Defending Obadiah

I read the book of Obadiah this morning. Obadiah was one of the Minor Prophets. His book is only one chapter long. When I finished reading it, I prayed, “Lord, why is this book in the Bible?” You see, following Isaiah and Jeremiah and Daniel and Hosea, Obadiah seemed like just more of the same. But it’s only one little chapter.

I didn’t expect an immediate answer to my prayer, but no sooner had I wondered the words than this thought popped into my head, “It’s My Word.”

That changed my whole perspective—quickly!

The almighty amazing God of the Whole Universe took the time to appear to a man in a vision to tell this man what was going to happen among his people and why. That man recorded the very words of God, and God has used His people to preserve those words through the ages for us to read. When I look at it that way, that one little chapter is something special indeed! (And that’s something of an understatement.)

As I continued to think about this, I remembered words I’d read in Amos’s book yesterday:

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.’” –Amos 8:11-12

When we read our Bibles, we move from Malachi into Matthew without skipping a beat. It seems as if no time has passed.

But time did pass—400 years, in fact! God’s people, who had grown used to hearing His Voice through judges and prophets from the time of Moses, did indeed experience a famine of His Word.

And they missed His Voice! Can you imagine they felt?

Of course, we know now that when that Voice returned it was in Jesus, God’s own Son, incarnated that God’s people could not only hear, but also see, touch, smell. Through Jesus people experienced the Word of God!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” –John 1:1

I’m getting ahead of myself, though. We were talking about Obadiah, for whose book I’ve gained a whole new appreciation.

During long deployments, Army spouses “hunger and thirst” for word from each other. Thanks to Skype and e-mail, they don’t experience famine very often. Sometimes, however, a spouse will be unable to communicate for a time. When this happens, the other spouse will check e-mail hopefully, stare at the phone willing it to ring, sort through mail eagerly for that familiar return address. One little word from their beloved is all they want, all they need. If it doesn’t come, they turn to saved messages for reassurance: “I love you! I long to see you! I will be in touch again soon!” Those messages between spouses are treasured, whether they are big or small.

Obadiah was one of those saved messages—to Israel from God! And its message, though brief, is timeless. In his book, 66 Love Letters, Larry Crabb sums it up this way:

“I can and I will tear down every obstacle to building My kingdom, where My people will live in line with My plan and with My character. I will bring to a dismal end everything Edom-like in you as surely as I brought Edom to its dismal end” (p. 155).

God will bring an end to evil and injustice. He will establish His eternal Kingdom. And, thanks to Jesus, we can choose to be part of it!

In summary:

• We value the Book of Obadiah because it is God's Word.
• God's people treasured the Book of Obadiah because it was God's Word to savor during a famine of His Word.
• We recognize the worth of the Book of Obadiah because God's Word within it carries a relevant message for us today.

Father, thank You for reminding me that every Word that comes from Your mouth is precious, no matter how small it may seem. Thank You for answering prayers and bringing understanding. Let me not take Your Word for granted. Instead, help me seek Your Truth for my life throughout the Bible. I know I'll always find Truth there—give me eyes to see and a mind that is able to increasingly understand. Thank You, Lord. Amen.