This one year study thru the Bible for kids is designed to hit the highlights and provide practical application. I encourage you to read the whole section of scripture (Obadiah 1) while we focus in on just a few verses.
Background: Obadiah is a little book (only one chapter) in which Obadiah predicts teh downfall of nation of Edom because of how badly they treated their neighbor, Israel. What makes it worse is that both nations descended from Isaac. Esau and Jacob were twin sons of Isaac, Esau’s descendants became Edom and Jacob’s descendants became Israel.
So what was so bad about how Edom treated Israel?
Ask the children…
So how did Edom treat Israel that made God promise to judge them?
“When they were invaded, you stood aloof, refusing to help them.” (Obadiah 1:11)
“You should not have gloated when they exiled your relatives to distant lands. You should not have rejoiced when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune..'” (Obadiah 1:12)
“You should not have plundered the land of Israel when they were suffering such calamity.” (Obadiah 1:13)
“You should not have stood at the crossroads, killing those who tried to escape.” (Obadiah 1:14)
These were terrible things that the Edomites did to the Israelites. God was not going to let this go. God expected better treatment of family and was going to fight for His people.
Ask your children how they think they treat their brother or sister or best friend if they don’t have siblings? Do they always treat them well? God expects us to stand up for our sibings and to bless them. Talk about how to bless the other members of your family and make a plan to do it.
If you like what you read about ways to teach children the Bible, check out the children’s book, Hooked on the Book, on this website. It is great for parents and kids because it provides the Big Story of God’s miraculous plan for His children in all 66 books in the Bible. CHECK OUT A FREE SAMPLE OF CHAPTER ONE BELOW.