Obadiah

Introduction: Where Obadiah Fits

We're in a series called Walk Through the Bible, presently moving through the Old Testament. Before diving into Obadiah, it helps to see where this book fits into the bigger picture.

The Old Testament's 39 books break into three categories:

• The first 17 are historical books — telling the story of creation and of God's people.
• The next 5 are poetical books — wisdom on suffering, romance, and seeing life from God's perspective.
• The final 17 are prophetical books — predictions about the future given to Israel and other nations, including Assyria (Jonah, Nahum) and Edom (Obadiah).

Obadiah is only 21 verses, making it the shortest book in the Old Testament. It tells the story of two nations: Israel and Edom — a country in what is now southwestern Jordan and Israel's Negev, whose capital, Petra, was carved into red sandstone cliffs 700 feet high.

Historical Background

Obadiah was likely written around the time Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar invaded and plundered the southern kingdom of Judah. After Solomon's death, poor decisions by his son Rehoboam split the nation into the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). Both kingdoms drifted into idolatry and wickedness despite decades of warnings from prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos.

Judgment eventually fell: Israel was conquered by Assyria in 721 BC, and Judah/Jerusalem fell to Babylon in 586 BC. When Babylon attacked Judah, Edom didn't just stand by —

Verse 11: The Edomites "stood aloof" — gloating over Israel's destruction, even rejoicing.

Verse 13 says that after the battle, Edom plundered Jerusalem's wealth, and verse 14 says they captured fleeing Israelites and handed them over to the Babylonians. Edom clearly hated Israel. But why?

The Root of Edom's Hatred: Jacob and Esau

To understand Edom's hostility, we go back to Genesis. Rebekah, wife of Isaac, bore twin sons — Esau, the firstborn, and Jacob. Birth order mattered greatly then, since the firstborn received the family inheritance and a special blessing.

Rebekah favored Jacob (a caution to parents even today) and conspired to help him receive the birthright and blessing meant for Esau. Jacob went along with the deception, tricking Esau out of both.

Genesis 27:34 — "Esau burst out with a loud and bitter cry."

Genesis 27:41 — Esau held a grudge and said, "The days of mourning for my father are near. Then I will kill my brother Jacob."

What Rebekah and Jacob did was wrong, and they paid for it — Jacob had to flee, and Rebekah likely never saw her favorite son again. But Esau's unwillingness to forgive was equally wrong, and it cost him too: lasting separation from his family.

Esau settled in the land of Edom and, intentionally or not, passed his grudge down through generations. Centuries later, when Israel sought passage through Edom on the way to Canaan (Numbers 20), Edom's leaders refused — the inherited resentment still burning.

This multi-generational bitterness explains why Edom rejoiced when Babylon destroyed Israel. God, through Obadiah, warned Edom that the same judgment coming to Israel would come to them because of their pride and refusal to repent of their resentment.

Verse 15 — "The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your deeds will return upon your own head."

Resentment's Poison Today

Resentment still spreads its poison everywhere — in marriages, families, cities, workplaces, churches, and between nations. We see people cancel and demonize those they disagree with, even celebrating their downfall. It's no different than what happened in Obadiah's day.

This tiny book reveals how much God hates pride, resentment, and bitterness — because they hurt, divide, and destroy our lives and our relationships, both with others and with God.

We've all been hurt, and we've all hurt others. Many people carry old wounds far longer than they realize, often feeling justified in doing so. But the longer you nurse resentment, the more you imprison yourself.

The Suitcase Illustration

Years of travel taught me the value of traveling light — I once dragged along an overloaded suitcase whose wheel broke at the airport. That's the image of someone who holds a grudge: lugging around a heavy suitcase with no wheels.

Some of you have a suitcase full of hurt and bitterness. Will you release it into God's hands, or keep nursing it, replaying the pain again and again? Bitterness is when you allow hurt to become hate.　Resentment robs you of joy, keeping your eyes on the hurt instead of on the hope and healing found in Christ.

Proverbs 17:22 — "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

Resentment always hurts you more than the person you're angry with — while you're stewing, your "enemy" sleeps soundly. I once heard of a woman going through a horrendous divorce who began losing sight in one eye; doctors found no cause. At the end of her resources, she went to church, repented of her pride and bitterness, asked God to fill her with His love — and when she walked out to the parking lot, her sight had returned.

Resisting Resentment: Four Steps

1. Surrender Your Pride to God

Obadiah 3 — "The pride of your heart has deceived you. You who live in the clefts of the rocks... you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'"

Edom felt secure in the cliffs of Petra, convinced no one could conquer them (though the Romans eventually did). When you feel that secure, you can convince yourself you don't need God — and that mindset breeds pride, giving you permission to withhold forgiveness because you believe the other person doesn't matter.

Matthew 6:15 — "But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Forgiving others is a tangible sign that you've truly surrendered to God and experienced His grace. There's no middle ground — no partial surrender, just as there's no such thing as being partially pregnant. As John Piper has said, if you can't forgive, you likely haven't fully grasped God's grace toward you.

When Christ is Lord of my life, my identity rests in Him rather than my reputation. I no longer have to defend my pride every time I'm slighted. My focus shifts from myself to what breaks His heart — including putting others' interests ahead of my own.

2. Take Initiative

Obadiah 11 — "On the day you stood aloof..."

Edom did nothing to help Israel in their time of need. That's often how resentment plays out — we wait for the other person to come crawling back, and meanwhile we keep stewing.

Instead, take initiative: talk to God first. Get away, walk, pray, study His Word until your emotions are in check. Then go to the person who hurt you.

Matthew 18:15 — "If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over."

Go humbly, aiming to restore the relationship rather than condemn. You may never become best friends, but you can pursue peace. Remember: hurt people hurt people — often those who wound us are wounded themselves.

3. Bless Those Who Have Hurt You

Obadiah 12 — "You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune or rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction."

One sign of hidden pride is secretly rejoicing at others' failures — or feeling deflated by their successes. The opposite sign, that we've truly surrendered to God, is freely blessing others: speaking well of them, or saying nothing at all if we can't.

I can't control what others say about me, but I can control what I say about them — and that's what I'll be held accountable for. Bless even those who feel like threats or competitors; you'll know your heart is right with God when you can genuinely celebrate their success.

4. Choose to Forgive

Forgiveness, like godly (agape) love, isn't a feeling — it's a decision.

1 John 4:10 — "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

God chose to forgive us at the cost of His own life, though we didn't deserve it. If you're carrying a grudge, Jesus offers another way: forgive, extend grace, release the suitcase of rocks.

No one was more wronged than Jesus — mocked, falsely accused, beaten, crucified — yet He prayed, "Father, forgive them." The cross shows that humility is stronger than bitterness. Where humility grows, resentment withers. Pride demands repayment; humility entrusts justice to God.

Forgiveness is costly — it means saying, "I'll take the hit, I'll bear the pain." That's exactly what Jesus did for us.

This doesn't mean ignoring wounds, excusing wrongdoing, or removing all boundaries — especially with those who are dangerous or untrustworthy. But forgiveness isn't letting someone off their hook for wrongdoing; it's letting them off your hook. If you don't release them, you remain hooked to them and to the pain of what they did.

Forgiving means taking off the judge's robe and saying, "I trust God to be a better justice-maker than I am. I release my right to get even. I choose to treat you as if you'd never hurt me — because I am loved by Jesus."

Closing Challenge

There's no miracle like the miracle of grace and forgiveness. No matter how tough you look on the outside, deep down everyone longs both to forgive and to be forgiven. But it won't happen until we're willing to break the cycle and do what feels unfair: forgive.

We each have a decision — to coddle our hurt until it turns to hate and destroys us from the inside, or to hand our lives over to the One who forgave what didn't deserve forgiving, and who gives us the power to forgive others.

The only safe place to put your suitcase full of resentment is at the foot of the cross — and to leave it there. Have you done that?