“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob's brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved; But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness."
The passage in Malachi 1:2-3 is possibly more familiar to readers of the Bible from the quotation made by the apostle Paul in Romans 9:13. Paul uses the text in his teaching in context to Israel’s rejection of their Messiah. Take a look at Romans 9:1-13.
In verses 1-5 Paul shares his grief that his country men have rejected Jesus and wished he could change the circumstance.
In verses 6-9 he declares that their denial does not make the Word of God of no effect for those who are the children of God are not those born Jew but of those who believe in the promise as given to Abraham that he would have a son by Sarah. Here is the line of promise continued from Abraham to Isaac, the Child of Promise.
Then in verse 10-13 he expounds on the fact that through Issac the promise continued when he had twin boys. But the promise didn’t continue through the elder Esau, as was customary, but the younger Jacob according to God’s purpose and election (or choosing) that he would be the Child of Promise.
Understand, Paul is not speaking of who God saves but of the bloodline from which passes the Child of Promise. So in choosing Jacob and his bloodline to lead to the Child of Promise he then rejects the bloodline of Esau (i.e. hated). This is the same response God had to Ishmael. You recall that Sarah had the idea to help God fulfill His promise, so she sends her maidservant to lie with Abraham to produce a son. But later when God commands Abraham to sacrifice Issac he identifies Issac as Abraham’s only son, completely denying Ishmael.
Another comparable text is when Jesus speaks of following him and not hate father and mother (Luke 14:26). The sister very to this is Matthew 10:32-39 where he speaks of causing a division between family members as some believe and others do not and then states, “he who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” In both texts Jesus calls on the people to take up their cross and follow him. Jesus obviously does not advocate a hating of our parents but rather when t comes to believing and following Jesus their will have to choose against their parents. In Luke this action is described as hate and in Mathew it is described as a love for parents more than Jesus.
Back to Malachi
Malachi is making a case for God’s love for the Israelites, who were of the line of Abraham, Issac and Jacob and who questioned God’s love for them. God’s answer is that his love is demonstrated that they were chosen from the bloodline bloodline of the child of promise before their father Jacob and uncle Esau were born. Hate in this context then is not to hate as we may hate an enemy but to deny or reject.
In nether of these messages is there a reference to eternal salvation. It is purely a revealing of God’s sovereign will as to who he makes possible salvation. He has chosen Salvation to come by the child of promise (the seed) of Abraham and as Paul so clearly states, seed as in one, who is Christ (Gal. 3:16).
But what of Malachi 1:3 where he states that God laid waste to Esau’s mountains? This relates to the descendants of Esau for God had commanded the Israelites prior to entering the promise land to show respect to the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, for they were family (Deut. 27:3). But the Edomites did not treat the Jews well and according to Psalm 137 the Edomites were present and cheered for the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem. God then delta harshly with them and this is where God’s love is shown to the Israelites. For He had restored them to their land and to their city and to himself because they are the the bloodline of the Child of Promise and the Edomites were not. In this is where God’s love was demonstrated to their doubting minds even though they had denied him and disobeyed him, yet did he restore them after exiling them into captivity for 70 years.
In agreement with Paul
This then ties forward to Paul’s teaching that God shows mercy to whom he shows mercy. He chose to cshow mercy to the Jews even with all their rebelliousness but chose not to show mercy to the Edomites. Did the Edomites have a choice? Yes, for God meant them well by the Israelites, as was seen from Deuteronomy. Could they have believed in the Child of Promise and lived? Of course, just as today a person who believes in Christ, the Child of Promise, may be saved.
Blessings
pBob