We don’t know much at all about Obadiah; we have only this one chapter of his prophecy. Likely, he wrote soon after the beginning of the Jewish exile. But his message is clear. Edom, the traditional enemy of Israel, bragged, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” The Lord responded, “Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down” (vss. 3,4). On the other hand, regarding Jerusalem, “In Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions. . . . Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's” (vss. 17,21).
Here is the great human divide: those who oppose God and those who love him and are his children. Jesus put the matter like this: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). With what joy we can sing, along with Fanny Crosby, these words:
Safe in the arms of Jesus,
Safe from corroding care,
Safe from the world’s temptations,
Sin cannot harm me there.
Free from the blight of sorrow,
Free from my doubts and fears;
Only a few more trials,
Only a few more tears.
Safe in the arms of Jesus,
Safe on His gentle breast,
There by His love o’ershaded,
Sweetly my soul doth rest.