The theme of Joel is the day of Yahweh, and with it the question of who it is that the day belongs to. The people were facing devastating calamity, and Joel calls the whole society to repent so that they might escape judgment and once again enjoy the mercy and favor of Yahweh.

Obadiah takes up the same theme in its dual aspect, that there is judgment and that there is blessing. Irvin A. Busenitz handles both books in a single volume. Mentor commentaries retain a high view of Scripture while interacting with research from differing theological viewpoints, which makes them useful to a preacher who wants the scholarship surveyed without the conclusions conceded.