Far from being personally vindictive, imprecatory prayers offered in the right spirit are the means by which the saints of God express faith that their persecutors will be prosecuted. And it is actually the hatred of God, expressed in eternal wrath toward the unrepentant, that frees believers to love their enemies in this life.

Whether you are studying the Bible on your own, walking through it with your spouse, teaching it to your children, or learning it in your local church, I trust that this will serve as a blessing to guide you in fruitful study.

As the shortest book in the Old Testament, one would think that Obadiah would be among the more familiar passages of Scripture. Sadly, such is not the case. And because Obadiah was preaching primarily to an ancient pagan nation (one of only two minor prophets who did so—the other being Jonah), the modern reader might see little of value in this short prophecy. But again, such is not the case.