EXPLORING BIBLE: OBADIAH

Description

DAVID FIELD

“It is said that ‘the best things come in small packages’ and certainly the book of Obadiah bears that out. Weighing in at just twenty-one verses, it is packed full with good things: rich theology, powerful imagery, unsettling challenges to our thinking and living, and huge promise for the triumph of God’s purposes. Obadiah uses key biblical themes such as mountains and brothers, the kingdom of God and the day of the Lord; he challenges his hearers and readers by what he says about malice, pride and complacency; he encourages God’s people with the promise of their sure inheritance; and he raises wider matters of justice, spiritual warfare and the international spread of the kingdom of God. Furthermore, like all the prophets, Obadiah over and over points us to the kindness and justice of the Lord Jesus Christ and to the greatness of what he has done for us.

David Field lectures at Oak Hill Theological College in London and is a member of Enfield Evangelical Free Church. After reading theology at Oxford, David worked taught in a theological college in Nigeria for three years and then gained a PhD from Cambridge on the thought of English Puritan, John Howe. He was pastor of Horsley Evangelical Church for five years and immediately before beginning teaching at Oak Hill he had four years in the commercial world as a headhunter. David is married to Sue and they have three daughters. His other loves include the novels of John Buchan, Everton FC and early mornings.

David Field has managed, in a slim volume, to give us a number of things:
• a commentary that takes the text of Obadiah seriously and explains it carefully
• a resource for all Bible teachers who are preparing to unpack this neglected book
• a study guide for individuals and groups who want to mine for gold here
• a brief master class in how to do biblical theology
Amazingly, he does it in clear prose which is peppered with helpful quotations from other authors. And, he writes with a passion for Jesus Christ and God’s coming kingdom that draws the reader to worship.”
—John Tindall, Associate Pastor of Monyhull Church, Kings Norton, Birmingham

“Obadiah, like many short books, is densely packed with the truths of God. In this book—in equal measure scholarly and pastoral—David Field does wonderful work in unpacking those those truths and showing their relevance for Christians today.”
—Doug Wilson, Pastor of Christ Church, Moscow, and author of Blog and Mablog