Obadiah 1:1 (ESV Strong's)
The vision of Obadiah.
Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom:
We have heard a report from the Lord,
and a messenger has been sent among the nations:
“Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!”
Subject: God uses obscure people
All we know about the writer of this book, Obadiah, is what is written in this, the smallest book of the Old Testament. The one-chapter utterance is a "vision of Obadiah." His name means, "Servant of Yahweh." There is no mention of this book in the New Testament. The book is a vision against Edom. The Edomites were descendants of Esau, Jacob's (Israel's) brother. Jacob had stolen Esau's birthright and blessing. They had forever held that grudge. God had chosen Jacob over Esau:
Genesis 27:41 (ESV Strong's)
Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
Because of this bitterness in the Edomites, when God had sent Babylon to discipline Israel, Edom not only didn't help, they turned over those who fled the Babylonians to Babylon. That is where God rose up Obadiah to speak this short vision of destruction on Edom. God did not choose someone of great stature and renown. He did not choose a familiar but simply an obedient voice. God uses those who will be obedient not those who come already radiant. After this message, Obadiah disappears from history, except for this book. God picked him up from what appears as nowhere and puts him right back there after he delivers this message. God uses His servants as He pleases. It is not about the messenger for God, as it is in our churches today that are built on personality. It is about God.
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