Encouragement  ·  Minor Prophets

Obadiah & Amos Bible Study 5 min read

The tiny book of Obadiah — the shortest in the Old Testament — carries a message that is anything but small. Written against the backdrop of Edom’s betrayal of Israel, Obadiah delivers a word of profound comfort to all of God’s people: your trials and burdens are only temporary. Deliverance is coming.

Deliverance Belongs to God’s People

Obadiah looks forward to a coming day when Israel will occupy and possess the land that once belonged to Esau. Though the modern borders of Israel do not yet encompass the ancient lands of Edom, we can trust that they one day will — either in this age or in the age to come. But here is the principle woven through this prophecy: possessing other lands can only happen when we first possess what is already ours.

God has given us a rich heritage of every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3, NIV). The question is not whether these blessings exist. The question is: how much do we actually possess? God wants His people to possess their possessions — and that process begins from the inside out.

The Blessed Work of Amos 9

Before Obadiah, the prophet Amos ends his prophecy on a note of soaring hope. Under God’s inspiration, Amos 9:13–15 describes a coming day of miraculous prosperity and abundance for Israel:

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.” — Amos 9:13 (NIV)

When God releases blessing and restoration, fruit comes from unexpected places. Normally, grapevines don’t thrive on mountains — but in the season of God’s abundance, even the highlands overflow with wine. The miraculous becomes ordinary. The impossible becomes inevitable.

Yet notice this: the plowman, the reaper, the treader of grapes, and the one who sows seed — they are still working. God does not do it all for them. Under His blessing, the work is done with energy and joy, but it is still work. The plowman doesn’t sit waiting for the harvest to appear; he gets busy in the field.

The Blessing Begins With You

This is the heart of what God is calling us to understand. As we work on ourselves — our spiritual maturity, our walk with Christ, the areas of our lives we need to surrender — something begins to happen. The results are like an outpouring: evidenced in our labors, multiplied in the lives of those around us.

The blessing spreads beyond us, but it begins with turning our lives over to God first. Then He multiplies it beyond anything we could manufacture on our own.

The Word of Obadiah Still Rings True

Returning to Obadiah, we see that the word of the Lord proved true historically — and part of this prophecy is still being completed today. The note of encouragement in verse 21 may well be the central purpose of the entire book. God knows how to take care of His people and to advance His kingdom in a glorious way.

So to every person walking through a season of trial — to every one of God’s people who has been ignored, taken advantage of, or attacked — Obadiah’s word stands:

Don’t worry about those who ignore your need. Don’t worry about those who rejoice at your problems, who take advantage of your crises, or who join hands with others against you. Instead, focus your energy on your walk with God. Let Him work on you. As you labor faithfully, as you surrender the corners of your life that need surrendering, as you learn to abide in Him — He will take care of the rest.

The deliverers will go up to Mount Zion (Obadiah 1:21). And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

“Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.”

— Obadiah 1:21 (NIV)