Romans 9.13-Paul Cites Malachi 1.2-3 That Records God's Selection Of Jacob's Descendants To Be His Covenant People And His Rejection Of Esau's
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday March 15, 2009
Romans: Romans 9:13-Paul Cites Malachi 1:2-3 That Records God’s Selection Of Jacob’s Descendants To Be His Covenant People And His Rejection Of Esau’s
Lesson # 306
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 9:1.
This morning we will continue with our study of Romans chapter 9.
In Romans 9:6, Paul presents the premise that not all Israel is Israel and that God’s Word has not failed and for the rest of the chapter he illustrates this premise.
In Romans 9:7, he cites Genesis 21:12 to prove this point with his readers that being a spiritual child of Abraham is not a birthright or in other words it is not based upon one’s racial heritage but rather it is based upon faith in the promises and in particular faith in the promised Messiah.
Then, in Romans 9:8, Paul teaches that the racial descendants of Abraham are not the considered by God to be His children but rather He considers the children of the promise as being such.
Then, in Romans 9:9, Paul paraphrases Genesis 18:10 and 14 to identify specifically the content of the Lord’s promise to Abraham, which was that the Lord would fulfill His promise to Abraham and Sarah and they would have a son named Isaac.
In Romans 9:10, Paul teaches that the story of Rebekah and her twins illustrates the principle that true Israel is based upon God’s sovereign grace rather than race and that the rejection of Christ by the majority of Jews did not constitute a failure on God’s part since He had not broken any promises to the patriarchs and their descendants.
Paul in Romans 9:11 teaches that God’s choice of Jacob’s descendants over Esau’s in forming spiritual Israel was in order that the Father’s predetermined plan, which is in accordance with election would remain immutable.
He goes on to say in the verse that this is never based upon human merit as constituting this plan’s source but rather based upon the Father who effectually calls as constituting this plan’s source.
So in Romans 9:11, Paul is teaching that God’s choice of Jacob’s descendants over Esau’s is in accordance with the Father’s immutable predetermined plan and sovereign will.
Again in this passage, he continues to support his argument from Romans 9:6 that the rejection of Christ by the majority of Jews did not constitute a failure on God’s part since He had not broken any promises to the patriarchs and their descendants.
In Romans 9:12, the apostle cites Genesis 25:23, which contains the prophecy that Esau’s descendants would be in subjection to Jacob’s.
This morning we will note Romans 9:13 and in this passage Paul quotes Malachi 1:2-3, which records God’s selection of Jacob’s descendants to be His covenant people rather than Esau’s.
Let’s read Romans 9:1-13 and then concentrate on verses 13 for the rest of the morning.
Romans 9:1-13, “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: ‘THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.’ That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise: ‘AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.’ And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, ‘THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.’ Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’”
In Romans 9:13, we have a quotation from Malachi 1:2-3, which records the Lord’s selection of the descendants of Jacob to be His covenant people and his rejection of Esau’s.
Romans 9:13, “Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’”
“Just as” is the comparative conjunction kathos (kaqwv$) (kath-oce), which is used with the indicative mood of the verb grapho, “it is written.”
Together, they introduce a comparative clause that indicates a comparison with the prophecy from Genesis 25:23 that is quoted by Paul in Romans 9:12 that Esau’s descendants would serve Jacob’s descendants.
The conjunction kathos, “as” with the indicative mood of grapho, “it is written” introduces an Old Testament passage, namely, Malachi 1:2-3, which supports Paul’s argument that spiritual Israel is selected based upon God’s sovereign grace rather human merit.
Malachi 1:2-3, “I have loved you, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have You loved us?’ ‘Was not Esau Jacob's brother?’ declares the LORD. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.’”
So to validate his assertion that spiritual Israel is selected by God based upon His sovereign grace rather than human merit, Paul quotes Malachi 1:2-3.
“JACOB” is the articular accusative masculine singular form of the proper name Iakob (’Iakwvb) (ee-ak-obe), which refers to the descendants of Jacob and not Jacob himself since this quotation from Malachi was made by Lord with reference to the descendants of Esau, the nation of Edom.
“LOVED” is the first person singular aorist active indicative form of the verb agapao (a)gapavw), which refers to God choice’s of entering into a covenant relationship with Jacob’s descendants rather than Esau’s.
The verb in the Hebrew translated “I have loved” is in the perfect tense and therefore, expresses not only God’s past relationship with Israel but also His historical and present dealings (in Malachi’s day) with these peoples.
Both Israel and Edom received judgment from God at the hands of the Babylonians in the sixth century B.C. (Jer. 27:2-8).
However, God promised to restore Israel over and over again because of His covenant promises (Deut. 4:29-31; 30:1-10) but He condemned Edom to complete destruction, never to be restored (Jer. 49:7-22; Ezek. 35).
In Romans 9:13, Paul quotes Malachi 1:3 to demonstrate that God elected Jacob’s descendants, the nation of Israel as His covenant people and He rejected the Edomites as His covenant people who were descendants of Esau.
That this passage is speaking of the nations descended from Jacob and Esau and not to them as individuals is clearly indicated by the fact Malachi 1:2-3 is clearly speaking of the nation of Edom rather than Esau the person.
Furthermore, Paul quoted Genesis 25:23 in Romans 9:12 and the former was also a reference to the nations that would descend from Jacob and Esau rather than referring to them as individual personalities.
Also, this is further indicated in that Paul’s statements in Romans 9:7-13 are supporting his major premise in Romans 9:6 that not all Israel is descended from Israel, i.e. Jacob.
Romans 9:13, “Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’”
“BUT” is the “adversative” use of the conjunction de (deV) (deh), which introduces a statement that presents a contrast with Paul’s statement that God the Father selected Jacob’s descendants to be His covenant people.
He doesn’t employ the conjunction alla since he does not want to convey a “strong” contrast since he wants to emphasize the two alternatives that God had in forming His theocracy, namely, the descendants of Jacob and Esau.
“ESAU” is the articular accusative masculine singular form of the proper name Esau (’Hsau) (ay-sow), which refers to Esau’s descendants, the Edomites and not Esau himself since this quotation from Malachi was made by Lord with reference to the descendants of Esau, the nation of Edom.
“I HATED” is the first person singular aorist active indicative form of the verb miseo (misevw) (mis-eh-o), which refers to God’s rejection of Esau’s descendants in being His covenant people.
In Romans 9:13, the apostle Paul quotes Malachi 1:2-3, which contains the statement from God, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated,” which does “not” refer to the fact that Esau was elected to the eternal Lake of Fire and Jacob was elected to be saved.
But rather it refers to the fact that Esau’s descendants were not elected as God’s covenant people but rather Jacob’s.
In Romans 9-11, the apostle Paul discusses the future of the nation of Israel and teaches that God has temporarily set aside the nation at this time in history and will restore her in the future because she was elected by Him to be His covenant people.
Therefore, when we see the statement “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” we must understand that Paul is not referring to individuals but rather to the nations which descended from Jacob (Israelites) and Esau (Edomites).
Therefore, the statement “Jacob I loved but Esau I hated” does “not” refer to the fact that Esau was not saved and Jacob was since that would imply that God hates sinners and elects some people to be saved and others to eternal condemnation.
Such an interpretation would contradict the teaching of Scripture that God’s will is for all men to be saved (See 1 Timothy 2:4, 4:10, 2 Peter 3:9, John 3:16-18, 1 John 2:2).
As we noted with the verb agapao, the verbs in the Hebrew translated “I have loved” and “I have hated” are in the perfect tense and therefore, express not only God’s past relationship with Israel and Edom but also His historical and present dealings (in Malachi’s day) with these peoples.
Therefore, the statement refers to the “national” election of Israel as God’s covenant people who are descendants of Jacob and the rejection of the Edomites as His covenant people who were descendants of Esau.
The rejection of Esau’s descendants as His covenant people does “not” mean that God elected the Edomites and the Gentiles to eternal condemnation and the Israelites to salvation since that would contradict the biblical doctrine of the unlimited atonement, which states that God desires all men to be saved.
The election of the nation of Israel, like the choice of Jacob over Esau was “non-meritorious” meaning that there was nothing that the nation of Israel and Jacob did that secured God choosing them since many times both sinned and failed to obey God.