Romans 9, Predestination & Total Depravity

 

The context of Romans 9 has to do with Jews and Gentiles. “…Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory, and the covenants and the giving of the Law, and the service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ…” (Remember that last phrase for later.) Verse 6, “…they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but, “Through Isaac will your descendants be named.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God but the children of the promise who are regarded as descendants.” The issue is – who is it that are regarded as Abraham’s DESCENDANTS? In speaking of Jacob and Esau, Paul references two OT passages. First, in verse 12, he quotes Genesis 25:23 – “The older will serve the younger.” Look at the context of this statement,

 

“Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger.”

 

Not one single word about Jacob and Esau as INDIVIDUALS but three EXPLICIT statements concerning two NATIONS descending from them. The fourth statement (the older shall serve the younger) is talking about the same two nations EXPLICITLY spoken of in the previous three lines. Esau (the individual) NEVER served Jacob (the individual). Genesis 32 and 33 records the fact that Jacob was subservient to Esau. They were reconciled and lived together in harmony until they became so rich and prosperous that the land couldn’t contain both of them, at which point Esau moved away. The older serving the younger HAS to be referencing two NATIONS – not individuals. Could Paul be talking about nations, not individuals?

 

Paul also references Malachi 1:2,3. Read verses 1 – 5 and you will see that Malachi is talking about NATIONS, not Jacob and Esau as INDIVIDUALS. Verse 1 – “…the word of the Lord to ISRAEL…” Jacob is Israel. Verse 4, “Though Edom says…” Esau is Edom. Israel is descended from Jacob. Edom is descended from Esau. Malachi is speaking of nations, not individuals. Verse 2, “How have you loved us?” The word “us” denotes that the love or regard that God has is for the NATION of Israel. It is not speaking of God’s love for Jacob, the individual. In verse 4, Edom is described as “…the people toward whom the Lord is indignant forever.” It is not speaking of God’s feeling towards Esau, the individual. It says, “…the people…” PLURAL. Malachi is speaking of nations, not individuals. Again, in Malachi 1 when God says, “I have loved Jacob but hated Esau” He is not speaking of Jacob and Esau the individuals but the nations of Israel and Edom. That should be clear from the immediate context. Why would Paul use Malachi if he (Paul) were speaking of the individuals? If indeed the issue is, who are Abraham’s descendants, then it would only make sense that Paul would refer to a text that is national, not individual.

 

Why is the Lord indignant with EDOM, the NATION descended from Esau? For no reason other than God’s immutable decree in eternity past? Nowhere in any of these texts does it say WHEN or WHY God’s love for Jacob (Israel) and hate for Esau (Edom) was decreed. “The older will serve the younger” WAS foretold before the twins were born and after they were conceived. That statement says nothing about how God felt (who He hated, who He loved) about either one of them. It’s merely a foretelling of a certain fact. It doesn’t refer to Jacob and Esau but to their descendents. The “loved” and “hated” statement came CENTURIES later (Malachi) and was reiterated by Paul hundreds of years after that. Neither does the statement in Malachi refer to Jacob and Esau – it refers to Israel and Edom. Maybe Paul is talking about Israel and Edom. Although Malachi does not tell us WHY God hated Edom, scripture is not silent concerning Edom, and WHEN and WHY God hated it.

 

Genesis 36 tells us that Jacob and Esau’s property became so great that they could no longer live together. Esau moved to the hill country of Seir. Genesis 36:8 says, “Esau is Edom”. How much more clear of an indication do we need that sometimes the Bible speaks of nations in terms of their seminal ancestors? Genesis 36 gives us the genealogical line from Esau. Many generations later, long after Esau was dead, after Israel was delivered from Egypt, the Israelites came to Seir. Notice God’s attitude towards Edom. Deut. 2:5 says “…do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, even as little as a footstep, because I have given Mt Seir to Esau as a possession.” Notice that God refers to Edom in this text by the term, “Esau” - even as He does in Malachi 1. In verse 22 it says that God destroyed the Horites so that Esau’s descendents could posses Mt Seir. Not a word about hating Esau. On the contrary, the Lord fights for Esau against the Horites. (Deut 2:22) To be an Edomite at this time would be a blessing, not a curse. Do a study on Edom and you will see that there is no hint of anything negative concerning Edom - until Israel requested passage through Edom, which Edom refused. (Numbers 20:18ff) Even after that, Israel was commanded, “You shall not detest an Edomite, for he is your brother…” (Deut 23:7) This is spoken centuries after Esau’s death. Esau the individual is long dead, and there is nothing about him being hated. Furthermore, where is God’s hating of Esau’s descendants, that is, Edom? It hasn’t happened yet. However, as we read through the historical record, there is a general and escalating friction between Israel and Edom. There is ample historical record of this. There are statements like Psalm 60:8, “Over Edom I shall throw my shoe.” Starting with Isaiah 34:5 God’s indignation appears to escalate. Jeremiah 49:7-22 is another example of God speaking of Edom by using Esau’s name (see verse 10) - even as He did in Deut 2:5 and also in Malachi 1. I am suggesting that Paul, in Romans 9, following the OT manner, is using Esau’s name in the same way – to refer to the nation of Edom. In Ezekiel 25:12 we are told WHY God hates Edom. These prophecies in Ezekiel 25 are against various nations as a result of their actions “…against My sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into exile…” (Ezekiel 25:3)

 

Ezekiel 25:12 - “Because Edom has acted against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has incurred grievous guilt, and avenged themselves upon them…” Edom had INCURRED guilt. This was not Edom being hated by God according to God’s sovereign, preordained will. This was Edom incurring guilt BECAUSE it had ACTED against the house of Judah.

 

The word, “because” means be-cause – i.e. “the cause is…” To attribute causality to anything other than Edom’s actions against the house of Judah is going beyond – way beyond – what this verse says.

 

Ezekiel 35 also gives SPECIFIC REASONS why God hated Esau, that is, Edom. These prophecies are against “Mt Seir”. That’s Edom. Every single reason is because of Edom’s behavior. NOWHERE does God EVER say, “Because it’s by My sovereign choice.”

 

In Obadiah, we have a prophecy against Edom. This prophecy also gives us the reason WHY God hated Edom. Verse 10 – “Because of violence to your brother Jacob.” Verse 11,

 

On the day that you stood aloof,

On the day that strangers carried off his wealth,

And foreigners entered his gate,

And cast lots for Jerusalem,

You too were as one of them.

 

Verse 11 CLEARLY states that God is talking about the nations of Israel and Edom, NOT Jacob and Esau, the individuals. God’s hatred of Esau, that is Edom, did not happen before the twins were born, but was the result of the actions and behavior of Edom CENTURIES after Jacob and Esau died, culminating with Edom being as one with Israel’s desolaters re; Obadiah’s prophecy against Edom and Ezekiel’s prophecy in 25:12. While Malachi 1 does not tell us when or why the Lord hates Edom, (my contention is that Paul assumes his audience already knows this – see below) Malachi 1 is completely consistent with these passages in Obadiah and Ezekiel.

 

I gave all this because I believe that Paul, and his audience, were VERY familiar with the REASON WHY God hated Edom. Thus, it was not necessary for Paul to explain why, only to point out that the statement in Malachi illustrates that the older nation did indeed serve the younger nation. Paul quoted Malachi, and didn’t even say it was Malachi, he didn’t explain that the statement in Malachi was centuries later, and that Obadiah and Ezekiel had already given the REASON why God hated Edom when Malachi gave his declaration. He quoted one line out of 4 from the prophecy to Rebekah in Genesis 25, the only line that doesn’t explicitly indicate that the prophecy concerns nations, not Jacob and Esau as individuals. He knew what he was talking about, and he assumed his audience did too. We, being a different culture with 2000 years of time between Romans 9 and us, generally do not have the paradigm from which Paul is speaking. Thus, from Romans 9, it appears to us that God’s hatred was for Esau, the individual, and was divinely monergistic and predestined. We don’t automatically know that Paul is speaking of Edom and we don’t automatically know why God hated Edom – that it’s conditional – and how this fits in with what Paul is really saying. We speak of nations in terms of cities – “Today in the news; Moscow said today…” “Moscow” is Russia. The Biblical writers, OT and NT, also did this, but unlike modern news anchors, they also spoke of nations in terms of ancestors, i.e. “Esau is Edom.” Our news anchors don’t have to explain that “Moscow” is Russia. Neither did Paul have to explain to his audience that “Esau” is Edom, even as Gen 36:8 explicitly states. I have pointed out several places where the scripture, when referring to Edom, uses the term “Esau”. The fact that Paul is speaking of Israel and Edom and not Jacob and Esau SHOULD be obvious by looking at the immediate context – the issue is, who is it that are named as Abraham’s descendants?

 

Concerning Esau the individual, Hebrews 11:20 says, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.” Esau was blessed and was later given, by God, an inheritance, Mt Seir. This was after he sold his birthright. Hebrews 12:16 states that Esau was an immoral and godless person “…who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that 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.” The “repentance” and the “rejection” being spoken of here had nothing to do with Esau’s eternal destiny, but had to do with, and only with, the birthright that he foolishly sold, and the inherited blessing that goes with it. THAT is the immediate context of the “no place for repentance” statement. I think it’s possible that Esau WAS saved in spite of this passage in Hebrews, which characterizes him as immoral and godless at the time that he sold his birthright. I say this because of his attitude towards Jacob when Jacob returned to Canaan.

 

When Jacob returned to Canaan he was actually AFRAID of Esau. (Gen 32:7) Jacob says to Esau in Gen. 32:4, “Thus says your servant Jacob...” He bowed down to him seven times. (Gen 33:3) All of Jacob’s maids, children and wives bowed down to Esau. (Verses 6 & 7) In verse 8 Jacob calls Esau “my lord.” Jacob says to Esau, “…I see your face as one sees the face of God…” Jacob said this after striving with God face-to-face the night before. (Genesis 32:24-30) This is not a picture of Esau serving Jacob is it? Esau embraced Jacob and they wept. It appears that Esau forgave Jacob for stealing his blessing. It’s obvious from his behavior that he had repented from his murderous intention that had caused Jacob to flee in fear for his life. Esau left Canaan when they became so prosperous that the land wouldn’t support them both. God gave Esau the land of Seir and blessed his descendents there for centuries. It seems to me that saying that Esau (the individual) was ultimately reprobated is kind of shaky. These passages in Genesis at least suggest another possibility.

 

In Gen 27:40 we have Isaac’s blessing of Esau, which occurred after Jacob had deceitfully stolen Esau’s blessing. It says, in part,

 

“By your sword you shall live,

And your brother you shall serve,

But it shall come about that when you become restless,

That you will break his yoke from your neck.”

 

As I previously pointed out, Esau (the individual) never served Jacob (the individual) and so Esau never broke Jacob’s yoke from his neck because Jacob had no yoke on Esau’s neck. Jacob served Esau. However, centuries later, EDOM (descended from Esau) served JUDAH (descended from Jacob), and later EDOM revolted successfully against JUDAH.

 

2 Sam 8:14 – “…all the Edomites became servants to David.” (Paralleled in 1 Chron 18:13)

2 Kings 8:22 – “So Edom revolted against Judah to this day.” (Paralleled in 2 Chron 21:10)

 

Thus the prophecy to Rebekah, “the older shall serve the younger” and Jacob’s prophecy over Esau, “your brother you shall serve; But…you will break his yoke from your neck” was concerning descendant nations, not the individual twins, and was fulfilled in King David’s time (Edom serves Judah) and in the days of Jehoram (Edom revolts and breaks Judah’s yoke). It is in no way applicable to individual salvation/reprobation, nor is it applicable to the twins themselves, and Paul is NOT applying it that way. He is speaking of nations, even as the texts in Genesis and Malachi are speaking of nations. Furthermore, we have here in Jacob’s prophecy over Esau yet another illustration of the OT manner of speaking of NATIONS in terms of their seminal ancestors.

 

Calvinists maintain that Romans 9 concerns Jacob and Esau as individuals. Genesis 25 and Malachi 1 do not support that. Calvinists maintain that Romans 9 is illustrative of the predetermined reprobation of Esau. Nothing in Genesis supports that. The verse in Hebrews only relates to the issue of the birthright and the related blessing. The verse in Malachi concerns Edom. I could go either way on whether Esau was ultimately reprobated or saved. However, his behavior indicates that he had forgiven Jacob and repented of his intention to slay him. In my opinion, Esau exhibits the fruit pertaining to salvation. At any rate, nowhere in Genesis can we find even the remotest hint that Esau EVER served Jacob. The exact opposite is explicitly stated. Therefore, we must understand that the prophecy does not concern Jacob and Esau as individuals, but as descendant nations – even as the prophecy explicitly states. Neither can we find anything in the Pentateuch to suggest that God hated Esau, the individual - and Malachi 1 is using the terms “Jacob” and “Esau” to refer to Israel and Edom. Reform Theology generally ignores or somehow rationalizes the context of the prophecy to Rebekah and the context of Malachi 1 when interpreting Romans 9 in spite of the fact that this violates several of the hermeneutical principles to which Reform Theology claims to adhere.

 

• Scripture is it’s own interpreter. Therefore careful attention must be given to the way one passage of Scripture is used in another (i.e. an Old Testament passage used in the New Covenant). The Bible is its own best commentary. Therefore careful attention must be given to the way one passage of Scripture is used in another.

• The plain passage interprets the less plain - interpret obscure Scripture in light of the clear teaching in didactic portions of the Bible.

• Interpret Scripture in light of its immediate context: a text taken out of context is usually a pretext for error.

 

Reform Theology ignores or rationalizes the clear context of Gen 25 and Malachi 1 when trying to determine the meaning of Romans 9. Gen 25 and Malachi 1 are “plain”; they refer to Edom and Israel, not Jacob and Esau. Romans 9 is “less plain”.

 

NEXT: God's Choice