Benhadad I (Ben-hadad) The History of Israel Divided Kingdom Hazael 801 Benhadad II (Ben-hadad)? Kings of Aram, Damascus & Syria Kings of Israel Kings of Assyria 783 773 Ashurdan III Shalma-nezer IV 755 Ahab Elijah 853 852 852 Micaiah 853 Jehoshaphat Jehoram (Joram) Ahaziah Jehoram (Joram) 848 Jehu Ahaziah Elisha 814 Prophets to Israel Jehoahaz (Joahaz) 798 798 796 Queen Athaliah 835 796 Joash (Jehoash) 793 Kings of Judah Jehoash (Joash) 784 782 Amaziah Jonah Zechariah Jeroboam II Shallum (1 month) 772 767 767 790 Uzziah or Azariah Amos 753 752 755 Kings of Judah (Southern Kingdom) 865 848 Eliezer Jahaziel Obadiah 835 825 Joel 809 Prophets to Judah Copyright Jeffrey Loh 2003 860 850 840 830 820 810 800 790 780 770 760 750
Prophets of Israel & Judah 931 722 605 597 586 536 520 516 400 Prophets of Israel Prophets of Judah ISRAEL Jonah Amos Hosea Assyrian Captivity JUDAH 1 st Siege 2 nd Siege Babylonian Captivity Obadiah Joel Micah Nahum Zephaniah Habakkuk 70 years 70 years Temple work begun Temple completed RESTORED JUDAH-ISRAEL Haggai Zechariah Malachi Prophets Post-Exilic KINGDOMS Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel EXILE RESTORATION Copyright Jeffrey Loh 2002
Author: 1 the vision of Obadiah = servant/worshipper of the Lord seer, prophet, poet ( master of the art of rhetorical repetition, master of various poetical techniques, effective speaker), compassionate (cf. v5-6), warns Edom possibly living in Jerusalem, familiar with Edom s lofty dwellings & grape harvesting 1 Thus says the Lord God 1 We have heard a report from the Lord 2 I will make you small among the nations 4 I will bring you down, declares the Lord 8 On that day, declares the Lord, I will destroy wise men & understanding from Edom 13 the sons of Judah = My people, your brother 15 the day of the Lord draws near on all the nations 16 you drank on My holy mountain = 17 Mount Zion 18 the Lord has spoken 21 the Kingdom will be the Lord s Who: Lord (4x), Lord God (1x) What: judges pride, judges & destroys Edom & the nations His Word is absolute & authoritative Principle of Retribution: As you have done, it will be done to you (v15) When: in the day of the Lord (v15) Prophetic Timeline: The Day of the Lord Ob. Jacob s day Edom All nations destroyed & of distress destroyed dispossessed / Israel restored (2) Israel 10 Jacob, brother of Esau 11 strangers carried off his wealth, foreigners entered his gate & cast lots for Jerusalem 12 your brother s day, the day of his misfortune 12 the sons of Judah, the day of their destruction, the day of their distress 13 the day of their disaster (3x), their calamity gate entered, wealth looted 14 fugitives cut down & survivors imprisoned by Esau 17 escape for those on Mount Zion 17,19,20 house of Jacob will possess their possessions 18 house of Jacob & of Joseph will be a fire/flame 21 deliverers ascend Mt Zion to judge Esau Recipients: (1) Edom 1 envoy sent among the nations to go against Edom 2 will be made small by the Lord among the nations 2 greatly despised 3 arrogant, deceived by the arrogance of your heart 3 say in your heart, Who will bring me down? 3 Live in clefts of the rocks, lofty dwelling place 4 built high, set nest among the stars 4 will be brought down by the Lord 5 will be ruined 6 will be sacked, hidden treasures searched out 7 deceived, overpowered & ambushed by allies 8 wise men & understanding destroyed in that day 9 mighty men dismayed 9 everyone cut off by slaughter 10 did violence to your brother Jacob 10 will be covered with shame & cut off forever 11 stood aloof on the day strangers & foreigners looted Jerusalem 12,13 gloated over Jacob s misfortune& calamity 12 rejoiced over his destruction & boasted 13 entered the gate of Jerusalem & looted 14 cut down fugitives & imprisoned survivors 15 as you have done, it will be done to you in the DOL 15 your dealings will return on your own head 16 drank on God s holy mountain 18 the house of Esau will be as stubble, consumed 18 no survivor of the house of Esau The Nations 1 envoy sent among nations to battle against Edom 2 Edom to be made small among the nations 7 allies, men at peace, those who eat Edom s bread will deceive, overpower & ambush him 11 strangers & foreigners enter Jerusalem & carry off her wealth 15 the DOL draws near on all the nations 16 all the nations will drink continually, swallow & disappear 19 Philistine plain, Ephraim, Samaria, Gilead repossessed by Israel 20 cities of the Negev repossessed by the sons of Israel Copyright Cecilia Perh 2004
1 Kings 18:1-16 1 Now it came about after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth. 2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 And Ahab called Obadiah who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly; 4 for it came about, when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.) 5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some of the cattle. 6 So they divided the land between them to survey it; Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another way by himself. 7 Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him, and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, Is this you, Elijah my master? 8 And he said to him, It is I. Go, say to your master, Behold, Elijah is here. 9 And he said, What sin have I committed, that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab, to put me to death? 10 As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you; and when they said, He is not here, he made the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you. 11 And now you are saying, Go, say to your master, Behold, Elijah is here. 12 And it will come about when I leave you that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you where I do not know; so when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth. 13 Has it not been told to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, that I hid a hundred prophets of the LORD by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water? 14 And now you are saying, Go, say to your master, Behold, Elijah is here ; he will then kill me. 15 And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today. 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
2Chronicles 21 1 Then Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son became king in his place. 2 And he had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. 3 And their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the first-born. 4 Now when Jehoram had taken over the kingdom of his father and made himself secure, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and some of the rulers of Israel also. 5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did (for Ahab's daughter was his wife), and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 7 Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant which He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and his sons forever. 8 In his days Edom revolted against the rule of Judah, and set up a king over themselves. 9 Then Jehoram crossed over with his commanders and all his chariots with him. And it came about that he arose by night and struck down the Edomites who were surrounding him and the commanders of the chariots. 10 So Edom revolted against Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time against his rule, because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers. 11 Moreover, he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot and led Judah astray. 12 Then a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet saying, Thus says the LORD God of your father David, Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father and the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13 but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot as the house of Ahab played the harlot, and you have also killed your brothers, your own family, who were better than you, 14 behold, the LORD is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a great calamity; 15 and you will suffer severe sickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day. 16 Then the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who bordered the Ethiopians; 17 and they came against Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions found in the king's house together with his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons. 18 So after all this the LORD smote him in his bowels with an incurable sickness. 19 Now it came about in the course of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels came out because of his sickness and he died in great pain. And his people made no fire for him like the fire for his fathers. 20 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years; and he departed with no one's regret, and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
The Book of Obadiah Book Title: Judgment on Edom / Against Anti-Semitism Verses 1-9 Verses 10-14 Verses 15-21 Judgment Pronounced Ruin & Sack of Edom Destruction of Edom Nations Destroy Edom One Nation Judged Edom Reasons for Judgment Warnings for Edom Destruction of Israel Edom Despises Israel One Nation Judged Israel The Defeat of Israel Judgment / Destruction Author: (1) Obadiah the prophet =servant/worshipper of the Lord (2) The Lord God (divine author) Recipients: (1) Edom (2) Israel Key Words/Phrases: day (11x), day of the Lord (1x), Do not (8x), destruction/disaster/calamity/ ruin, Edom (1x)/Esau (7x), Jacob (3x)/Israel (1x), Nations (4x) Key Verse: The Day of the Lord (v15), As you have done, it will be done to you (v15) When Written: 840-825 B.C. (Irving Jensen) **************** Historical: Edom did violence to his brother Jacob (v10); he stood aloof when Jerusalem was plundered by other nations (v11) Copyright Cecilia Perh 2004 Edom Repossessed by Israel Day of the Lord for the Nations Dispossession of Edom & Nations The Lord Punishes All the Nations Many Nations Judged The Victory of Israel Hope / Repossession Purposes: 1. to pronounce judgment on Edom (Jacob s brother) & the nations 2. to pronounce judgment on those who hate Israel (God will judge Anti-Semitism cf. Genesis 12:3) 3. to reassure the Jews of God s faithfulness to His covenant they will repossess the land of Israel! 4. to announce the restoration of Israel in the day of the Lord when His kingdom arrives Political: Edom had allies, men at peace & friends (v7), was as one with the strangers & foreigners who looted Jerusalem (v11), helped them kill Jewish fugitives & survivors (v14) Prophetic: Edom will be utterly destroyed & looted Geographical: Edom dwells in clefts of the rocks