What's OBADIAH about?

Summary

Obadiah is the shortest of the twelve short prophetic books—it's only one chapter long. It was written after the city of Jerusalem was captured by the Babylonians and accuses a small community called Edom, descended from Esau, of betraying Jerusalem and colluding with the Babylonians in capturing Jerusalem. Obadiah assures Edom that they will be permanently destroyed by God for this betrayal.

Obadiah is attributing to God the character of valuing justice and inclusion above all else, and so God will destroy those who commit injustice (as it seemed to Obadiah) against Jerusalem.

How Obadiah is important for us

The book challenges us to view international events of our time from the perspective of justice rather than from the perspective of pure power struggles.