Little is known about the prophet Obadiah, other than his name. His name means “servant of Jehovah.” His prophecy is undated, but its internal evidence probably dates it shortly after the fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.).

Edom was allied with Babylon and assisted them in destroying Jerusalem. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary tells us,

“It is known that Edom was allied with the Babylonians and others at the fall of Jerusalem in 587/586 B.C. and participated in the plunder of the city.” (p. 839)

Even though God Himself had raised up Babylon to destroy the city, God knew that Edom’s underlying motive was one of hatred and vengeance for losing the birthright to Jacob many centuries earlier. Edom cared nothing for the laws of God, so they did not subscribe to the laws of war in Deut. 20. Inevitably, then, this caused them to be excessive in bringing judgment upon Judah. God condemned this, and Obadiah prophesied divine judgment upon Edom.

Obadiah’s prophecy naturally follows Joel’s theme of the Day of the Lord. Joel 3:19 lists Edom as one of the nations being judged: “Edom will become a desolate wilderness.” The reason given in Joel 3:2, “they have divided up My land.” Ezekiel 35:10 says more:

¹⁰ Because you [Edomites] have said, “These two nations [Israel and Judah] and these two lands will be mine, and we will possess them,” although the Lord was there…

Obadiah enlarges on this, giving more reasons for this desolation of Edom.

Edom Absorbed into Jewry

Obadiah 1, 2 begins,

¹ The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom – “We have heard a report from the Lord, and an envoy has been sent among the nations, saying, ‘Arise and let us go against her for battle’ – ² Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you are greatly despised.”

Few Bible commentators and teachers dare to ask the important question: Which nation today is Edom? The Jewish Talmud claims that Edom is Rome, and so they say it is the Roman Church. But that has no serious credibility. The view is an attempt to project guilt upon Christianity, when, in fact, virtually all historians know that Edom (or Idumeans in Greek) was conquered and absorbed by Judah in 126 B.C. This historic fact is undisputed by all.

On page 587 of The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia, edited by Dr. Cecil Roth and Dr. Geoffrey Wigoder (1970 edition), it says under “Edom,”

“The Edomites were conquered by John Hyrcanus who forcibly converted them to Judaism, and from then on they constituted a part of the Jewish people, Herod being one of their descendants.”

John Hyrcanus was the Jewish general who finally conquered the Edomites. Josephus, the Jewish historian, wrote in 95 A.D. in his Antiquities of the Jews, XIII, ix, 1,

“Hyrcanus took also Dora and Marissa, cities of Idumea, and subdued all the Idumeans; and permitted them to stay in that country, if they would be circumcised, and make use of the laws of the Jews; and they were so desirous of living in the country of their forefathers, that they submitted to the use of circumcision and the rest of the Jews’ ways of living; at which time therefore, this befell them, that they were hereafter no other than Jews.”

In other words, when the Edomites were “forcibly converted” to Judaism, Edom (Idumea) ceased to be a nation distinct from Judah (Judea). During the time of the Roman war, the Idumean Jews were the most radical rebels fighting the Romans. In fact, the final battle ended at Masada, which was the last Jewish-Idumean stronghold that fell to the Romans at Passover of 73 A.D.

The point is that Edom ceased to exist as an independent nation, but the Edomites themselves were converted to Judaism. This formed a merger between Edom and Judah, and so the biblical prophecies about Edom in the latter days must be fulfilled within world Jewry.

Edom Despised Among the Nations

Obadiah’s revelation says that Edom was to be “greatly despised” among the nations. It might be argued that the Jews as a whole have been despised in the past 2,000 years, but in my view it is the Zionists in particular who wear the mantle of Edom.

Recall that the Edomites coveted the land of Israel, believing that they had been robbed of it by his brother Jacob. (Note: “Esau is Edom,” Gen. 36:8) In Mal. 1:4 God puts words into the mouth of Edom: “We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins.” This describes Zionism today.

Since 1948, the Edomite Zionists have claimed a large portion of the old land, claiming to be Israel, but in fact it is Edom. Just as Jacob had stolen Esau’s identity to obtain the birthright from Isaac, so also did God allow Esau-Edom to steal the identity of Jacob-Israel in 1948. A complete study of this is in my book, The Struggle for the Birthright.

As we reach the end of the age, it appears that what Isaiah calls “the controversy of Zion” (Isaiah 34:8 KJV) is the legal case between Jacob and Esau, or between Israel and Edom. This case is now reaching a climax, and God’s verdict is about to be rendered.

It appears that this climax began on October 7, 2023, when the militants in Gaza broke out of their outdoor prison and attacked Israeli settlements and military bases. The Israelis reacted with extreme violence against Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The official policy has now evolved into state-sponsored genocide. As a result, Edom has suddenly become “greatly despised” among all nations – even among their most loyal supporters.

This is the first step toward the “day of their distress” and the “day of their destruction” (vs. 12).

Edom’s Arrogance

Obadiah 3 says,

³ “The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in the loftiness of your dwelling place, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to earth?” ⁴ Though you build high like the eagle, though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.

In a parallel passage, Jer. 49:16 says,

¹⁶ “As for the terror of you, the arrogance of your heart has deceived you, O you who live in the clefts of the rock, who occupy the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as high as an eagle’s, I will bring you down from there,” declares the Lord.

The metaphor used by Obadiah and Jeremiah suggests that Edom believes itself to be invulnerable. Yet God sees it as arrogance. Edom has lifted itself above all others, thinking that it is “chosen” to rule the earth with impunity.

The day is coming, then, when God will bring them down to earth. In other words, the nation will fall, and Edom’s Zionist experiment will fail.

Edom Despised Among the Nations

Obadiah 5, 6 says,

⁵ “If thieves came to you, if robbers by night – O how you will be ruined! – would they not steal only until they had enough? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? ⁶ O how Esau will be ransacked, and his hidden treasures searched out!

Thieves and grape gatherers do not take everything. They normally leave something behind. But Esau-Edom will be left with nothing. Destruction will be complete. This is the prophesied fate of the Zionist state.

Obadiah 7 says,

⁷ “All the men allied with you will send you forth to the border, and the men at peace with you will deceive you and overpower you. They who eat your bread will set an ambush for you. (There is no understanding in him.)”

The allies of the Zionist state, mainly the nations of Europe and America, those who are long-time friends, will turn against them in the end. This appears to be happening even now, after Prime Minister Netanyahu declares publicly his intent to kill all the Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank, or drive them out of the land entirely.

British parliamentarians immediately denounced this war crime, and even US president Trump began to distance himself from Netanyahu.

No More Wisdom

Meanwhile, the Israeli government continues to claim that the Palestinians are the genocidal ones! They have “no understanding” that the nations abhor the genocidal policies of the Zionists and will not tolerate it for much longer.

Obadiah 8 continues,

⁸ “Will I not on the day,” declares the Lord, “destroy wise men from Edom and understanding from the mountain of Esau?”

A “mountain” is a government, a place of authority. God Himself takes the credit for destroying or eliminating “wise men from Edom.” Their very arrogance causes them to make foolish decisions that will destroy the entire nation.

Obadiah 9 says,

⁹ Then your mighty men will be dismayed, O Teman, so that everyone may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.

Teman was a grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:15) who settled near the southern border of Judah.

Jer 49:7 echoes Obadiah’s prophecy,

⁴ Concerning Edom, thus says the Lord of hosts, “Is there no longer any wisdom in Teman? Has good counsel been lost to the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed?

No Brotherly Love

Obadiah 10 says,

¹⁰ “Because of violence to your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame, and you will be cut off forever. ¹¹ On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers [i.e., the Babylonians] carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem—you too were as one of them.

The Edomites were allies of Babylon when Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C. This set the prophetic pattern today, where the Zionists are allies with Mystery Babylon. God condemns them for their “violence to your brother Jacob.”

Jacob and Esau were twins, and God’s law commands them to treat each other with respect. Deut. 23:7 tells Israel, “You shall not detest an Edomite, for he is your brother.” Conversely, Edomites should not detest Israelites.

When the Israelites were preparing to enter the land of Canaan, they needed to travel through Edomite territory. The Edomites refused them safe passage, so they had to go around Edom in a lengthy detour. God was displeased with Edom’s behavior, both then and today.

Divine Judgment on Edom

Obadiah 12-14 instructs the Edomites,

¹² Do not gloat over your brother’s day, the day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah in the day of their destruction; yes, do not boast in the day of their distress. ¹³ Do not enter the gate of My people in the day of their disaster. Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity in the day of their disaster. ¹⁴ Do not stand at the fork of the road to cut down their fugitives; and do not imprison their survivors in the day of their distress.

The implication is that Edom did these things to Judah at the time of the Babylonian siege. For this reason, verse 15 says that God will judge Edom by their own standard of measure in the time of their own distress and destruction.

Obadiah 15 says,

^{15 “}For the day of the Lord draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you.”

This follows the “eye for eye” principle (Exodus 21:24). The judgment is directly proportional to the sin/crime. Jesus affirmed this also in Matt. 7:2, implying that the way to avoid such judgment was to refrain from judging. It seems that Obadiah 12-14 (above) is the way to avoid judgment. Unfortunately, Edom was too blinded by hatred to hear and obey the law of love.

I should hasten to add also that we should not detest an Edomite in the day of their calamity. It will not be right to gloat or rejoice at the destruction that the prophets say is sure to come. Our motive in teaching the Scriptures is to warn sinners and appeal to them to repent, so that they might avoid such “distress.”

Obadiah 16 says,

¹⁶ “Because just as you drank on My holy mountain, all the nations will drink continually. They will drink and swallow and become as if they had never existed.”

In other words, the nations who turn against the Zionist state will “drink continually” (as alcoholics). Although they will succeed in destroying the Zionist state, they will not receive any real benefit from it.

I believe this refers to the prophet’s vision in Isaiah 29:1-6. He saw the destruction of Jerusalem at the hand of God’s army of foreigners. But in the end, the victors will not be able to claim the land either, probably due to nuclear fallout and contamination.

So we read in Isaiah 29:7,8

⁷ And the multitude of all the nations who wage war against Ariel [Jerusalem], even all who war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, will be like a dream, a vision of the night. ⁸ It will be as when a hungry man dreams—and behold, he is eating; but when he awakens, his hunger is not satisfied, or as when a thirsty man dreams—and behold, he is drinking, but when he awakens, behold, he is faint and his thirst is not quenched. Thus the multitude of all the nations will be who wage war against Mount Zion.

It will be like a dream where a hungry man eats but is still hungry when he wakes up. God does not condemn this foreign army, for He Himself is their Commander (Isaiah 29:2, 3), but yet in the end, no one will be able to inherit that land. They will remain hungry and thirsty.

Fire in God’s Hand

Obadiah 17, 18 says,

¹⁷ “But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape, and it will be holy. And the house of Jacob will possess their possessions. ¹⁸ Then the house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame, but the house of Esau will be as stubble. And they will set them on fire and consume them, so that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau.”

When God came down upon Mount Sinai to give them the law, He appeared only as a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24). The fire, then, represents the nature of God, which consumes all that does not reflect His nature.

We also read in Deut. 33:2 KJV that “from His right hand went a fiery law for them.” He continues in verse 3, “Yea, He loved the people; all His saints are in Thy hand.” Hence, the fire is identified with the saints, both being in His hand. This speaks of the glorified saints, in whom the Holy Spirit has consumed all “chaff” (Matt. 3:12), or flesh.

This is a way of saying that the saints are those in whose hearts the law has been written. They are in the image of God, fulfilling their purpose for being created. But only a few will be transformed at first (Rev. 20:5), and God will use these few (overcomers) as a fire in His hand to rule and judge the earth.

God is love, and even His judgments are expressions of that love, even as a father disciplines his children, not to destroy them or lose them, but in order to bring them to maturity. Jesus said in Matt. 5:5 that “the gentle (meek) shall inherit the earth” and verse 7 adds, “blessed are the merciful.” The glorified saints, then, will strike the perfect balance between justice and mercy.

Obadiah says that “the house of Jacob will be a fire.” The name of Jacob is invoked to remind us of his long journey of faith which culminated in the revelation of Israel, “God rules.” Overcomers are those who overcome, mentioned in the angelic message to the seven churches.

Israel is the birthright name, carrying the authority to bring forth the Fruitfulness Mandate, that is, Sonship. With this is the house of Joseph, which is “a flame.” Flames come from fire, and Joseph came from Jacob. But the house of Esau will be consumed “as stubble,” for this is the work of the Holy Spirit, according to John the Baptist (Matt. 3:12).

There will be no survivor of the house of Esau, nothing left of that house. This was partially fulfilled when Judah conquered Edom and the Edomites became Jews. There is no house of Esau-Edom today, because they were absorbed into another nation. So it will be again but on a greater scale, when the remaining Zionist Edomites are forced to give up their bloodthirsty ways and to accept the ways of God.

Obadiah 19 continues,

¹⁹ Then those of the Negev [“south”] will possess the mountain of Esau, and those of the Shephelah [“plain, lowland”] the Philistine plain; also, possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead.

This is expressed in terms of the Old Covenant promise of the old land of Israel and Judah. However, the fulfillment comes in the time of the New Covenant, which is based on “Better Promises.” The inheritance of the overcomers is the glorified body, made of dust but glorified by the Spirit.

Obadiah 20, 21 concludes,

²⁰ And the exiles of this host of the sons of Israel, who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad [a region of Assyria], will possess the cities of the Negev. ²¹ The deliverers [yasha, “saviors”] will ascend Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Esau, and the kingdom will be the Lord’s.

Obadiah obscurely prophesies of the Israelites and the Judahites yet in exile, as the two sticks of Judah and Joseph are reunited as one body under Christ (Ezekiel 34:23). Even Ezekiel refers to Christ as “David,” but we know that it is a prophecy of the Son of David, Jesus Christ (Matt. 21:9). The names are not meant to be taken literally.

Those who are of His body – the overcomers – are here called “deliverers,” or “saviors” (KJV). God works through His body, those who are in His image.