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The name Obadiah is Hebrew and means 'servant of Yahweh',
the God of Israel. The book of Obadiah has only one chapter
and is a prophecy about the Jews and Arabs.
The Arabs, who descended from Esau (also called Edom), lived
to the south and to the east of the Dead Sea. They were always
hostile to Israel just as their ancestor Esau had been to
Jacob, the ancestor of Israel.
Verses 1-10 of the book deal with the coming desolation of
Edom as a country. The Edomites had stabbed the nation of
Israel in the back whenever that land had been invaded. Their
pride would be humbled. Their strong city of Petra, constructed
in the rocky area of Mount Seir, appeared to be impossible
to overthrow - yet it would be destroyed.
Mount Seir, also called Mount Esau, is another name for the
country of Edom. Today it is the southern part of the kingdom
of Jordan.
Mount Zion is at Jerusalem and was where King David had his
capital. It was the centre of God's Kingdom in those days
and will be again - when Christ comes again to rule as King.
Israel will once again occupy all that territory described
in Obadiah verses 19-20. All nations, including many of the
Arab peoples, will benefit when (v.21) "the kingdom is
the Lord's".
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