Jacob I loved, Esau I hated. These words from Romans are originally found in Malachi. These are some of the hardest-to-understand words in all of the Bible. What does “hate” mean here? What does this say about who God is? What does this mean for our faith? What about free will? Where does this all fit together? Trust me, many folks much smarter than me have tried to understand these words. While there is a mystery here (and that mystery can teach us a lot), there is a lot that we can understand and come to know in this passage, as well as in Romans 9.

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Good morning. Today, we’ll start Malachi 1. Malachi is intriguing, particularly chapter 3 about not robbing God. After some research, I found there’s debate among scholars about the authorship of Malachi. Some suggest Ezra wrote it anonymously due to its harsh message.

We’ll read verses 1 through 5 today. Malachi means “messenger,” which is interesting as it suggests the book could have been written by Ezra. Let’s read Malachi 1:1-5:

“An oracle, the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. ‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have you loved us?’ ‘Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ declares the Lord. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have made his hill country a desolation and his heritage a desert for jackals.’ If Edom says, ‘We are shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins,’ the Lord of hosts says, ‘They may build, but I will tear down. They will be called the wicked country, the people with whom the Lord is angry forever. Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, ‘Great is the Lord beyond the borders of Israel.'”

The phrase “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated” is also in Romans 9:13. Understanding “hate” in this context can be challenging. In biblical terms, “hate” often means “to choose” rather than our modern understanding. So, it might be better interpreted as “Jacob I have chosen.”

This brings us to the debate on predestination. God’s sovereignty versus human free will is a complex issue that many have struggled with. I believe God sees all time simultaneously and understands our choices and their outcomes. This perspective helps reconcile free will and predestination.

Ultimately, there are mysteries about God we’ll never fully understand, and that’s where faith comes in. We must trust in God’s character and heart, even when we encounter difficult passages.

Thanks for being with us today. Tomorrow, we’ll continue with Malachi 1:6. Have a great day.