Obadiah Pt.2

The Underdogs: A Study of Jude, Philemon, Obadiah, 2nd + 3rd John

Hosted by Micah HArrison + Matt Winter w/ Special Guest Kelly Brown

IN THIS EPISODE

• The Singapore Airport is amazing | 0:45
• Genre – How to Study the Bible segment preview | 3:20 
  
• The Day of the Lord | 7:45
  
• Interpretation mini-deep dive: Obadiah 1:16 | 12:10
• Matt answers a question about Hebrew verbs (Obadiah 1:12) | 22:15
• Pride and The Tower of Babel | 27:06
• How does “An Eye for an Eye” apply today? | 34:45
• Key Ideas to track: Mountains, Possessions | 43:40
• Final thoughts on interpretation | 47:10
• “How to Study the Bible”: Genre. | 50:00

INSTANT TAKEAWAYS

1 | “HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE” // GENRE

Knowing what type of literature, you are reading is the first step in interpreting correctly. In some ways we do this naturally. We expect different things when we read poetry vs fiction vs nonfiction. I expect something very different when I read fiction about wizards compared to when I read Exodus (hint: one of them is true and one is just for fun). In the case of Obadiah, we need to know that it is prophecy (speaking with the voice of God) with apocalyptic (dramatic revealing of what is going on in heaven) and future (what is going to happen) elements. It also contains some sections of poetry. That helps us know what to expect in the letter.

2 | THE DAY OF THE LORD

The “Day of Yahweh,” or “That Day,” or “The Day.” A day that is coming (near or far) in which God will establish his rule within history. God will judge Israel/Judah for their disobedience, judge the nations for their disobedience, and restore Judah and then also the nations under God’s perfect rule. The Day of the Lord is either a threat of immanent judgment or a call to take hope because God will judge the disobedient. In Obadiah we see the imagery of drinking from the cup of God’s wrath. The Day of the Lord is a major theme in the Minor Prophets. Some scholars have even suggested it is the central theme of these writings.

3 | Interpretation mini-deep dive: Obadiah 1:16

We do a short dive into two different interpretations of interpreting verse 16. Either Obadiah is creating a play on the word “drink,” where Edom was drinking in celebration of Judah’s downfall, but God will make them drink of his wrath. Or, the reversal is on who is drinking God’s wrath, where Judah has already drank of God’s judgment via the exile, but now Edom is going to drink God’s judgment.

4 | Pride

God judges Edom for their actions in opposing Judah, but their actions stem from the pride in their hearts. The same is true of us. It is easy to see disobedience in our actions, but the real issue is the pride and other sins within our hearts.

SHOW NOTES

Wow! This episode is jam-packed with fun themes, application, and interpretation! We explain the “Day of the Lord,” the importance of literary genre in interpreting the Bible, how Hebrew verbs work, pride as the source of disobedience. A few other things that get time in this episode: The Tower of Babel, the principle of “an eye for an eye,” and the Singapore Airport, mountains, and possessions.

We give an example of how to evaluate two differing interpretations of a passage of Scripture. There are so many little nuggets about interpretation in this episode: Hebrew verbs, evaluating different interpretations, literary genres, key themes, keywords, and prescriptive vs descriptive application. If you are looking for practical insights about reading and understanding the Bible, this is for you!