In 9:13, it says “Just as it was written, Jacob I Loved, Esau I hated.” We discussed in the video that this reference to Malachi was meant to depict how God’s words to Rebekah (that the nation from her older son would serve and be weaker than the nation from younger one) were fulfilled. Israel (the nation of her younger son) did become the stronger nation. But still, the word “hate” can still seem extreme and unfair.
I would like to share another passage that uses this type of language in order to show another possible use and intention behind the use of “love” and “hate” in scripture. In Luke 14:26 Jesus says, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate even his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” The same greek word for “hate” is used in this verse as in Romans 9. Now does Jesus call us to literally hate our family? No, we know that the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor. Jesus commands us to even love our enemies. So, the command to hate our family is not a command to hate as we would generally use the word, but rather a command to clearly choose God over our family.
If we apply this use of the word to the idea that God loved Jacob and hated Esau, we could interpret it as God clearly choosing Jacob over Esau. And this we know is true. God did clearly choose Israel to establish as His people for the special purposes and did not choose Esau. He chose Jacob’s nation over Esau’s nation. However, it is key to remember what God clearly chose Jacob’s nation for. He made a covenant with them, spoke to them, gave them descendants, land, and his laws, and entrusted them with the promises of salvation. However, God did not choose them to exclusively be granted salvation. The promise of the coming salvation that was carried by them and was to be granted to anyone who shared in Abraham’s faith, whether from the nation of Jacob or not. It was a blessing that would be for all nations (Genesis 22:18).
Back to Romans 9 | Part 1