Then the Lord said to me, “You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward and command the people, ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given
Though they were not yet born and had done nothing bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” Romans 9:11-13
I am not going to pretend to know what exactly is meant by the statement, “But Esau I hated.” Nevertheless, I will say that I don’t think we should project a worldly and sinful definition upon God’s hatred of Esau. God’s hatred is pure and undefiled and I don’t believe we can pretend to understand the full scope of it (not that we can’t understand it at least in small part).
Despite whatever hatred God had for Esau, the passage I read in Deuteronomy reveals to me that God’s hatred for Esau is very different from our hatred. For He blessed Esau by giving him and his descendents Mount Seir as a possession and by protecting them from war with the Israelites. What these Scriptures reveal to me, is something that I am seeing over and over again in Deuteronomy, is that there is a complex unity or diversity in God. God is both just and merciful, holy and loving. There is not a single attribute in God that could be fully explored for all eternity.
1 comment:
I have pondered over that verse myself, which was originally spoken in Malachi 1:2-3 concerning Esau and his descendants, the Edomites. I don't know if I'm right, but I'm pretty sure that God was speaking in terms of a national identity rather than the individual. He did indeed bless Esau, in spite of the fact that God promised that Esau would serve his younger brother Jacob. But Esau's heart was not turned toward God, and he produced a multitude of descendants who showed nothing but animosity toward the Children of Israel. Eventually they got caught up in the idolatry and immorality of the Ammonites and Moabites, and became enemies of Israel. For that reason, by the time they get to Malachi, God hates them as a nation for their sins.
Just a thought. Good stuff, William. Good stuff.
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