Obadiah

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, a single chapter of 21 verses attributed to the prophet Obadiah, whose name means 'servant of the LORD.' Nothing else is known about him personally. The book is a vision of judgment against Edom, the nation descended from Esau, the twin brother of Jacob. It sits among the Minor Prophets and most likely responds to Edom's conduct when Jerusalem fell to invaders, when the Edomites gloated over Judah's calamity and even helped cut off those who escaped.

The vision opens with Edom's pride: the nation dwelt in the clefts of the rock, its habitation high, boasting that no one could bring it down. God answers that though Edom set its nest among the stars, He would bring it down. The heart of the book is the charge of violence against 'thy brother Jacob' -- standing aloof on the day of Jerusalem's disaster, rejoicing over Judah's destruction, looting the city, and delivering up survivors. Because the day of the LORD is near upon all nations, Edom will reap exactly what it sowed.

Obadiah's message is that pride goes before a fall and that God defends His people even when their own kin betray them. The book ends in hope: upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, the house of Jacob will possess its possessions, and the kingdom shall be the LORD's. Judgment on Edom becomes a promise that God's rule will have the last word.