How often we have heard preachers say that God's whole experiment with Israel was a failure. They are wrong on two counts─ God never fails, and this was not just an "experiment" with Israel to see what would or would not work, GOD WAS SPECIFICALLY WORKING OUT A PURPOSE, and He was successful in all that He was doing. Reading on in Romans 9, verse 6 says, "Not as though the word of God has taken none effect." It just takes spiritual eyesight to see what God was working out. Men often look to the natural for that which has a spiritual fulfillment. Viewing conditions after the flesh is always discouraging. One can read of how God brought them out of Egypt, supernaturally sustained them so their clothes did not wear out, there was none sick among them, they were fed and kept by the power of God, and yet a whole generation died in the wilderness. Immediately we have to remind ourselves, "NOT AS THOUGH THE WORD OF GOD HAS TAKEN NONE EFFECT." How can we say that? Because there were two men, Joshua and Caleb, that survived the wilderness processing, and they were able to go in and possess the land, leading a whole new generation with them. Two is the number of witness, and thus did God BEAR WITNESS that He could fulfill His purpose.
Finally Israel is established as a nation, and they run through cycle after cycle of serving God, and then backsliding to serve idols. Eventually God wrote them a bill of divorcement and sent them off into captivity. Ah, is this all a failure? NO! Always HIS WORD had taken effect in a remnant, an election by grace─ keeping to Himself a people through whom CHRIST could come, and be born after the seed of Abraham. And so Paul begins to unfold his understanding of the whole thing.
First of all he states, "For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall your seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed." (Romans 9:6-8).
God's purpose had not gone awry. In His divine selectivity He apprehended those who were born, not of the flesh, but OF THE PROMISE. Jesus gave the clear application, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:6). Being of the natural does not qualify for the Spirit. And so Paul first uses Abraham's two sons for illustration. Ishmael stands in type for those born of the flesh, and Isaac stands in type for the children of the promise, "For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son." (v. 9).
Both Ishmael and Isaac could claim Abraham as their father. But it is not what we receive from our earthly fathers and mothers that assures us of our place IN GOD. Even Abraham's intercession, when he "said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before You!" (Gen. 17:18), did not alter God's purpose. The choice was not to be made by Abraham, IT WAS RETAINED BY GOD. Abraham could have bawled and squalled all night long but it would not have changed the WILL OF GOD in the matter. The prayer that prevails is the prayer that is an utterance of the Divine Will. That's why we must depend on the Spirit to be our Helper. "For we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:26-27). THANK GOD for this divine help with our praying.
Then Paul's argument goes on, "And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger." (Rom. 9:10-11).
First we noted the selection of a son of Abraham by one woman, Sarah, and a rejection of his son by another woman, Hagar. Sarah's son was born because of the promise of God, and divine enablement, for the deadness of her womb precluded just the natural. Hagar's son was simply born of the flesh, and therefore rejected as fulfilling God's purpose.
But when it comes to Isaac's two sons, they are both born of the same woman and yet again there is a selection/rejection made. There was a different destiny appointed for each of the twins. ONLY DIVINE SELECTION constituted the true and valid succession, not the bodily descent. The only ground on which a twin could have been preferred was that of priority of birth, and this, too, was disregarded, for the elder was rejected, and the younger one was chosen.
Having laid out these considerations, Paul then begins to press home the truth. This divine selection was made, with "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 calls." (v. 11)
In the CHOOSING of Jacob over Esau, there were no previous works, good or evil, it was all DIVINE choosing. "As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." (v. 13).
We must make note of this word "hate" for it is not taken in the absolute sense, inasmuch as "God so loved the world," (John 3:16) and this leaves none out. "He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, 4. but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:2). He loves all! Used here, the word "hate" is given in contrast to "love", it does not retain its original meaning of a literal hatred, but of a lesser degree of love. God cannot be said to hate anyone.
Jesus said, "If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:26). Yet Paul states, "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh."(Eph. 5:29). Is there a contradiction here? No! Jesus truly explained it when He said, "He that loves father or mother MORE THAN ME is not worthy of Me." (Matt. 10:37).
Our attachment to objects should bear a proportion to their intrinsic value, then all our love to creatures would be as nothing COMPARED TO WHAT WE OWE OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR. We are to love Him MORE than anything else.
Thus, in effect, "Jacob have I loved─ selected for this specific purpose, and Esau have I hated─ or rejected for this specific call." Yet God's eternal love for Esau is revealed, since "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob AND ESAU concerning things to come." (Heb. 11:20). Esau is NOT, nor ever has been a type of the "unsaved eternally lost," though this is erroneously taught by some.
Esau was still his father's son, and received a BLESSING, but there was a different purpose for his life. It was not an eternal rejection from salvation, but from a specific call. But, we repeat, he did receive his own blessings. In fact, on that occasion when Jacob was returning home, and met up with Esau, and offered him a big present to try and court his favor again, "Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself." (Gen. 33:9). Two points: there was an acknowledging of BROTHERSHIP, and he also had been blessed till he had no lack. Esau was not excluded from the family, nor from the blessings. Praise God!
Paul then anticipates the question, and so he goes on: "What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid." (v. 14). God is not capricious, moved by a whim, a fancy, impulsive, erratic, wantonly changing His mind. He has a glorious plan being worked out through the ages. "Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world." (Acts 15:18).
God knew and planned from the beginning when He would call YOU! With rare wisdom and wise design He executes His plan, according "to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His own will." (Eph. 1:11). What love and mercy that He would include us in His plan NOW, drawing us to Himself to be among His "FIRST TRUSTERS" of the new creation species (Ray Prinzing)
