Sela, Kings 14:7) This now famous tourist attraction of the red-rock canyons was located about fty miles south of the Dead Sea Obadiah may have had Petra in mind when he wrote, “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock [Heb., sela; Gr., petra]“2 (v 3, KJV, italics added) I BACKGROUND A THE MAN OBADIAH The name Obadiah appears twenty times in the Bible, representing thirteen di erent persons The only reference to the writing prophet is in verse of his book His home was in Judah, and he lived probably during the reigns of Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, and Joash (Chart 104).3 The name Obadiah means “servant of the Lord” or “worshiper of the Lord.” B THE BOOK OF OBADIAH Date written There are a few possible dates If we knew which plundering of Jerusalem Obadiah was referring back to in verses 11-14, we could be more certain of the book’s date (The book was written later than the plundering.) Read verses 11-14 Four invasions of Jerusalem are recorded in Old Testament history: a) by Shishak, king of Egypt, (925 B.C.); (1 Kings 14:25-26; Chron 12) b) by Philistines and Arabians (during reign of Jehoram; see Chart 104.); (2 Chron 21:16-17, cf Chron 21:8-10; Amos 1:6, 11-12) c) by Jehoash, king of Israel (c 790 B.C.); (2 Kings 14; Chron 25) d) by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (586 B.C.); (2 Kings 24-25; cf Psalm 137:7) Read the four groups of passages cited above This book takes the position that Obadiah, in verses 11-14, was referring to the plundering by Philistines and Arabians (second invasion cited above).4 Based on this, his book was written between 840 and 825 B.C Content and style Obadiah is the shortest book of the Old Testament, but the familiar slogan multum in parvo (“much in little”) certainly applies to it The style of the book is vigorous and colorful, using many striking comparisons It is a compact version of the typical prophetic book, where the opening chapters deal with sin and judgment, and bright Messianic prophecies appear toward the end The tragic aspect of the book is that Edom as a nation has come to a spiritual “point of no return,” that is, she is not o ered any hope of salvation One writer says, “She is the only neighbor of the Israelites who was not given any promise of mercy from God.”5 This is not because God was unmerciful Edom had already spurned the mercies of God Historical background Since the destiny of Edom is a key subject of this book, some highlights of that nation’s history are listed ... Content and style Obadiah is the shortest book of the Old Testament, but the familiar slogan multum in parvo (“much in little”) certainly applies to it The style of the book is vigorous and colorful,... compact version of the typical prophetic book, where the opening chapters deal with sin and judgment, and bright Messianic prophecies appear toward the end The tragic aspect of the book is that...B THE BOOK OF OBADIAH Date written There are a few possible dates If we knew which plundering of Jerusalem Obadiah was referring back to in verses 11-14, we could be more certain of the book’s