BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

Sibling rivalries run like fault lines through the biblical story. Cain resents and murders his brother Abel. Isaac’s birth leads to his half-brother Ishmael’s exile from the family. Rachel and Leah abuse their slaves in a brutal competition for children. Perhaps most famously, twin brothers Jacob and Esau start fighting while they’re still in the womb and stay at each other’s throats for most of their lives.

Jacob and Esau become the ancestors of the nations Israel and Edom, who carry forward their fathers’ rocky relationship. When the Israelites trek toward the promised land, the Edomites refuse to let their homeless and vulnerable brothers pass through their territory (Num. 20:14-21). Kings Saul, David, and Solomon all fight against the Edomites (1 Sam. 14:47; 2 Sam. 8:11-14; 2 Kgs. 8:20). When the Babylonians invade Jerusalem, Edom cheers on and even participates in Babylon’s violent rampage.

This ancient rivalry provides the backstory to the short but powerful book of Obadiah. Edom may be celebrating Israel’s downfall now, but Yahweh promises the Edomites’ cocky cruelty will one day come back on their own heads. And it’s not just Edom: Every proud and rebellious nation will face Yahweh’s judgment on the Day of the Lord.

Watch the video to learn more about the complexity of God’s justice and the nature of God’s faithfulness, as described in the book of Obadiah.

Reflection Questions

• Look back over Amos 1. Where does Edom show up in Yahweh’s oracles against the nations? How does this help you understand the context of Obadiah 8-14?
• Meditate on Yahweh’s promises to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. Where do you see these promises fulfilled in the book of Obadiah?