Jensens survey of the old testament adam 246

Sela, 2 Kings 14:7). This now famous tourist
attraction of the red-rock canyons was
located about fty miles south of the Dead
Sea. Obadiah may have had Petra in mind
when he wrote, “The pride of thine heart
hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the
clefts of the rock [Heb., sela; Gr., petra]“2 (v.
3, KJV, italics added).
I. BACKGROUND
A. THE MAN OBADIAH

The name Obadiah appears twenty times
in the Bible, representing thirteen di erent
persons. The only reference to the writing
prophet is in verse 1 of his book. His home
was in Judah, and he lived probably during
the reigns of Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah,
and Joash (Chart 104).3 The name Obadiah
means “servant of the Lord” or “worshiper
of the Lord.”


B. THE BOOK OF OBADIAH

1. Date written. There are a few possible
dates. If we knew which plundering of
Jerusalem Obadiah was referring back to in
verses 11-14, we could be more certain of
the book’s date. (The book was written later
than the plundering.) Read verses 11-14.
Four invasions of Jerusalem are recorded in

Old Testament history:
a) by Shishak, king of Egypt, (925 B.C.); (1
Kings 14:25-26; 2 Chron 12)
b) by Philistines and Arabians (during reign
of Jehoram; see Chart 104.); (2 Chron
21:16-17, cf. 2 Chron 21:8-10; Amos 1:6,
11-12)
c) by Jehoash, king of Israel (c. 790 B.C.); (2
Kings 14; 2 Chron 25)
d) by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (586
B.C.); (2 Kings 24-25; cf. Psalm 137:7)
Read the four groups of passages cited


above. This book takes the position that
Obadiah, in verses 11-14, was referring to
the plundering by Philistines and Arabians
(second invasion cited above).4 Based on
this, his book was written between 840 and
825 B.C.
2. Content and style. Obadiah is the
shortest book of the Old Testament, but the
familiar slogan multum in parvo (“much in
little”) certainly applies to it. The style of
the book is vigorous and colorful, using
many striking comparisons. It is a compact
version of the typical prophetic book, where
the opening chapters deal with sin and
judgment, and bright Messianic prophecies
appear toward the end. The tragic aspect of

the book is that Edom as a nation has come
to a spiritual “point of no return,” that is,
she is not o ered any hope of salvation. One
writer says, “She is the only neighbor of the
Israelites who was not given any promise of


mercy from God.”5 This is not because God
was unmerciful. Edom had already spurned
the mercies of God.

3. Historical background. Since the destiny
of Edom is a key subject of this book, some
highlights of that nation’s history are listed