Jacob and Esau

“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.”

– Hebrews 11:20

Predestination is God’s sovereign, eternal decree, foreordination and purpose of all things that come to pass in time. It is his everlasting purpose by which he has ordered all things from eternity for the salvation of his elect. Providence is the accomplishment of all things in time according to the purpose of God in predestination (Rom. 8:28-30).

Predestination

Divine predestination is pointedly displayed in Jacob and Esau. The Book of God clearly teaches the doctrine of absolute, universal, and particular predestination. In providence, he fulfills his will of predestination, unerringly and absolutely (Acts 2:23; Rom. 8:28-30; Eph. 1:3-6, 11).

Nowhere is the purpose of God in eternal predestination more manifestly set forth than in the birth, lives, and ultimate end of those twin boys born to Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Esau. The purpose of God regarding their two sons was made known to Rebekah when the children strove in her womb, when he said to her, “The elder shall serve the younger” (Gen. 25:23).

God’s eternal purpose for Jacob and Esau was made known before they were born (Rom. 9:13). Jacob was loved before he was born, before he was capable of doing good. Esau was hated before he was born, before he was capable of doing evil. And that which was said to Rebekah concerning them was intended by God to be an illustration of his eternal purpose of grace in predestination concerning all his elect. These things are plainly revealed in Romans 9:11-18.

Esau

Esau proved himself to be a man in every way worthy of divine hatred. He was worthy of God’s hatred before his birth, because he was a son of Adam. As such, he was a child of wrath and a fit object for hatred.

I do not read in the Scriptures of anyone going to hell because of God’s predestination. Predestination includes all things, even man’s rebellion, sin, and everlasting ruin. But the cause of eternal damnation is always set forth in the Word of God as being man’s willful rebellion and unbelief (Pro. 1; Rom. 1). Neither do I read in the Book of God of any being punished eternally for Adam’s transgression. Sinners go to hell because of their own rebellion and their own chosen course of iniquity; but all are born children of wrath, under the sentence of condemnation, and go astray as soon as they are born speaking lies.

Esau proved himself a stubborn rebel, one who lived and died under the wrath of God, according to the lusts of his flesh. He was conceived in sin. He manifested the depravity of his heart in the actions of his life. He profanely despised God’s blessing by selling his birthright for a moment’s satisfaction.

He took wives of the women of Canaan, contrary to the holy example of Abraham. He was determined to murder his brother in cold blood. Finally he turned his back on the habitation of his fathers, and departed forever from the land of promise. The apostle Paul, writing by divine inspiration, refers to him under the character “that profane person.”

Jacob

As Esau was justly the object of God’s hatred before he was born, because he was viewed in Adam as a sinner, Jacob was justly the object of God’s love before he was born, because he was viewed in Christ as righteous. He was numbered among those chosen in Christ from eternity, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and “accepted in the Beloved” before the worlds were made (Rom. 8:29-30; Rev. 13:8; 17:8; Eph. 1:6).

Loved and Hated

The words “loved” and “hatred” must be viewed in the full force of their meaning. The Holy Spirit gives no qualifying sense in his usage of these terms as they relate to God’s love of Jacob and his hatred of Esau (Rom. 9:11-17). God loved Jacob in the sense that he was fully devoted to him from eternity. He hated Esau in the sense that he passed by him, giving him no consideration, but left him entirely alone.

Two Seeds

That which is said of Jacob and Esau must be said of all men before they are born. All are either loved of God or hated of God from eternity. Genesis 3:15 marks the announcement of the coming Redeemer, but it also divides all mankind into two “seed” – the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. There are some in this world, God’s elect, who are of the Seed of the woman, Christ’s. It is written, “A seed shall serve him” (Ps. 22:30). – “He shall see his seed” (Isa. 53:10). All the sons and daughters of Adam are either sheep or goats by the decree and purpose of God. Sheep will never become goats. And goats will never become sheep. This fact is illustrated throughout the Scriptures (Cain and Abel—Ishmael and Isaac—Jacob and Esau).

It is God alone who makes the distinction between men (1 Cor. 4:7). He saves some and passes by others, as he will. He has mercy on whom he will have mercy. He has compassion on whom he will have compassion. And whom he will he hardens.

Robert Haldane wrote, Jacob and Esau “illustrate by their particular examples both sides of the important doctrine of God’s sovereignty in the election, and of his justice in the reprobation of fallen man. For, by acting in this manner, God has clearly shown that he is the sovereign Master in their calling and election, and of their rejection, that he chooses and rejects as seems good to him any of the sinful race of Adam, all of whom are justly objects of his displeasure, without regarding natural qualities which distinguish them from one another.”