Why Did God "hate" Esau?

[Chad]

Malachi 1:2-3 declares, “’I have loved you,’” says the LORD. But you ask, 'How have you loved us?' ‘Was not Esau Jacob's brother?’ the LORD says. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.’” Malachi 1:3 is quoted in Romans 9:10-13, “Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, 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.’” Why did God love Jacob and hate Esau? If God is love (1 John 4:8), how could He hate anyone?

When studying the Bible, it is critically important to always study the context of a particular Bible verse or passage. In these instances, the prophet Malachi and the apostle Paul are using the name “Esau” to refer to the Edomites, who were the descendants of Esau. Isaac and Rebekah had two sons, Esau and Jacob. God chose Jacob (whom He later renamed “Israel”) to be the father of His chosen people, the Israelites. God rejected Esau (who was also called “Edom”) and did not choose him to be the father of His chosen people. Esau and his descendants, the Edomites, were in many ways blessed by God (Genesis 33:9; Genesis chapter 36).
God loving Jacob and hating Esau has nothing to do with the human emotions of love and hate.
So, considering the context, God loving Jacob and hating Esau has nothing to do with the human emotions of love and hate. It has everything to do with God choosing one man and his descendants and rejecting another man and his descendants. God chose Abraham out of all the men in the world. The Bible very well could say, “Abraham I loved, and every other man I hated.” God chose Abraham’s son Isaac instead of Abraham’s son Ishmael. The Bible very well could say, “Isaac I loved, and Ishmael I hated.” Romans chapter 9 makes it abundantly clear that loving Jacob and hating Esau was entirely related to which of them God chose. Hundreds of years after Jacob and Esau had died, the Israelites and Edomites became bitter enemies. The Edomites often aided Israel’s enemies in attacks on Israel. Esau’s descendants brought God’s curse upon themselves. Genesis 27:29 tells Israel, “May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.”

Article Source: Why did God love Jacob and hate Esau (Malachi 1:3; Romans 9:13)?

 

[DHC]

Malachi 1:2-3 declares, “’I have loved you,’” says the LORD. But you ask, 'How have you loved us?' ‘Was not Esau Jacob's brother?’ the LORD says. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.’” Malachi 1:3 is quoted in Romans 9:10-13, “Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, 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.’” Why did God love Jacob and hate Esau? If God is love (1 John 4:8), how could He hate anyone?

When studying the Bible, it is critically important to always study the context of a particular Bible verse or passage. In these instances, the prophet Malachi and the apostle Paul are using the name “Esau” to refer to the Edomites, who were the descendants of Esau. Isaac and Rebekah had two sons, Esau and Jacob. God chose Jacob (whom He later renamed “Israel”) to be the father of His chosen people, the Israelites. God rejected Esau (who was also called “Edom”) and did not choose him to be the father of His chosen people. Esau and his descendants, the Edomites, were in many ways blessed by God (Genesis 33:9; Genesis chapter 36).
God loving Jacob and hating Esau has nothing to do with the human emotions of love and hate.
So, considering the context, God loving Jacob and hating Esau has nothing to do with the human emotions of love and hate. It has everything to do with God choosing one man and his descendants and rejecting another man and his descendants. God chose Abraham out of all the men in the world. The Bible very well could say, “Abraham I loved, and every other man I hated.” God chose Abraham’s son Isaac instead of Abraham’s son Ishmael. The Bible very well could say, “Isaac I loved, and Ishmael I hated.” Romans chapter 9 makes it abundantly clear that loving Jacob and hating Esau was entirely related to which of them God chose. Hundreds of years after Jacob and Esau had died, the Israelites and Edomites became bitter enemies. The Edomites often aided Israel’s enemies in attacks on Israel. Esau’s descendants brought God’s curse upon themselves. Genesis 27:29 tells Israel, “May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.”

Article Source: Why did God love Jacob and hate Esau (Malachi 1:3; Romans 9:13)?

Hello Chad.

I most strongly agree with this thread of yours, full marks Chad.

Then you excelled with the following line and one that seriously everyone needs to be mindful of.

When studying the Bible, it is critically important to always study the context of a particular Bible verse or passage.

 

[B-A-C]

I also agree with this article, it isn't really talking about emotions per se. However it is talking about God accepting or rejecting someone. This actually happens to quite a few other people besides
Jacob and Esau. Here is another example in Genesis.

Gen 4:4; Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering;
Gen 4:5; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.
Gen 4:6; Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7; "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."

Even if we take the Calvinist view of these verses...
Rom 9:11; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,
Rom 9:12; it was said to her, "THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER."
Rom 9:13; Just as it is written, "JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED."

If we take the extreme Calvinist view here then, that means God planned on "hating" or rejecting Esau before he was even born. If that is the case, then could it
be true God plans on hating other people before they are born? Then again, there could be a reason God rejected Esau.

Heb 12:16; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.
Heb 12:17; For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

Note that John 3:17 doesn't say "will be" saved, it says "might be". Everyone on earth has the opportunity. Yet we know not everyone will be saved.

2 Kings 17:20; The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight.
Psa 60:10; Have not You Yourself, O God, rejected us? And will You not go forth with our armies, O God?
Psa 119:118; You have rejected all those who wander from Your statutes, For their deceitfulness is useless.

Jer 6:28; All of them are stubbornly rebellious, Going about as a talebearer. They are bronze and iron; They, all of them, are corrupt.
Jer 6:29; The bellows blow fiercely, The lead is consumed by the fire; In vain the refining goes on, But the wicked are not separated.
Jer 6:30; They call them rejected silver, Because the LORD has rejected them.

2 Tim 3:8; Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected by God in regard to the faith.

Deut 32:18; "You neglected the Rock who begot you, And forgot the God who gave you birth.
Deut 32:19; "The LORD saw this, and spurned them Because of the provocation of His sons and daughters.
Deut 32:20; "Then He said, 'I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; For they are a perverse generation, Sons in whom is no faithfulness.

In Exodus 7 and 8 we see that Pharaoh hardened his heart six times against God and Moses (despite seeing all the plagues). Finally in Exodus 9 we see that God
himself hardens Pharaohs heart. But this wasn't until Pharaoh kept rejecting him over and over.

We see this same thing in Romans 1. There are people who know God and his rules, but they reject them. So what does God do?
He gives them over to the lusts of there hearts, he gives them over to degrading passions, he gives them over to depraved minds.

If we reject God enough times, he will eventually reject us.

 

[james1523]

The Bible does not tell us why God hated Esau.
However some insight into the characteristics of those whom God chooses can be gained by considering 1 Cor 1:26-31. Like any person, God does not make decisions randomly or willy nilly, or according to right or wrong, good or evil, but according to His plan (Romans 9:10-13). And His plan is revealed in Romans 8, particularly Romans 8:29. God chose Jacob for a reason, and God tends to continue to choose people like Jacob for this very same reason.

• Jacob is a symbol for those whom God loves and we can gain some idea about the characteristics of people that God loves and chooses by looking at Jacob.
• The people that God tend to love are those like Jacob, David and John (disciple of Christ, the one whom Jesus loved) and Paul (apostle) (and many others) who were ambitious and wanted to be somebody and have what other people had, yet were not physically strong or capable in themselves.
• We should realize that those who God loves the most are not good people, they are like Jacob and are supplanters with much ambition. God loves the people who say to Him, "I want to sit at your right in Your Kingdom" (Mark 10:37). Their heart may be selfish, their motives may be wrong, but God can easily change that, all God needs is a willing heart ("where there's a will, there's a way, where there's no will, there's no way").

• The Bible teaches that God loves tricky supplanters like Jacob and hates physically capable gentlemen like Esau. The reason is not because God is evil and loves evil, but because supplanters have the right characteristics that God can use for His plan.
• Some who only see the matter of right versus wrong, would say that God is unfair to choose the bad one over the good one. However God does not make choices according to right or wrong, good or evil, but according to His plan to take human vessels and conform them to the image of His Son (Rom 8:29). God knows that He cannot do this with the ones like Esau or Saul or Moses, because of their own human capability and strength.
• God chooses weak yet ambitious people. God knows that if we are ambitious, he can at least do something with us. God wants people who are ambitious for Him and for spiritual things. God tends to reject the weak and unambitious because they do not have a will - God needs human cooperation. God hates the poor people who want to stay poor, the defeated who want to stay defeated, the fearful who want to remain in fear, people with no faith and no hope. God rejects the strong and ambitious because the strength of natural man is of no use to God.
• When God takes a weak yet ambitious person, firstly He crucifies their soul to kill their worldly ambition and strength, to show them that it is vanity (Ecc 1:2-4). Then He resurrects their soul and gives them a heart for eternal things (Ecc 3:11), to give them godly ambition. Then He empowers them with His Spirit (2 Cor 12:9), and then uses them for His purpose. You see, the person has always had an ambitious will, God does not change that - what He does is replaces the natural with the spiritual, the earthly with the heavenly, the selfish with the Christ-focused, and then He has a person that He can use.