Why is it that God Hated Esau?
Someone once told me that opening the pages of the Bible is like entering a movie theater after the movie has started. Its impossible to understand what has taken place without starting at the beginning of the movie, and so it is with the Bible. We tend to draw story lines and our own conclusions with our own imagination when we don’t start at the beginning.But where does the Bible begin? Everyone starts somewhere. If the pages of the Bible were read like a novel, we would all come to the same conclusion. This might be the reason that there are so many denominations. Many churches have put the emphasis of their belief on a certain weight of scripture. An example would be the Church named the Baptist, who are those who put the emphasize on water baptism. Pentecostal Churches emphasize what had occurred on the Day of Pentecost, and so on. But where can we find the beginning of the Bible?
When we read in at least two different places in scripture where it is said that God hated Esau, we can’t understand why a statement like this would be made, Malachi 1:2-3; Romans 9:13. How could God hate or even dislike an infant in his mother’s womb before he was ever born? After all, Abraham says, “shall not the judge of all the earth do right,” Genesis 18:25. and we read that God is not a respecter of persons, Acts 10:34.
But there is a beginning according to the Bible. If we read Genesis 1:1-2 carefully, we will find that the word “was” is not the correct word in the older manuscripts. The word “was,” is a mistranslation and should read, “became”.
Isaiah 45:18, For thus saieth the Lord that created the heavens; and God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it. He created it not in vane, He formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord”.
The companion Bible, which is a translation from the earliest manuscripts, brings this out. The earth was not created “tohu va bohu”, meaning waste and empty, the earth was to be inhabited, Isaiah 45:18. When we open these early verses, we find that God looked upon the face of the deep. The deep here is translated in the Hebrew dictionary as an abyss, a sea, a mass of water. So, what happened? Are the opening pages of the Bible the beginning or not? The Apostle Peter gives us a statement.
2nd Peter 3:5, “For they are willingly ignorant of that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water; 6, Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water perished.”
The Apostle Peter says that there was an earth age before this present evil earth age, which is now, whereby judgment will take place as 2nd Peter 3:7 says.
So what happened to cause this destruction? Ezekiel 18:4 tells us that God says all souls are His. Our souls belong to God by right of creation. Men as well as women are considered a soul. These are God’s children whether in a flesh body or in a spirit body as we find in the Book of Job.
Job 38:4, “Where were thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? And in verse 7, God asks Job where he was when the son’s of God shouted for Joy at the creation of the earth? So, according to Job, these son’s of God were created before the foundation of the earth and had to be in spirit bodies and not in a flesh body. We also read that eight souls were saved by water, 1st Peter 3:20. This saving by water is referring to Noah’s family who were in flesh bodies. So, the word soul refers to a child of God, either in a flesh body or in a spirit body. We are all children of God no matter what body we are in, either in the age that was, as Peter states, and as the Book of Job reveals. All God’s children, souls, shouted for joy at the initial creation of the earth.
Revelation 12:4, And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth:
This verse refers to Satan and his rebellion and to those who followed him. Revelation 1:20 says that the stars are the angels. The word drew in Revelation 4 is # 4951 in the Hebrew dictionary and means empire or government, and comes from a root Hebrew word, #8280, and means to prevail or have power as a prince.
Revelation 12:7, And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought against his angels. 9, And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil and Satan, which deceived the whole world: and he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Scripture says that there was war in heaven. That would explain why the earth became tohu and bohu, meaning waste and empty, and had to undergo a restoration as we read about in Genesis 1:2.
God could ask us the same question He asked Job, where were we when there was war in heaven? Personally, like Job, I don’t remember any of it., God would have to reveal to me, exactly how He did to Job what had happened. The truth of the matter is that God does reveal to us in bits and pieces the results of what had happened in the age that was.
Romans 8:29-30, “For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinated, them He also called: And whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified. 33, Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justified.
These scriptures are talking about the elect, election, and the very elect. Foreknow is #4267 in the Greek dictionary and means to know before. Predestinated is #4309 and means to predetermine and is from #4253, and means prior, ago, before, and #3724, to mark out, appoint, ordain. Called is not by genealogy but being called out as Abraham was called, Genesis 12:1.
The apostle Paul is using words which are not elaborated upon often by teachers of scriptures. He says in Romans 8:29 and 33, that those who were predestined were already justified. In other words, they were judged then, at that time. The age where Peter says concerning the age that was, where there was war in heaven and Satan and his angels were cast out.
Evidently, this conflict between God’s angels and the angles who sinned and who were cast out are realized by 2 embryos, twins, still struggling together in the womb of Rebecca in this 2nd earth age, Genesis 25:22. The only explanation of why God would hate Esau is because of what Esau had done in the age that was. We read that Esau had no regard for his heritage even in this earth age, Genesis 25:32. If the elect were justified during the age that Peter tells us about, then, the angels that sinned were also judged. This would explain how God knew Jeremiah before he was in his mothers womb, Jeremiah 1:5. And also explain how the Apostle Paul could be a chosen vessel unto God before he was ever converted, Acts 9:15. Paul’s freewill was to destroy the Church Christ was building, Acts 9:2. In the story of Jacob and Esau, God says that two nations are in thy womb, Genesis 25:23. Jacob represents the elect who were justified in the world that was and Esau represents those who fought against Michael and his angels, thus, God hated Esau for a just cause.
Warning By God Through Jeremiah
Jeremiah 4:14, “O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long will thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?”
The name Jerusalem means city of peace which could only be brought about by God. This city should have been the gathering of many people, brought together in one place for the purpose of working and developing together, and providing for whatever was necessary for human life and enjoyment. But instead, God says in Jeremiah that the people didn’t know Him and didn’t have any understanding.
Jeremiah 4:22, : For My people is foolish, they have not know me; they are sottish (stupid) children and have no understanding: they are wise to do evil but to do good they have no knowledge. 23, I beheld the earth and ,lo, it was without form, and void, tohu va bohu, waste and empty.”
The same condition as that of the age that was, described by Peter, could be a repeat if God didn’t have absolute control over this 2nd earth age and if He allows it. This time, the angels that sinned, either in a spirit body, or in a flesh body following their prince, Satan, will need to let go of their hearty attitude and put on humility in order to hear God’s voice. The war in the heavens was then, during the age that was, before the creation of this earth age. We see the results in the word “became” in the beginning of the Bible, and we can see the results of God’s work during this 2nd earth age at the end of the Bible, with a heavenly City, the New Jerusalem, and a new heaven and a new earth.
This second earth age is a time for all men to repent and reconsider who to align themselves with, 2nd Peter 3:9.