חזון עבדיה כה אמר ה' ... לאדום (עובדיה א-א)
Despite being his birth nation, Ovadiah HaNavi’s one and only prophecy was of Edom’s destruction. But why was he tasked with relaying the message and not another prophet?
R’ Yonason Eibschutz zt”l (Yaaros Devash) explains that Chazal tell us: "צדיקים לבם ברשותם" - the righteous have their hearts in their possession. This means that despite the inherent nature of the heart to steer a person’s thoughts, tzaddikim take control of their hearts and don’t allow it to dictate their thoughts and actions. After Ovadiah’s death, his wife was left with a large debt to King Yehoram who threatened to take her children to his palace. In truth, she had no money to support her family. Yehoram was clear that she could visit her children often. And besides, in this manner at least her children would be given food on a regular basis.
Yet, it is so much deeper than the bare physical needs of the woman and her children. In fact, Ovadiah’s wife’s concern was with her children’s spirituality. She was afraid that if they lived amongst the king and his people, they would eventually throw off the yoke of Torah. This ideal was ingrained in her family by her husband Ovadiah, who as a person with a pagan background living amongst terribly wicked people like King Achav and Queen Izevel, he remained steadfast and did not become influenced by them. In fact, he did the opposite and risked his life repeatedly to ensure the survival of the prophets and the Torah. His Mesiras Nefesh made him the perfect prophet to relay the message of Edom’s destruction.