Jacob I Have Loved

Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
           What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
    and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. For Scripture that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Therefore, God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. (Romans 9:10-18)

Some look at this passage in terms of predestination and free will. Even before Esau and Jacob were born, God had already chosen. He created them. He chose their personalities, and then He judged them and loved one and hated the other. Scripture focuses on Jacob, so we see the sort of person he was. Esau seems innocent in comparison. Isaac loved him, but it doesn’t seem like anyone else did.
           We have Esaus and Jacobs in our midst. Even before they are born, everything seems to work against one, and for the other. Sometimes it’s a physical issue. Sometimes it’s more social. Sometimes, we think it’s our place to fix things, to “level the playing field.” Sometimes, we become angry with God for not playing fair. The Bible says, “God is love.” How dare He hate someone? How dare He condemn someone to a life that’s not as good as Jacob’s?
          The first error in that is the idea that those God loves and chooses get to have a specially blessed life. Everything is easy for him. That’s not what the stories of Jacob and Esau show. Neither Jacob nor Esau were innocent. Jacob treasured what was not his. Esau didn’t treasure what was. Jacob spent twenty years working for a dishonest boss to gain his wealth. We aren’t told how Esau gained his wealth, but when he rode out to meet Jacob after those twenty years, he had four hundred men with him. Somehow, I don’t think that was all is forces. The stories don’t explain that God imposed any more hardship on Esau than He did on Jacob, except for the statement, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” We read that and think in terms of how we would feel if we hated Esau: anger, rejection, condemnation, etc.
          We don’t find any of that in Scripture. What we find is two men who are both flawed. Neither deserves anything from God, let alone something extra. Even before they were born, God chose Jacob to be the one through whom the Messiah would come. When God says that He will have mercy and compassion on whom He has mercy and compassion, we need to realize that through choosing Jacob and not choosing Esau, He was still providing the means by which salvation would be possible for both Jacob and Esau. He was showing both mercy and compassion to both.
          So, what of predestination and free will? They function in each person’s life. When you drive down the highway, sometimes you have six lanes going each way and so many exits that your head spins. There are other times when you have one lane. There are times when God gives us lots of choices. None of them interfere with His plans. There are other times when God makes the choice for us. Either way, we are acting within God’s will even if we are doing something we shouldn’t. That doesn’t mean He approves of what we’re doing. It just doesn’t interfere with His plan.