This morning I spoke in Epe about election. Beforehand I had a conversation with one of the attendees about a passage in Romans 9 that deals with God’s election of Jacob. I also briefly mentioned this in the study and referred to a blog that I had written about it. This is the blog and I have supplemented it for the occasion.
God’s purpose
Even before the two brothers, Jacob and Esau, were born and had done anything good or bad, God had made His choice. Not based on their actions, but on God’s purpose. First the verses it is about:
Romans 9
11 For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil
(that the purpose of God might stand according to election, not of works, but of Him who calls)
12 It was said to her, The elder shall be slave to the younger,
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
second place
In the study I said that hate should be understood as: putting in second place, subordinating. I did not explain this too much further and someone asked me: what is the meaning of the word hate?
In our language, hate has a connotation of hostility, resentment or spite. And in the Bible we certainly find the word in that meaning. Think for example of Joseph’s brothers, who hated him with all their heart (Gen. 37:4-8). But the question is of course whether the word only occurs in this meaning in Scripture, or whether it has a broader meaning.
subordinating
Of course it would not be right if Scripture says in one place: “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27) and that elsewhere it would say that God hates people. I therefore believe that the meaning of the word hate in Scripture is much broader and indeed includes concepts such as subordinating, despising, esteeming less and setting aside.
Below are a number of Scriptures that demonstrate this, the enumeration of which is far from complete. Because the quote from Rom.9:14 is a quote from Mal.1:2, we have both the Hebrew word and the Greek word from which we can see the meaning.
Genesis 29
30 He also came to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah (…)
31 When the LORD saw that Leah was less beloved (lit: hated), he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
Hated in this verse is therefore the less love by Jacob of Leah, compared to Rachel.
Deuteronomy 21
15 If a man has two wives, one beloved and the other less beloved (lit: hated), and both the beloved and the less beloved (lit: hated) bear sons to him, and the firstborn son is the less beloved (lit: hated)…
Matthew 6
24 No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will cleave to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
The second part of the sentence explains the first part. To cleave to one is to love the other, and to hate one is to despise the other (=to esteem less).
Luke 14
26 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and his own soul also, he cannot be My disciple.
Compare Ex.20:12: “honor your father and mother”
not hostile
When it says that God hated Esau, it is not in the sense that He is hostile toward him. God is not an enemy of any person. He actually destroys all enmity (Col. 1:20). God gave Jacob the birthright blessing, but Esau was also blessed (Gen. 37:39-40). And Esau knew this, because he testifies to his brother when the two are reconciled after years:
Genesis 33
9 But Esau said, I have much, my brother; let what you have remain yours.