In the book of Genesis we come across Jacob and his twin brother Esau. We are given the family tree of Esau’s descendants the Edomites (Genesis 36). The book of Obadiah is about these descendants of Esau, the Edomites.

The author of this book is called Obadiah. His name means ‘worshipper of God’ or ‘servant of God’. The date of the prophecy appears to be sometime after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian’s in 586BC.

The prophecy begins in an intriguing way with a plot among the nations against Edom (v1b). The result will be that Edom will become insignificant and despised by the world (v2). Its pride has led to this (v3). Edom was south east of the Dead Sea, a very mountainous region with many canyons. It was a hard area to invade; indeed the Edomites thought they were impregnable. What they didn’t reckon on was that God was now fitting against them (v4).

Pride, feeling secure in ourselves will lead to a fall. God will see to this, as He hates these traits in people. God’s call is to walk humbly before Him, trusting in Him alone. Are you proud or humble? Are you trusting in yourself or God?