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We don’t know much about Obadiah. I mean the person, not the biblical book. I wish we knew the name of the person who wrote our scripture this week. What he wrote was so brave. All twenty-six verses of it, this book is so brief there is no need even for chapter divisions. 

Not that 2,500 years ago Obadiah was unknown. Apparently he was a well-enough known prophet that his words got kept around. In writing. Circulated among churches until hundreds of years later they were canonized as part of our sacred, Holy scripture. 

It’s just that any understanding we might have about who he was is lost to antiquity. That doesn’t mean we should wade through these pages and toss them away as though an angry person had written them to us lashing out about something anonymously. 

No, no. In fact, Obadiah has something important to tell us on God’s behalf. I’m afraid we’re losing touch with it again in our Western culture, much to our own peril. 

What is that theme which Obadiah calls up for us? The notion that what goes around usually ends up coming around again. There you have it. We’ll also need some background soon because a lot of Obadiah has to do with all the enmity directed at Edom. 

Edom was a kingdom wholly unto itself in ancient times, and it ran roughly south and along the borders of present day Jordan and Israel. Edom was probably at its most prominent during the 13th through the 8th centuries BC. 

It was loosely known as an ally of Judah during most of the centuries, although 1 Chronicles does show an Israelite king asking permission for an official journey across Edom so that his caravan didn’t have to swing far out to detour. This request is refused, and they end up traveling around Edom to avoid conflict. 

Why does any of this matter? Well, the notion always was that the Edomites were descendants of Esau. You remember that Jacob and Esau were the sons of Isaac and Rebecca, and grandsons of Abraham and Sarah. 

Jacob tricked Esau out of his birthright in a vulnerable, hungry moment with a bowl of what must have been some tasty stew! Their feud, because of that underhanded act, lasted for over a decade. 

Jacob went on to be the Patriarch of the Children of Israel. Esau’s family begat the Edomites. Now, all these centuries later, it appears that the Edomites were in cahoots with the Babylonians as they overthrew Judah and sent the Israelites out into exile. 

Sharing a common lineage, straight from Abraham and Sarah by way of Isaac and Rebecca, these children of Esau have turned on their cousins now and sided with the invading enemy. See, this is a story that reminds us what goes around usually manages to come around at some point.

This portrayal of a God who is on the side of a poor, downtrodden community would have been good news to the poor and downtrodden in its time, and now too. However, it would not have been as good news to those who perceived themselves to be powerful and in control. 

But I said there was good news for us here in Obadiah. That’s only true if we’re trying our best to actually be faithful. It’s only good if we’re living lives that at least attempt to bend to what God wants rather than what we want.

When you’ve gotten what you have through ill-gotten means, this is not good news here in Obadiah. What goes around comes around. If you’ve got to go taking advantage of people who can’t do anything about you just to have position or riches or status, then this is not good news here in Obadiah.

If you’ve got to ignore certain types of people in order to run roughshod over everyone to where you’re headed, this is not good news. If you have to step on weaker people than you, you’re simply walking the wrong path. 

God plays the long game. Make no mistake, as the prophets have already made clear, Obadiah reminds us that sometimes God’s greatest punishment is to leave us to the fruits of what we’ve labored at. 

Sometimes, God can leave us to the results of our shortcomings and make us beg for mercy on our knees. This is universally true for people, churches, and nations, which could give us hope. Live faithfully and ethically, and you should have great hope.

DR. CHARLES QUALLS is senior pastor at Franklin Baptist Church. Contact him at 757-562-5135.