God Never Punishes People Without Warnings

Part 48 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series 

David Pawson says that, though some of the Minor Prophets occupy just one page in our Bibles, they are very important. “Minor” refers to the size of the book rather than their message. These written prophets seem to all relate to the exile of the people of Israel, either warning of its coming – before the event, (Obadiah then Joel were the first 2 in this category); seeking to comfort them once it happened, or encouraging them to get settled back in their own land when the exile finished. David says a prophet speaks for God which means that he has also heard from God, so he needs both the sensitivity to hear, and the courage to deliver. God usually sends prophets when something is going wrong, and it is part of his goodness that he warns people before bringing punishment. Obadiah actually didn’t speak to God’s people but to one of Israel’s neighbours, Edom. At this time it was a radical thought that the God of Israel was the God of all other nations as well, and judgment would come from him. Edom was the first nation to be warned that they would be judged for what they had done to Israel. There is no trace of the Edomites in the world today.