Jonah 4, Obadiah and Jonah

Obadiah

Obadiah is the shortest book in the OT.  It is never quoted in the NT.  Few sermons have ever been preached from its pages.  It has been referred to as the “forgotten” book of the OT.  Yet some marvelous spiritual truths are contained in this very small literary package if one has the patience to search them out.

The name Obadiah means “Servant of YAHWEH.”  We know nothing about this prophet, although his writing indicates a good education.  Given the lack of information on the man it is difficult to assign a date to the writing of the book.  It is generally thought to be between 848-841 BC.  In v11 there is reference to an invasion of Jerusalem.  This likely was one by the Philistines and Arabians with the Edomites aiding them.

The theme of the book is God’s retribution against Edom.  They asked for it and God would give it to them.  This is actually a much more significant theme in the OT than you might think.  The promise of God to remove Esau and his descendants is even mentioned in the Psalms as well as in numerous prophetic books (cf. our verse-by-verse study of Obadiah for more on this).  Remember that the prophet is speaking about Edom but to God’s people.  Here is an outline of Obadiah:

·       Edom’s doom, 1:1-16

·       Israel’s deliverance, 1:17-19

Jonah

If Obadiah is the most obscure of the Minor Prophets, Jonah is likely the most well-known.  The book of Jonah is unlike any of the other minor prophets.  In its style and content, it is strictly a historical narrative.  It is not so much an oracle or prediction as a type.  The interest centers not so much in the message of the prophet as in Jehovah’s dealings with the prophet himself.

Perhaps more than any other book it has been assailed by the critic.  Jonah did not get lost in the fish, “but the critical school today tries to digest him.”  The current attitude is to laugh the book out of the Bible.  The critic finds three things absolutely unpalatable in this historical narrative: 1) the great fish; 2) the sudden repentance of Nineveh; and 3) the remarkable growth of the gourd.

Some say this story is a take-off on the Phoenician myth of Hercules and the sea monster.  Others say Jonah was carried by a ship that had the figure of a fish on the bow.  We deal with this in our verse-by-verse study of Jonah.  Suffice it to say, if you reject Jonah, you reject Christ (Matt. 12:39-40).

The name “Jonah” means “dove.”  The theme of the book is that YAHWEH is concerned with all peoples; His love knows no bounds.  Some have pointed out comparisons between Jonah and Paul.  Both ministered to Gentiles, both were ship-wrecked, and both witnessed to the sailors and rescued the sailors from death.  Here is an outline of Jonah:

·       Jonah’s first commission, Ch. 1-2

·       Jonah’s second chance, Ch. 3-4.