INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY OF
CURRENT SERIES
AMOS & OBADIAH OVERVIEW OF AMOS
OVERVIEW OF OBADIAH
Amos was a herdsman from the town of Tekoa in Judah (750 B.C.). He turned north to prophesy against the ten tribes and king of Israel just prior to their capture by Assyria.
It is the shortest book in the Old Testament, the single chapter is an oracle against Edom and the pride of her stronghold, Petra. The unknown prophet foretells about an old struggle: Jacob will recover land from Esau before “the kingdom shall be the Lord’s” (v 15-21).
In this book we can read, just as the ancient Israelites heard, a masterful literary creation given by God through a man of the people. But more importantly, we read and hear the Word of God, still ringing down through the centuries with clarity and force.
PURPOSE OF AMOS The main purpose of Amos’s prophetic ministry was to the leaders of ancient Israel to repent and reform. Amos warned them that if they did not heed the call, their injustice against the poor and the weak would destroy the nation. God would not allow them to continue in their unrighteous, unjust course. Repentance or retribution were the only alternatives. It is no accident that what we often remember from Amos is his stirring call “Let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream” (5:24).
AMOS IN A SENTENCE The God who judges all nations judges His people Israel uniquely because of her sins of luxury, formality, and injustice, but He will someday replant the house of Israel in her land forever.
This brief chapter is one of only two Minor Prophets that are addressed entirely to a nation other than Israel or Judah. It deals with the ancient feud of Jacob and the house of his brother, Esau. Through Obadiah, the Lord expressed His indignation at the nation of Edom. When they should have been helping their relatives, they were gloating over Israel’s problems and raiding their homes.
PURPOSE OF OBADIAH While his prophetic oracle was addressed to Edom, it is doubtful that the Edomite leaders ever heard or read it. One of the purposes was to comfort and encourage the surviving Judeans with the message that God had not, nor would he, ever abandon them. It may seem that this short book has little importance, but its is. God is sovereign over all nations whether they acknowledge His sovereignty or not. God desires that we show mercy and favor to our neighbors in times of distress.
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