Hear now the word of Almighty God, Romans chapter 9, starting at verse 11. For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, it was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Thus far the reading of God's Holy Word from Romans 9, verses 11 through 13. Let's pray for the Lord's wisdom in considering this text. Our Father in heaven, we pray that you might bless us, that you might give us the wisdom of your Holy Spirit, that we might see the goodness and severity of God, your sovereign power over all things, And we pray that you might strike us with terror at our sins and our evil ways, and that we might agree quickly with our adversary and sue for peace, even through Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, amen. Please be seated. We continue our consideration of the book of Romans, Romans chapter nine, considering Jacob and Esau this afternoon from verses 11 through 13 of Romans nine. We've been considering the purpose of God according to election, chosen vessels, including the apostle Paul himself, having nothing in themselves to move God to choose them. Rather, as we saw with Paul himself, Saul of Tarsus, he had nothing but threatenings and slaughter he breathed out. That's what he had that moved supposedly God to choose him, no. We saw also the Thessalonians. that they were chosen by God unto salvation, and that Paul and Silas and Timotheus gave thanks not to the Thessalonians for believing or for doing good works, but rather they thanked God who had chosen and called them by his grace. We also saw our duty to diligently care for our assurance in our own hearts and minds by growing in virtue, knowledge, faith, self-government, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, charity. We are to strengthen our assurance of our election, not using the grace of God as a license to be lazy or slothful, not to be lawless or disobedient, but rather God, by his grace, using the doctrine of election, induces us to good works by means of that doctrine. Now, verse 11, we've looked at these before, the children being not yet born. Before they developed, Jacob and Esau, the traits of childhood, youth, or manhood. no visible, notable, or recorded experiences outside of their mother's womb, no practices of good or evil, not a single practice of any vice or any virtue, that the purpose of God, according to election, not of works, but of him that calleth. Now, works in this context include both good works and bad works. God had a purpose according to election, and that purpose was not made by reference to Esau's wickedness, his profanity, his evil, nor of Jacob's piety, his fear of God, his prayers, any of those things. God did not consider those. Those works were not relevant, but it was of him that calleth. God's purpose to love Jacob was not based off of his good works, his faith, his prayer, none of those things. God's hatred of Esau was not based off of his evil works, the things that he did in profanity and lawlessness and wickedness. It was not of works, but of him that calleth. Now here, often in the Bible, when we read of works, we will find some kind of contrast with faith, faith or works, for example, or sometimes we'll read of a contrast between grace and works. But here notice, what is the contrast? It is either of works, those things done by men to move God, or it is by him that calleth. The calling one. This, in fact, is a present relative participle, and we've talked about this before. The calling one. That's what a present relative participle, in this case the verb is call. God's name is him that calleth, the calling one, God himself. Here, the contrast is not with works versus faith, works versus grace. It is works versus God himself, the calling one. This name is given to God in various parts of the New Testament. I will reference them and you can look them up at your leisure. Galatians chapter 1 verse 6, Galatians 1 6, Galatians 5 8, Galatians 5 8. First Thessalonians, two passages as well. First Thessalonians 2 12. 1 Thessalonians 2.12 and 1 Thessalonians 5.24. 2 Timothy 1.9, 1 Peter 1.15, 1 Peter 5.10, 2 Peter 1.3. If you need those references, see me after worship. Okay, God is the calling one. And if you say that some good or evil thing was done by either Jacob or Esau, what you're contrasting is the mere work of a creature with God himself. Those are your options. Do you trust in the power of God or do you trust in the creature? That's the question. Who is it that purposed these things? The purpose of Jacob, the purpose of Esau, or the purpose of him that calleth? Whose purpose is it? This is what he's proving. It was said in verse 12, it was said unto her, that is to Rebecca, remember the context of verse 10, Isaac, our father, he conceived by his wife in the same moment, in the same act of conception, two twins brought forth at one time. It was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. Now the word elder also means he who is superior. of greater stature, because they were born at basically the same time. So the one has the stature that is higher, or you might say the age, because he came out first, very shortly before his brother. Esau was the firstborn, he was the elder. Now this is prior to his birth, by the way. God is speaking these words to Rebekah. The elder shall serve the younger or the lesser. He who will not be the heir of all, who will not be the firstborn. He who is lower in stature, the lesser or the younger, he shall rule over the greater or the firstborn in stature. Please open to Genesis chapter 25 if you would please, just to see this in its context. Genesis 25, page 26 of your Pew Bibles. Genesis 25, starting at verse 19. God's giving us the book of the generations, just like we saw in Matthew 1 concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. Here are the generations of Isaac. Verse 19. And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan Aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her, and she said, if it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said unto her, two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels. And the one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger. Now here, notice, this is somewhat ambiguous. This does not give us all of the details. It doesn't give us a precision, and so the apostle's going to quote another passage. But you'll note here, the question is, these unborn children, twins in my womb, why are they struggling like this? You're the one who gave me this child, Lord. I'm going to ask you, what does this signify? What is the meaning of this struggle going on? Well, the meaning is this. God is going to take of those two men, now babies, and he's going to form them into two separate nations. But the heads of them shall have a relation that is contrary to the ordinary course of the family. God, in fact, in his law requires that when you have a firstborn son, he is to inherit your goods. He's to get a double portion of the goods. The rest get a single portion. He gets a double because the estate will devolve upon the firstborn son. Think about that. That's the natural order. In fact, all the heathens understood that. Every single nation under heaven, unless they were fried in their brains, they understood, you give it to your firstborn son. That's why when God killed the Egyptians, whom did he kill? Thirdborn, fifthborn, seventh, second, first. God threatens Egypt because Egypt understood, if you kill my firstborn, you kill the strength of my household. What is God saying here? These two are struggling. One of them will be elder and one of them will be younger, one greater, one lesser. I'm going to take the ordinary course and I'm going to turn it over so that he who is lesser shall become the superior. He who is humbled shall be exalted. He who is exalted shall be humbled. This is what God is saying, the lesser, the younger. He will be the ruler over the greater, over the superior, over Esau. God will set aside in his sovereign prerogative the ordinary course of family inheritance. Let's turn back to Romans 9, please. Romans 9. It was said unto her in verse 12, the elder shall serve the younger. Yes, Paul, but what exactly does that mean? How does that untie this knotty question? Remember the context. You have those who are Israel and those who are of Israel. You have the children of the flesh. You have the children of God. You have the seed of Abraham and you have the children of Abraham. Now, how does this help us understand? Because the question that arises is, has the word of God to these people who are brought within the compass of God's promise, has that promise failed? That word of promise, verse six. And the answer is no, they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. Now let me illustrate this sovereign prerogative of God to take a small remnant from among the Jews and to reject the rest of them. That's what he's doing here. The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Now first notice this phrase, as it is written. or just as it is written, precisely, exactly as it is written, gegraptai, a perfect passive verb. Now the perfect tense refers to an action generally completed in time past, continuing on in its effects to now and possibly even the future. It is written means God had it written down with His full authority and it still possesses His authority. It's as if God is speaking to you from heaven when you read this verse. It is written. And what exactly is written down? Now remember our Lord Jesus Christ. When he was assaulted by the devil, the tempter, what did he say? It is written. Matthew 4 verse 4. Matthew 4 verse 7. Matthew 4 verse 10. He repels each assault with this same exact quote. It is written. Then he quotes the scripture. This is an authoritative text. This text answers the problem you're dealing with, the temptation in the case of Christ or the objection in the case of the Apostle Paul. It is written. Jacob have I loved or literally that Jacob, the Jacob with a definite article. And remember, the absence of an article qualifies the presence of an article identifies that specific man named Jacob. I loved that singular man, that deceiver, that one who took his brother by the heel while he went out of the womb. You remember that? That's how he got his name, Jacob. His brother is coming out of the womb. He saw his exiting. What does Jacob do? Grabs him by the heel. Later, he does the same thing. Takes away his birthright, grabs him by the heel. Jacob, the deceiver, that Jacob. I loved him, though he was most unworthy, that rascal Jacob, that deceiver Jacob, I loved him. But in contrast to that, that Esau, that first born, that singular man, that man of higher stature, more manly among men, do you remember this? Jacob, where does he go? Sits with Mama in the tent, fair-skinned. Where's Esau? He's out hunting, making venison for his father. Jacob's a wimp. Esau's not. Jacob is the younger, the lesser. Esau is the greater, the older. He will inherit all, or so he thought. That Esau. God hated him. God hated him without respect of works. It's either works or him that calleth. One of the two, the elder shall serve the younger. They have done no practice of good or evil. There is no work that comes into God's calculus that says, I'm going to love Jacob because he's worthy. I'm going to hate Esau because he's worthy. None, none of that. He's proving his point, that it is not of works. They have not done anything good or evil. The elder shall serve the younger. Jacob, that Jacob, I loved him. That Esau, I hated him. Please open to Malachi chapter one, if you would. Page 956 of your Pew Bibles. Malachi chapter one. Verse 1. The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you saith the Lord yet ye say wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith the Lord? Yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished. But we will return and build the desolate places, thus saith the Lord of hosts. They shall build, but I will throw down, and they shall call them the border of wickedness, and the people against whom the Lord hath indignation forever. And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, the Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel. Notice, this is the context. Israel says, God, you never showed us that you loved us. You never did anything for us. But God says, you're wrong. You are very wrong. At the very inception of your nation, I loved Jacob and I hated Esau. And here, I'll prove it to you. Esau is going to try to build up his borders. He's going to try to build up his nation. What am I going to do with that? How is the God of Israel going to respond to the Edomites building up their borders? He's going to throw it down. You try to build Esau, I will destroy. I have indignation that is perpetual against that nation because I hated their founder. But you Israel, what about your border? I loved the founder of your nation so much that though you have estranged yourselves from me and wandered in your own way, seeking after idols, I will be magnified in your border, he says. You see the contrast? He loved Jacob, he hated Esau. And so the curse was passed on to the descendants of Esau in perpetuity, and the blessing is passed on to the descendants of Jacob in perpetuity as well. Some would like to say, feeling like they need to apologize for the spirit of God. Well, God doesn't hate individual persons. He might hate the nations, okay? So he hates the nation of Jacob, or excuse me, the nation of Edom. He loves the nation of Jacob. It's only a national love and hatred. No, actually it's not. Look what he says in verse two. I have loved you, saith the Lord, yet ye say, wherein hast thou loved us? That is a national question. Us and ye are plural. All of us as a nation, all of ye as a nation, God says. So they ask God, how have you loved our nation? And then God asks them, was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith the Lord, yet I loved whom? One man, Jacob. And I hated, who? One man, Esau. What were they? Brothers. The Israelites were not brothers with the Edomites. They were brothers with other Israelites. Flesh of their flesh, bone of their bone, as they said of David, right? That's why they could elect him. He's one of their brethren. They were not brethren after that. When were they brethren? In their mother's womb, under their father's house, until they went their separate ways. But God loved Jacob as an individual man, and he hated Esau as an individual man, and therefore God sent his love to the descendants of Jacob, and his hatred in perpetuity to the descendants of that one man, Esau. You see, Jacob, That Jacob, that very rascal who took his brother by the heel and stole his birthright with a mess of pottage, that Jacob I loved, God says. That glorious firstborn Esau, that man's man Esau, that mighty hunter before the Lord Esau, I hated him. I note then this doctrine. Scripture teaches a twofold purpose of God in election. Scripture teaches a twofold purpose of God in election. One of hatred, one of love. One to Esau, one to Jacob. You see, men have been apologizing for God and with good intention for generations. We're sorry God said this about himself and that you can only logically conclude. Let me tell you why it doesn't mean what it says. They're constantly apologizing for God. Let me defend him. He doesn't need your apology. He doesn't need my apology. He says he loved one and he hated the other. And he said, it's not according to works, it's of him that calleth. Then he said they did nothing good or evil, but that his purpose should stand. What may we conclude from this? God has a two-fold purpose. Many will say, God has a one-fold purpose. You know, the stuff that sounds good about saving people and loving, that's his purpose. This other thing over here, it's just kind of like, you know, he just kind of ignores them. He loves them less, that's what they say. Jacob have I loved, Esau have I loved a little bit less than that. Is that what it says? Now, could it mean that? Possibly, it's possible. But what does he say? I've had perpetual indignation against Esau's descendants. Does that sound like loving less? Perpetual indignation, laying them waste. They try to build up their borders and God throws them down. Ha ha, I love you just a little bit less. Let me throw your border wall down. Does that sound like loving less? No, sounds like hatred, doesn't it? That's because it is hatred. Scripture teaches a twofold purpose of God in election. One of love, one of hatred, one of Jacob, one of Esau. And it does not apologize for this and say, oops, forget about the hatred part. Let's just not talk about that. No, he's saying it to our faces. Romans nine concerns the true Israel. Let's turn back there. Verse six, not as though the word of God has taken an effect for they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. Who are the true Israel? Those loved like Jacob, right? Without respect to good or evil that they did so that God's purpose according to election might stand. That's why there's a true Israel and those of Israel. What about the seed as opposed to the children of Abraham? Verse seven. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children. Who made the difference? How did he make the difference? According to his purpose, he loved one and hated the other. That's how. What about the children of the flesh versus the children of God in verse eight? Same answer. He's concluding the argument. He's proving his point. Isaac was chosen, Ishmael rejected. Jacob was chosen from one marriage bed in one womb, though younger yet beloved. Though that deceiving rascal, the one who took by the heel, the wimp who's at home with his mama while the other guy's out hunting. God chose that Jacob. He loved that Jacob. God's hatred is what makes one merely Israel. Though the seed of Abraham still a child of the devil and of the flesh, as Esau was. God's love brings life. His hatred brings death. Let us then in exhortation tremble at a sovereign God. God's decree is executed in all things that come to pass. God has no mishaps in his ordering of all things. God appoints the end, God appoints the means. God loves some and brings them to everlasting life. God hates others and leaves them to their own devices resulting in their death. Let us tremble at this sovereign God. Let us not minimize the word that he says. And have you been called and beloved by God himself? Let us rejoice in that calling. That's what he's calling Israel to do in Malachi. You think I don't love you? You ever read the Bible? You ever looked back on what I did for your father Jacob, loving him, blessing him, giving him my inheritance? Here you stand in my land with the worship that I appointed, and you think I don't love you? Let us rejoice having been called by God himself. Let us rejoice with trembling as the psalm says. Let us make our calling and election sure, for write it down. If you are not beloved by God, you are hated by him. And so I urge you, make your calling and election sure. Trust in his promises, walk in his ways, even as our father Jacob did. And thus far the exposition of the word of almighty God concerning Jacob and Esau.