, Edom stood beside the Zealots during the siege of Jerusalem, helping Israel as they fought for their independence against the Romans. And then, at some point after that, Edom disappeared. Today their territory is split between Israel and Jordan. It is the end of a story of conflict that started centuries earlier, as seen in a vision by a prophet named Obadiah, “Worshipper of Yahweh.”     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 18