Rom_9:7-13. - When And Why Was Esau Hated?

18. Romans 9:7-13. - When And Why Was Esau Hated?

"Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. (7) That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. (8) For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come and Sarah will have a son. (9) And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (10)

(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; (11) It was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. (12) As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." - Romans 9:7-13 As we read these verses we find out that God was electing or choosing (by selective breeding) a nation for Him-self. Even though within that nation not everyone would be looking for the coming of Christ; nevertheless, He was selectively breeding a people that would be known as the nation of Israel. God exercised His own choice as to who would be the father of the nation. When it came to the promise to Abraham and Sarah, God had promised them a son. Of the children they were to have, God would choose through which one the seed and the promise should come. God promised the seed by Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 15:3-4. Too impatient to wait on God's promise, Abraham went unto Hagar who was Sarah's Egyptian handmaid. She conceived and bore a son by the name of Ishmael. But this was not the promised seed through which the nation of Israel should be born.

We find out that later--at a very old age (Abraham being 100 years old and Sarah being 90)--that god fulfilled His promise and Isaac was born (Genesis 21:1-5).

We find that God had said:

"But my covenant will I establish with Isaac..."

God had selected him. This has nothing to do with the salvation of Isaac! As we continue, we find that Isaac married Rebekah and they had two sons, Jacob and Esau. If you will notice carefully, God had said:

"The elder shall serve the younger."

We find this in Genesis 25:23.  This was only to establish the birthright and the ancestral headship of the nation and had absolutely nothing to do with salvation!  God had the right to choose through which individual the nation the nation of Israel would be born.  But because of that, it does not mean that Esau could have not been saved.  In fact, this leads us to the very next point.  Those who say you are chosen to salvation miss the point of this message altogether...

"As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." - Romans 9:13

Notice carefully, the Bible says "As it is written..."  Where do you find this written?  Turn with me to Malachi 1:1-3 and this is where it is written.  This was never written before Jacob and Esau were born.  God did not elect one to be saved and the other to be lost.  He did not say "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" prior to Jacob and Esau's birth.  This was said some 1500 years later, after Esau had chosen to practice his evil acts.  Then God said, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."

Remember--this was not done before they were born!  It was not God's will to hate Esau before he was ever born!  He only chose Jacob as the seed through which the Messiah would come and as an ancestral head in building the lineage of the nation of Israel.

Let us read in Malachi 1:1-3 :

"The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. (1)

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. (2) And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains waste for the dragons of the wilderness." (3)

Notice carefully that God had done what he had said in Malachi.  But this was done only after Esau had practiced the evil things and despised his heritage.  Most certainly did God do what He said!  But God did not say this before Esau was born nor does it relate to his salvation.

God has said to us before we were born:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but live an everlasting life." - John 3:16 But after we reject Christ in this life---God hates all workers of iniquity. He assuredly does! But then, we are going to find out that God will honor our choice. It is your choice. Whether you accept or reject Christ, God will honor that choice. If you choose to reject Christ, you will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. If you choose to accept Christ, you will be passed from death unto life. But it is your choice, because God is...

"not willing that any should perish." - 2 Peter 3:9

Another thing we might notice here is that while this portion of Scripture occurs in the New Testament, it is written almost 400 years after Malachi's words.  So there are actually about 1500 years between 2 Peter 3:12 and 2 Peter 3:13 of the 9th chapter of Romans.  How important it is to take time and to study these Scriptures pertaining to Esau!

Another portion of Scripture concerning Esau is found in Hebrews 12:16-17 :

"Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. (16) For ye know that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." (17)

We find concerning Esau in 2 Peter 3:16, "Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person...".  The word "profane" here actually means "outside the temple or worldly."  He was a worldly person and a fornicator.  This describes him "...who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing..."  This is not speaking of eternal life at all!  This is speaking of inheriting the blessing as far as the headship of the nation is concerned.  Again--nothing is said of salvation, whatsoever!

Then we find that "...he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears."  The word "repentance" is the Greek word "metanoia."  Concerning this verse, "Vine's Expository Words on the Greek New Testament" has this to say:

"The word means afterthought or change of mind and is used of repentance from sin or evil. A change of mind about sin or evil. Except in Hebrews 12:17 where the word "repentance" seems to mean not simply a change of Esau's mind but such a change as would reverse the effects of his own previous state of mind. Esau's birth bargain could not be recalled, it involved an irretrievable loss."

Esau was simply sorry to the point of tears, but he did not change his mind about what he had done in forfeiting the blessing he would have inherited.

Again--this has nothing to do with Esau's sal-vation.  Remember this--that there are some 1500 years between Romans 9:12-13.  Malachi had stated that God had loved Jacob and hated Esau after Esau had done these evil things.  After he had shown himself to be a profane person and was a fornicator, then God said, "...Esau have I hated."  But we find out that God's electing Jacob was only for the blessings that had to do with the headship of the nation of Israel and had nothing to do with salvation!

Proof of Hebrews 12:16-17 is found in Genesis 26:34-35 :

"And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: (34) Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah." (35)

You see, Esau loved worldly women and he should not have taken up a marriage with those that were outside of Israel.  He should not have done that, but he loved the worldly women.  This is why Hebrews states that he was a fornicator.  In Hebrews 12:15 we are told:

"Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." This could surely be descriptive of Esau.

Now notice in Romans 9:15 where God says to Moses:

"...I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." This "have mercy" is not referring to the mercy of salvation that God shows to all sinners, but rather the mercy that God had on Esau allowing him to live as long as he did while living a sinful life.

Also speaking of "mercy" in Romans 9:15, we would like to go to Exodus 33:1-23 where this is recorded in Romans 9:19.  "Where he saith to Moses."  Let us read the record and see what mercy he is talking about back here.  We pick up the story in Exodus 33:18 :

"And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory." This was Moses speaking to God. Then God answers in Romans 9:19-20.

"And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee: and will be gracious to whom to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. (19) And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live." (20) - Exodus 33:19-20

We find out that God allowed His glory to pass by the cleft of the rock, etc.  The point we would like to make is that the mercy that God speaks of is that...

"I... will be gracious unto whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy," - Exodus 33:19 This is the fact that God is saying, "I am the One who will determine whether or not I will show you my glory." This had nothing to do with the salvation of Moses at all--neither did it have anything to do with the salvation of Esau. This was God's answer as far as adhering to the request of Moses, and again, it had nothing to do with salvation at all.

It is amazing how many times one will take Scripture and apply it to their man-made philosophical doctrine instead of taking what the Scriptures specifically teach.  If those who use Romans 9:1-33 would only go back to where it was spoken to Moses and find out what it was spoken concerning, there would be no problem understanding what these Scriptures are speaking about.

Again, this is not speaking about Moses' salvation, but only God's mercy in granting Moses' request to see His glory.

Continuing in the book of Romans, in 9:22 we have the situation concerning Esau summarized.  In Romans 9:22 we are told...

"What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering (I am sure God was very longsuffering with Esau.) the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction."

You see Esau was the type of man who was fitted for destruction by living a sinful life.  But God in His longsuffering (this includes the mercy that God extends), even though the individual is undeserving, God extends it to them anyway.  This is the supreme "agape" love of God which is far superior to the brotherly "phileo" love of man.