Romans 9:13-16 (WEL) Just as it is written, “Jacob, I have loved; Esau, I have hated.” [Malachi 1:2-3] 14 What will we say then? That God is unrighteous? Absolutely not! 15 For he tells Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” [Exodus 33:19].” 16 So then, it is not of the one who wills or strains with effort but of God who shows mercy.
V13 Just as it is written, “Jacob, I have loved; Esau, I have hated.” [Malachi 1:2-3]
God makes distinctions. He chooses those who believe so that He can give blessings. He chooses those who reject Him over to curses. Esau, the man, never served Jacob, the man. Edom, the nation founded by Esau and his descendants, did serve Jacob, the nation (Israel). God loves those who love Him (Psalm 33:18) and hates those who hate Him (Psalm 11:5).
The mistake made by most interpreters today is that this verse refers to individuals. Romans 9-11 refers to a nation.
Jacob and Esau, the men, are mentioned in Hebrews 11:20 as receiving blessings.
And remember chapters 9-11 deal with ethnic Israel.
V14 What will we say then? That God is unrighteous? Absolutely not!
God is not unrighteous to choose one person or nation over another. He is King of the Universe and beyond.
Zerr comments: “Since no personal injury was done to Esau by this choice, there was no unrighteousness on the part of God in making this official selection.”
From Precept Austin:
“Here is Dr S Lewis Johnson’s summary from his paper on Galatians 6:16:
Persistent efforts to explain “the Israel of God” in Gal 6:16 as a reference to the church defy overwhelming grammatical, exegetical, and theological evidence that the expression refers to ethnic Israel. Among contemporary interpreters, three views of the phrase’s meaning emerge: (1) “The Israel of God” is the church; (2) “The Israel of God” is the remnant of Israelites in the church; and (3) “The Israel of God” is the future redeemed nation. View 1 suffers from the grammatical and syntactical weakness of endorsing the meaning of the Greek particle kai as “namely,” a rare usage of that word. Exegetically, View 1 is also weak in choosing to define “Israel” as the church, a usage that appears nowhere else in biblical literature. View 1 also is lacking theologically because the name “Israel” is not applied to the church at any time in history until A.D. 160. Views 2 and 3 coincide grammatically and syntactically, exegetically, and theologically in positive support for those views by taking kai in its frequent continuative or copulative sense and by understanding “Israel” as a reference to ethnic Israel. View 3 shows its exegetical superiority to View 2 through the six points of Peter Richardson, which develop the ethnic nature of “Israel,” and by recalling Paul’s eschatological outlook for ethnic Israel in Rom 11:26. Theologically, View 3 jibes with Paul’s teaching about two kinds of Israelites, the believing ones and the unbelieving ones. Those who persist in advocating View 1 present a classic case in tendentious exegesis. (To read the entire paper see Paul and the Israel of God – An Exegetical and Eschatological Case Study. The Masters Seminary Journal. Volume 20, Spring, Page 41-55, 2009)”
V15 For he tells Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion [Exodus 33:19].”
What is the condition to receive God’s mercy? Faith!!!! Compare Exodus 20:6, Psalm 86:5, Proverbs 28:13, Luke 1:50, and 1 Timothy 1:16.
V16 So then, it is not of the one who wills or strains with effort but of God who shows mercy.
Our good works and efforts are not accepted by God. It is only by faith in Jesus Christ that we are saved and forgiven. Compare Luke 18:13-14.
We learn:
- God choices are based on a person’s faith.
- God is the ultimate authority.
Questions:
- Do you have faith?
- Are you thankful for your salvation?