God Doesn’t Hate Esau (or You)

We who preach grace are sometimes accused of ignoring the Old Testament. But no one could ever make this claim about the Apostle of Grace.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul quotes the Old Testament more than 60 times. He quotes the Ten Commandments and many of the prophets. He does this to show that the old covenant foreshadowed the new covenant. Promises made then, said Paul, were fulfilled now in Christ.

Old Testament: promise made
New Testament: promise kept

That’s pretty simple, right? Yet some don’t see it. Because Paul quotes the old covenant in the new covenant, they get confused. They come away thinking we must obey the Ten Commandments or that God loves some people but hates others.

Take this verse for example:

Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (Romans 9:13)

Jacob and Esau were the two sons of Isaac, and apparently God hated one of them. Because God’s picky. He has favorites. He accepts some and rejects others. He predestines some for salvation, and if you’re not part of the elect, you have no hope.

Perhaps God hates you too. Perhaps he will reject you. It’s not fair, but God is sovereign. Whatta you gonna do?

Honestly, people who say such things – it’s like they’ve never heard the gospel of Christ!

God loves Esau

Jesus said “For God so loved the whole world” (John 3:16). Which means Esau is loved. Jesus said so.

Jesus also said, “Whoever comes me, I will never cast away” (John 6:37). So you do not need to fear God’s rejection.

In another article, I ask, “Why did God hate Esau and love Jacob?” The truth is, God loved both men and their tribes. He loves everyone.

A better question is, why does Paul quote this old line from the book of Malachi?

The old covenant in the new

Paul quotes an Old Testament prophet to make a new covenant point, which is this:

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. (Romans 9:6)

Someone who witnessed the brutal crucifixion of Jesus Christ might conclude that God had failed the nation of Israel. God had promised a Deliverer, but Jesus had died and Israel remained under the Roman boot.

“But no,” says Paul. “It’s not God’s word that has failed; it is unbelieving Israel who failed.” God’s word was a reliable road map, but Israel had taken a wrong turn. “Their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?” (Romans 3:3).

God’s promises are true whether you believe them or not, but you will never benefit from them unless you believe them. Just as Esau rejected his birthright and missed out, you can cut yourself off through unbelief.

This is what had happened to unbelieving Israel. They cut themselves out of God’s promises. But don’t think for a second that this proved God was unfaithful or that he had rejected Israel (Rom. 11:1–2).

What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” (Romans 9:14–15)

Some say that God chooses some people and rejects others because he is sovereign and mysterious. He is harsh because he hardens some and smashes others like a potter smashes pots. It’s not true. God is not unjust. He is merciful.

Scholars tie themselves in knots trying to explain why God hates some people (like Esau) or hardens others (like Pharaoh). Paul pre-empts these conclusions by saying, “There is no partiality with God” (Rom. 2:11).

The God Jesus reveals loves all, and the God Paul writes about in Romans offers mercy and grace to all (Rom. 11:32).

When Esau traded his inheritance for a bowl of lentils (Gen. 25:29–34), he turned his back on the promises God had given to his grandfather Abraham. It was a monumentally foolish act that foreshadowed the Jews’ rejection of Christ. But even though Esau rejected God, God did not reject him (see Deu. 2:5, 23:7–8).

Nor has God rejected you.

You may have made some monumentally stupid decisions. Perhaps you have even said, “God, I don’t believe in you.” But God remains faithful. He never changes.

No matter what you’ve done or how far you have wandered, God believes in you. His love and grace are beyond our comprehension.

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Romans has been called the most Old Testament book in the New Testament. In the bonus materials that accompany this article, I list every single Old Testament author and scripture quoted by Paul in his monumental letter. Check it out now on Patreon.

Parts of this article were extracted from The Grace Bible: Romans.