Good responses, guys. I agree with so much of what has been said so far. I do think that this is said as a comparison between Jacob (chosen) and Esau (not chosen). It is meant to point out how God as been at work in human history to bring about His will and overall purpose. Think about the sons of Noah, Shem, Japheth, and Ham. One line was chosen (Shem) the others not chosen. Did God love Japheth and Ham less? No. Could they have a relationship with God? Yes..
Look at Ishmael and Isaac. Did God love Ishmael less? No. Could Ishmael have a relationship with God? Yes.
Then, look at Jacob and Esau. did God love Esau less? No. Could Esau have a relationship with God? Yes.
Lastly, let's look at the Israelites and the Gentiles. Does God love the Gentiles less? No. Can Gentiles have a relationship with God? Yes. Throughout history God has chosen peoples, groups, and persons to fulfill a specific part of His redemptive plan in human history. Should the one who was chosen be prideful about this? No. They should feel the awesome weight of the particular call of God on them. Should the one not chosen be disappointed or rebellious towards God? No. the unchosen should give God the love and worship He deserves and believe He is ultimately just. Many people throughout history have been "unchosen" yet by their faith have received the promise of salvation. I think of Ruth, Rahab, Cornelius, the Samaritan woman, millions of Gentiles. God made Himself known throughout history through a chosen people, the lineage of Noah, Shem, Eber, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. Those of us who do not have a bloodline in the Israelite lineage have been adopted into this chosen race by the blood of Jesus through faith. I am sure that there were very likely some of Esau's lineage that did believe and serve God in faith. Jesus' blood reaches back to them. He is the God of every one and saves all who seek Him in faith throughout history.
Hi James. I know, that word 'hate' can be very pointed & ugly, especially when seen in the Scriptures. We need to realize that 'hate' as seen here & other places, can have several meanings. The word in Greek is 'miseo', & of course, it does mean 'to hate' but also can have other meanings according to application, i.e. 'to detest, to love less, to esteem less'. So, it's not always an ugly uncontrolled emotion that is shown. You can think of Luke 14:26, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." Did the Lord mean to say that we are to feel such hatred for our family just so that we can truly follow Him? Or did He mean that we need to esteem Him more, putting Him first in everything even to giving our family second place?
And then we have another conundrum as seen in Isaiah 45:7: "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." I share this verse simply to demonstrate the usage & understanding of languages. In Isaiah, we read of two strange phenomena: God creating darkness & creating evil. Can a God Who is altogether Light & altogether Holy & Good create such things? Some might say, yes, because He is God. Rather we should consider that in light of Who God is, maybe the creation of darkness, is actually God removing His Light. Maybe the creation of evil, is God removing His Peace. Darkness is always the default just as is Evil the present default in the World. We enjoy both physical & spiritual Light because of God's intervention through Christ ( Colossians 1:16,17; John 8:12) - we also enjoy great quietness & enjoyment of life because God by His Spirit is holding back the full onslaught of evil ( 2 Thessalonians 2:7).
Therefore Romans 9:13 & Malachi 1:2,3 that speak of 'hating Esau', can only mean that Esau was hated (rejected) in God's Plan, just as Jacob was loved (accepted).
I would like to suggest a possibility here concerning this text.
The text reads 'As it is written " I would like to go to where this phrase was originally drawn from and get the context and tie the two together.
Malachi 1:1-3. The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? WAS NOT ESAU JACOB'S BROTHER? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
God is saying by my feelings and actions shown towards Esau, and he's jacobs brother "Suggesting equal grounds when Israel was Jacob" SHOULD be Proof I Love Jacob. IF THIS HATE WAS CAUSED BY SOMETHING ESAU DID THERE WOULD BE NO EVIDENCE ON DISPLAY HERE OF THE LOVE FOR JACOB.
Atleast consider that for a moment and go back to Romans 9. and let's take it from verse 11 on down to verse 14.
Romans 9:11-14. (FOR THE CHILDREN BEING NOT YET BORN, NEITHER HAVING DONE ANY GOOD OR EVIL,
((( that the purpose of God according to election might stand, )not of works, but of him that calleth;)))!!
It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Here he Emphasizes THAT THE PURPOSE OF GOD ACCORDING TO ELECTION MIGHT STAND, NOT OF WORKS, BUT OF HIM THAT CALLETH;)
I believe the focus here is Jacob represents Gods Grace. Esau represents the will of the flesh " For lack of better terms "
Perhaps Hate here is used as a term for Comparison as Brother Jesse shared in an earlier post.
Brother S Spence, there is yet more to come concerning Jacob and Esau:
Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac BLESSED Jacob and Esau concerning THINGS TO COME.
The writer of Hebrews says those blessings are still in the future, they will come to pass after the resurrection to judgement and God's kingdom has been set up on earth.
Jacob's blessing:
Genesis 27:29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: ......
Esau's blessing:
Genesis 27:40 ...and serve thy brother: and it shall COME TO PASS when THOU SHALL HAVE the dominion, that thou shall break HIS (Jacob's) yoke from off thy neck.
Esau will come into God's kingdom after the resurrection to judgement, the kingdom of God is within you, and all Israel will be saved.
You are right the children were chosen according to the election of GRACE, one a vessel of honour and one a vessel of dishonour, but in the fullness of time God will be all in all.
Important scriptures on why= Hebrews 12:16
Obadiah 1:1-21,
Obadiah 1:10,11,12,13,14
Hopefully these are helpful in your discussion & understanding.
Look at Ishmael and Isaac. Did God love Ishmael less? No. Could Ishmael have a relationship with God? Yes.
Then, look at Jacob and Esau. did God love Esau less? No. Could Esau have a relationship with God? Yes.
Lastly, let's look at the Israelites and the Gentiles. Does God love the Gentiles less? No. Can Gentiles have a relationship with God? Yes. Throughout history God has chosen peoples, groups, and persons to fulfill a specific part of His redemptive plan in human history. Should the one who was chosen be prideful about this? No. They should feel the awesome weight of the particular call of God on them. Should the one not chosen be disappointed or rebellious towards God? No. the unchosen should give God the love and worship He deserves and believe He is ultimately just. Many people throughout history have been "unchosen" yet by their faith have received the promise of salvation. I think of Ruth, Rahab, Cornelius, the Samaritan woman, millions of Gentiles. God made Himself known throughout history through a chosen people, the lineage of Noah, Shem, Eber, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. Those of us who do not have a bloodline in the Israelite lineage have been adopted into this chosen race by the blood of Jesus through faith. I am sure that there were very likely some of Esau's lineage that did believe and serve God in faith. Jesus' blood reaches back to them. He is the God of every one and saves all who seek Him in faith throughout history.
And then we have another conundrum as seen in Isaiah 45:7: "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." I share this verse simply to demonstrate the usage & understanding of languages. In Isaiah, we read of two strange phenomena: God creating darkness & creating evil. Can a God Who is altogether Light & altogether Holy & Good create such things? Some might say, yes, because He is God. Rather we should consider that in light of Who God is, maybe the creation of darkness, is actually God removing His Light. Maybe the creation of evil, is God removing His Peace. Darkness is always the default just as is Evil the present default in the World. We enjoy both physical & spiritual Light because of God's intervention through Christ ( Colossians 1:16,17; John 8:12) - we also enjoy great quietness & enjoyment of life because God by His Spirit is holding back the full onslaught of evil ( 2 Thessalonians 2:7).
Therefore Romans 9:13 & Malachi 1:2,3 that speak of 'hating Esau', can only mean that Esau was hated (rejected) in God's Plan, just as Jacob was loved (accepted).
I would like to suggest a possibility here concerning this text.
The text reads 'As it is written " I would like to go to where this phrase was originally drawn from and get the context and tie the two together.
Malachi 1:1-3. The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? WAS NOT ESAU JACOB'S BROTHER? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
God is saying by my feelings and actions shown towards Esau, and he's jacobs brother "Suggesting equal grounds when Israel was Jacob" SHOULD be Proof I Love Jacob. IF THIS HATE WAS CAUSED BY SOMETHING ESAU DID THERE WOULD BE NO EVIDENCE ON DISPLAY HERE OF THE LOVE FOR JACOB.
Atleast consider that for a moment and go back to Romans 9. and let's take it from verse 11 on down to verse 14.
Romans 9:11-14. (FOR THE CHILDREN BEING NOT YET BORN, NEITHER HAVING DONE ANY GOOD OR EVIL,
((( that the purpose of God according to election might stand, )not of works, but of him that calleth;)))!!
It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Here he Emphasizes THAT THE PURPOSE OF GOD ACCORDING TO ELECTION MIGHT STAND, NOT OF WORKS, BUT OF HIM THAT CALLETH;)
I believe the focus here is Jacob represents Gods Grace. Esau represents the will of the flesh " For lack of better terms "
Perhaps Hate here is used as a term for Comparison as Brother Jesse shared in an earlier post.
Just a suggestion, God bless.
Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac BLESSED Jacob and Esau concerning THINGS TO COME.
The writer of Hebrews says those blessings are still in the future, they will come to pass after the resurrection to judgement and God's kingdom has been set up on earth.
Jacob's blessing:
Genesis 27:29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: ......
Esau's blessing:
Genesis 27:40 ...and serve thy brother: and it shall COME TO PASS when THOU SHALL HAVE the dominion, that thou shall break HIS (Jacob's) yoke from off thy neck.
Esau will come into God's kingdom after the resurrection to judgement, the kingdom of God is within you, and all Israel will be saved.
You are right the children were chosen according to the election of GRACE, one a vessel of honour and one a vessel of dishonour, but in the fullness of time God will be all in all.
the seat of his personal life had no believing or commitment. He sold his birthright out just for food he
disobeyed his parents, he would have killed his brother. Rebeccah was walking and listening to God,
she knew who the promise was to go to. Romans 9 is talking about the believing line by promise, Esau
was crooked in his Heart and God knew it.
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