Posted on 10/17/2004 9:21:42 AM PDT by Gamecock
I. Objections to the truth "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." Few if any texts in all the Holy Scriptures are as objectionable in the eyes of many as this one.
1. Some object that "hated" does not mean hated. They aver instead that "hated" means loved less. They usually use for the "proof text" the requirement set forth by Jesus Christ in Luke 14:26: "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple." They compare this to the parallel text, Matthew 10:37: "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." They deduce from these texts that Christ does not require His disciples to "hate" other people. Rather, they aver, Christ requires them to love those other persons less than they love Him. Accordingly, they would change Romans 9:13 so that it would read, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have loved less"; or, "Jacob I have loved, and Esau I have loved, but not as much as Jacob."
They err! When God speaks of hatred, he means "to hate", not "to love less". But we need to realize that hatred is manifested in two different ways. The first is positive hatred, which has for its object sin and sinners, and manifests itself in showing to them the abhorrence they justly deserve (as in Psalm 5:4-6; 7:11-16; 11:5- 7; 139:22). The second is negative hatred, which may have for its object anyone, and manifests itself in neglecting or bypassing such a person in favor of someone else.
This second meaning is that which applies in Luke 14:26. To hate relatives and friends and self in order to come to Christ as a disciple means only to forsake everything in order to embrace Him as Master. Christ therefore adds in the context, "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has [in an act of negative hatred] cannot be My disciple." (v.33).
They who would change "hated" to "loved less" in Romans 9:13 would do great violence to Holy Scriptures if their principle were applied elsewhere. For example, it is said of God in Hebrews 1:9, "You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness." But if "hated" means "loved less", this text may read, "You have loved lawlessness, but less than righteousness." (See the same misapplication in also Psalm 97:10; 119:113, 163; Ecclesiastes 3:8; Isaiah 61:8; Amos 5:15; Micah 3:2.)
Furthermore, he who takes to himself the right to change "hated" to "loved less" must in turn grant to others the right to change "loved" to "hated less". Accordingly, our present text would read not only "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have loved less," but also "Esau I have hated, but Jacob I have hated less."
Words mean things! When God says, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated," He means exactly what He says. He does not mean "Esau I have loved less." His sentiments toward Jacob and Esau respectively are exact opposites.
2. Some object that "Esau" does not mean Esau. Some of these say God did not hate the person Esau, but rather the sins of Esau, because they believe "God hates sin, but loves the sinner." This contradicts Scriptural statements such as "You hate all workers of iniquity" (Psalm 5:5), not merely their works.
Others object to any intimation that God hates one person while loving another person. They therefore reject the doctrine of God choosing one person to be the object of His love and to be the recipient of His spiritual and eternal blessings, but leaving another person to be the object of His hate. But they accept the doctrine of God choosing one nation to be the object of His love and to be the recipient of His material and temporal blessings, but leaving another nation to be the object of his hate. They recognize that the nation Israel descended from Jacob (Genesis 45:8ff), and that the nation Edom descended from Esau (Genesis 36:1ff), and that God loved Israel but hated Edom (Malachi 1:1-5). Therefore, having found what is to them a great malady in the statement "Esau I have hated"; they would cure it by having the statement to read instead "Edom I have hated."
Their proposed remedy is worse than the supposed malady! What is a nation but a body of persons! If they object to God hating one person such as Esau, they should object all the more to God hating all the persons in Esau's nation!
Their proposed remedy also violates the context of our present text. When God speaks of Jacob and Esau, He refers to the two children - not nations - who had been twins in the womb of Rebecca (vv.10-12; cp. Genesis 25:20-28). And when God elsewhere says, "Jacob I have loved; but Esau I have hated" (Malachi 1:2f), He identifies of whom He speaks by asking, "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?"
Furthermore, the subject of the context of the present text is indeed personal election to spiritual and eternal blessings, not merely national election to material and temporal blessings. In the immediate context, Paul was proving that "the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls" (v.11). In the broader context, he declares that the nation Israel under the Old Covenant was comprised of national children of God, and that this nation had been loved by God above all other nations; but all those of Israel who rejected His gospel would not be His spiritual children, and would be hated by Him instead (9:1-8; 10:1-4). On the other hand, he declares that many people of the unloved nations, and who were not national children of God, would through believing the gospel become His spiritual children, objects indeed of His saving love (9:25-31). All rejecters of the gospel, whether Jew or Gentile, are hated as "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction"; but all believers of the gospel, whether Jew or Gentile, are loved as "vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles" (9:22-24).
II. Proofs of the truth "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." The only proof required by children of God is the fact that God said so. However, because this is not enough for others, we here present some historical evidence.
1. God blessed Jacob over Esau. God in eternity decreed, and in time declared, even while these twins were in their mother's womb, "The older [Esau] shall serve the younger [Jacob]" (vv.10-12). In fulfillment of this prophecy, God permitted Jacob to obtain Esau's birthright (Genesis 25:29-33) and blessing (27:1-38) - including mastery over Esau (25:37). And God spared Jacob from Esau's malevolent intention to kill him (27:41-45).
2. God blessed Jacob with privileges He withheld from Esau.
i. God blessed Jacob at Bethel to behold Him, and to receive from Him the unconditional promise of both personal and national blessings in both the physical and spiritual realms (28:10-17).
ii. God at Bethel confirmed to Jacob the Messianic prophecy previously made to Abraham (22:18) and confirmed to Isaac (26:4), that "in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (28:14).
iii. God at Mahanaim blessed Jacob by sending a host of angels to protect him (32:1f).
iv. God at the brook Jabbok blessed Jacob to behold Him face to face and to prevail against Him in prayer (32:22-32).
v. God blessed Jacob by sending Christ His Angel to redeem him from all evil (48:15f).
vi. God blessed Jacob by permitting him at death to be gathered with his fathers Abraham and Isaac (49:29-33) – in whose presence Christ says Jacob is, in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:11).
vii. God blessed Jacob by repeatedly calling him "My servant" (e.g., Ezekiel 28:25; 37:25).
viii. God blessed Jacob by permitting him to die in faith as did his believing forefathers, and confesses "Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them" (Hebrews 11:8-16).
ix. God blessed Jacob by greatly blessing his descendants (Deuteronomy 10:15): They were told, "The LORD delighted only in your fathers [Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob], to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day." On the other hand, Esau and his descendants were cursed by God forever (Malachi 1:3f): "... they shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, and the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever" (cp. Jeremiah 49:8-10; Obadiah).
The blessings God bestowed unto Jacob are typical of the blessings he bestows unto all who believe in the God of Jacob, those whom He loves. On the other hand, His withholding them from Esau is typical of His withholding them from all who refuse to believe in Him, those whom He hates.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord
I hate anything that would harm that which I love.... 2 sides of the same coin... this ain't no "hate free" zone.
Period. 
Look at Abraham and Hagar, David and Bathsheba, Sampson, etc... Stories of pepole of faith, sinners all, but used by God because of their faith.
it's called covert activity, it's called being wiser then the serpent. through Rebecca's wise plan they set up Esau who then revealed his basic nature - which was to have no respect or honor of his birthright his Father was planning to bestow on him. the spiritual parellel is evident. some people are all talk about being patriotic or Christians, but their actions show different. revealing that fakery can most definatly be work for God and/or work for a Godly Country - such as ours. a very timely story for Christians right now eh?
Fair enough. But remember two things. First, God called for the elder of the twins to serve the younger while they were still in the womb. Second, look at Romans 8:28. Here you'll find the Apostle Paul teaching us that "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
It did appear to be a slick move by Rebecca and Jacob (Israel). Nevertheless, it fulfilled His purpose.
God, in His infinite and perfect wisdom, loves whom He wills to love and hates who He wills to hate.Period.
Bingo. Let's share a bag of popcorn and watch when some yahoo presumes to tell the Creator of the Universe wabt he can and can't do...
>>Our Sunday school lesson today taught that the trickery was not good and that God punished Jacob for it by letting him be tricked by Laban.<<
the only one "tricked" there was Leban. Jacob's blessings were quadrupled through that "trickery". the extra years spent there brought him his huge wealth.
i'm not saying Jacob never paid for any of his sins - that would foolish, but to state any specific downfall that happened to him and Rebecca was because of out-witting Esau is more then presumptuous. there is nothing wrong with out witting the enemy. and Rebecca knew her two sons better then anyone.. she knew what she was doing and why. she was an obedient Daughter who was saving the heritage Esau would have squandered. calling what Rebecca and Jacob did as "trickery" i believe is unjustified. they were wise.
they were covert. they were workers in the revealing of the truth of Esau's heart and mind.
Wagging the dog.
I would suggest that the entire story be read, not just the first half. You may recall that Esau does not remain in seperation from Jacob; he is re-united with his brother in the end. Worth considering, I think.
Did God force Esau to sell his birth right? Did God force Jacob to buy Esau's birth right? The answer is no. This is the free will of man and of God. With out the free will man is but a puppet in God's hands and a puppet can not love any one.
That's a nice, warm fuzzy humanistic thought. Unbiblical, but warm and fuzzy none the less.
Tell me something, late at night, when you pray for the unsaved who are close to you, do you pray
a) That God will work in their hearts and bring them to salvation
or
b) That God respects their free will.
Now if you'll excuse me, it is late in my corner of the world and I am going to pray that God violates the "free will" of some of my loved ones....
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