Day 254, or September the 11th. Don't hold grudges. Our thoughts today are rooted in
Obadiah verse 10. Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered
with shame. You will be destroyed forever.
And now the big picture surrounding this verse. Obadiah is by far the shortest writing by
a minor prophet in the Old Testament. With only twenty-one verses, it can easily be missed
as you search through the prophetical books. He is one of the earliest writing prophets,
some would say the earliest, as his ministry coincides with the time when Elijah and Elisha
were around. It's unlikely that Obadiah ever met any of the other prophets, as he ploughed
a lone furrow in part of the land today called Jordan, which was then called Edom, and which
is south of the Dead Sea. The Edomites were named after their ancestor Esau, after he
was renamed Edom, meaning red, when he sold his birthright to Jacob, for a bowl of red
soup. Obadiah condemns the Edomites for the way they have treated their closest kinfolk,
the Israelites, children of Esau's brother, Jacob. There are thirteen Obadiahs in the
Old Testament, but the one who serves King Ahab and fears the Lord, in 1 Kings chapter
18 verse 3, could be the same one who wrote this book. His name means servant of Yahweh.
And now our action step for today. Jacob and Esau appear to have been reconciled
in Genesis chapter 33, so it's one of life's tragedies that their descendants remained
enemies. One of our local funeral directors told me that it's far from rare for a funeral
to have two sets of cars and two separate groups at the service, when a family is so
badly split that they can't even come together to mourn the death of a loved one. If you
would hate this to happen to your family, this may be the right time to contact that
friend or relative who you have lost touch with for reasons you may have long since forgotten
about. In these days of Google and social media, it's easier than ever. Be sure to
take a positive, reconciling step today.