Obadiah

Introduction

Obadiah wrote this shortest book of the Old Testament probably soon after the armies of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem (586 b.c.). During this conquest, the people of Edom helped capture fleeing Israelites and turn them over to the Babylonians. They even took up residence in some Judean villages. This angered the Lord, for the Edomites, as descendants of Esau, were related to the Israelites (Gen. 25:21–26, 30) and therefore should have helped them. Obadiah prophesied that Edom would be repaid for mistreating God’s people. Obadiah also asserted that God is sovereign over the nations and that the house of Jacob would be restored because of God’s covenant love for his people.

1 The vision of Obadiah.

Edom Will Be Humbled

Thus says the Lord God aconcerning Edom:

bWe have heard a report from the Lord,

and a messenger has been sent among the nations:

“Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!”

2  Behold, I will make you small among the nations;

you shall be utterly despised.1

3  cThe pride of your heart has deceived you,

you who live in the clefts of the rock,2

in your lofty dwelling,

dwho say in your heart,

“Who will bring me down to the ground?”

4  Though you soar aloft like the eagle,

though your nest is set among the stars,

from there I will bring you down,

declares the Lord.

5  If ethieves came to you,

if plunderers came by night—

how you have been destroyed!—

would they not steal only enough for themselves?

If egrape gatherers came to you,

would they not leave gleanings?

6  fHow Esau has been pillaged,

his treasures sought out!

7  All your allies have driven you to your border;

those at peace with you have deceived you;

they have prevailed against you;

gthose who eat your bread3 have set a trap beneath you—

hyou have4 no understanding.

8  iWill I not on that day, declares the Lord,

destroy the wise men out of Edom,

and understanding out of jMount Esau?

9  And your mighty men shall be dismayed, kO Teman,

so that every man from jMount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.

Edom’s Violence Against Jacob

10  lBecause of the violence done to your brother Jacob,

shame shall cover you,

mand you shall be cut off forever.

11  nOn the day that you stood aloof,

oon the day that strangers carried off his wealth

and foreigners entered his gates

pand cast lots for Jerusalem,

you were like one of them.

12  qBut do not gloat over the day of your brother

in the day of his misfortune;

rdo not rejoice over the people of Judah

in the day of their ruin;

sdo not boast5

in the day of distress.

13  tDo not enter the gate of my people

in the day of their calamity;

tdo not gloat over his disaster

in the day of his calamity;

udo not loot his wealth

in the day of his calamity.

14  vDo not stand at the crossroads

to cut off his fugitives;

do not hand over his survivors

in the day of distress.

The Day of the Lord Is Near

15  For wthe day of the Lord is near upon all the nations.

xAs you have done, it shall be done to you;

your deeds shall return on your own head.

16  yFor as you have drunk on zmy holy mountain,

so all the nations shall drink continually;

they shall drink and swallow,

and shall be as though they had never been.

17  aBut in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape,

and it shall be holy,

band the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.

18  cThe house of Jacob shall be a fire,

and the house of Joseph a flame,

and the house of Esau dstubble;

they shall burn them and consume them,

eand there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau,

for the Lord has spoken.

The Kingdom of the Lord

19  Those of fthe Negeb bshall possess gMount Esau,

and those of the Shephelah shall possess hthe land of the Philistines;

they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of iSamaria,

and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

20  The exiles of this host of the people of Israel

shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as jZarephath,

and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad

shall possess the cities of the Negeb.

21  kSaviors shall go up to Mount Zion

to rule gMount Esau,

and lthe kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

Jonah

Introduction

Because it tells of a fish swallowing a man, many have dismissed the book of Jonah as fiction. But 2 Kings 14:25 mentions Jonah as living during the time of Jeroboam II (about 793–753 b.c.), and Jesus referred to Jonah as a historical person (Matt. 12:39–41). Unlike other prophetic books, Jonah focuses on the prophet himself rather than on his message. When God sent Jonah to Nineveh he rebelled, was swallowed by a fish, repented, and fulfilled his mission after all. When Nineveh repented, the reason for Jonah’s rebellion became clear: he had feared that God would forgive the Ninevites; and when God did forgive them, Jonah resented it (4:1–3). The book lists no author, but only Jonah himself could have known all the facts it records.

Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord

1 Now the word of the Lord came to aJonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to bNineveh, that cgreat city, and call out against it, dfor their evil1 has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah erose to flee to fTarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to gJoppa and found a ship going to fTarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to fTarshish, haway from the presence of the Lord.

4 But ithe Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened jto break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and keach cried out to his god. And lthey hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, kcall out to your god! mPerhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea

7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us ncast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear othe Lord, the God of heaven, pwho made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that hhe was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, qfor I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard2 to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and rlay not on us innocent blood, sfor you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, tand the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, uand they offered a sacrifice to the Lord vand made vows.

A Great Fish Swallows Jonah

17 3 And the Lord appointed4 a great fish to swallow up Jonah. wAnd Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah’s Prayer

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,

x“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,

and he answered me;

yout of the belly of Sheol I cried,

zand you heard my voice.

3  aFor you cast me into the deep,

into the heart of the seas,

and the flood surrounded me;

ball your waves and your billows

passed over me.

4  cThen I said, ‘I am driven away

from your sight;

dyet I shall again look

upon your holy temple.’

5  eThe waters closed in over me fto take my life;

the deep surrounded me;

weeds were wrapped about my head

6  at the roots of the mountains.

I went down to the land

whose bars closed upon me forever;

yet you brought up my life from the pit,

O Lord my God.

7  When my life was fainting away,

I remembered the Lord,

gand my prayer came to you,

into your holy temple.

8  hThose who pay regard to vain idols

iforsake their hope of steadfast love.

9  jBut I with the voice of thanksgiving

will sacrifice to you;

what I have vowed I will pay.

kSalvation belongs to the Lord!”

10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to lNineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now lNineveh was an exceedingly great city,1 three days’ journey in breadth.2 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 mAnd the people of Nineveh believed God. nThey called for a fast and oput on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

The People of Nineveh Repent

6 The word reached3 the king of Nineveh, and phe arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, qand sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, r“By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor sbeast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and sbeast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. tLet everyone turn from his evil way and from uthe violence that is in his hands. 9 vWho knows? God may turn and relent wand turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did, xhow they turned from their evil way, xGod relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

Jonah’s Anger and…