Wrath of God vs. Love of God (5 of 5 case studies) Jacob Loved, Esau Hated

The Lord, the God of all kindness, personally hated Isaac’s son Esau, though He loved his brother Jacob. Why? What was so vile about this descendant of Abraham as to earn the Lord’s abhorrence? Did the Lord hate Esau in a sovereign random selection, or was there rationale behind His emotion? Over all, Esau did not have very wicked actions, and he actually seemed to honor the Lord later in his life. It seems strange that the Lord would detest a man simply on the basis of a momentary choice that was made under extenuating circumstances. How could the God, who is love, and who sent His only Son to die because of the love He holds for the most contemptible of sinners, hate a man for such a menial crime?

This is the word that the Lord spoke to Rebekah while she was pregnant with her twin sons, saying, “Two nations are in your womb… And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23). God sovereignly chose Jacob to be a leader over Esau, though He saw that Esau would be naturally stronger than Jacob. This was a very intentional choice on God’s part, for His desire has always been to manifest His strength by dwelling in a weak people. The Lord, in His wisdom and kindness, gave the plan of redemption for both of these men, knowing the best way to navigate the dynamics of their hearts into His affections. The favor given to Jacob above Esau was not concerning salvation or love but secular authority.

However, Esau did not have confidence in the Lord’s seemingly foolish decision, and believed his own strength to be adequate to attain all he needed. He did not understand that the Lord was not mostly concerned with who obtained the position of leadership, but rather was jealous for their adoration. Although Rebekah most likely never told him the word she received, Esau understood that it was the Lord’s choice to give Jacob the inheritance. Because of this, he viewed the Lord as a deceiver who secretly had ill intent toward him. In contrast, Jacob believed in the Lord’s kind intention, even to the point of striving with Him in order to receive the promise he did not deserve. Esau’s view of God is exposed in his statement, “Is he not rightly named Jacob, for he has supplanted me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.”

The Lord’s statement over Jacob was quite different than Esau’s take of him, and this is because Jacob’s understanding of the Lord drastically differed from Esau’s view of Him. Esau felt that Jacob was one who stole what was rightfully his (Gen. 27:36), but the Lord knew that he was one who eagerly sought out what the Lord had appointed for him (Gen. 32:27-28; Rom. 9:11-12). Jacob had become a friend of God (Is. 41:8) because he believed Him to work out His promise, even in his weakness and fear. He was not anxious to retain and guard the land that had been given to him in the blessing of Isaac, even when it seemed likely that Esau would take it by force in Jacob’s long absence. When he did return to Canaan, he took the lower posture instead of trying to assert himself before Esau and reign over him with a heavy hand.

We see the kind of relationship Esau tried to establish with the Lord through his relationship with his father. Isaac favored Esau because of his ability to provide for himself through the hunt, and Esau thought the Lord was like his father Isaac, valuing the outward achievements above the inward attitude of the heart. He was consumed by the longing to establish himself as Nimrod had in earlier times, a mighty hunter before the Lord. When this failed to attract the Lord’s delight, Esau determined that He was a weak and foolish God, and continued to pursue increase through his own means.

He did not believe in the Lord’s ability to perfect him or give him a good portion, and tried to affect his own righteousness and might. He did not have a vision of eternity, and did not believe that the Lord was a rewarder of those who seek Him. However, he also wanted to appear righteous before men and sought their favor ardently. Therefore, when the Lord handed “his inheritance” to Jacob through the blessing of Isaac, he could not bear the loss, although he had freely discarded it when the temporal value was tested. He had no vision for eternity, so when his temporal blessing was actually removed, he could see no hope. Later in life, Esau was completely satisfied once he had achieved his own success. The outward rage he had toward Jacob (and God) subsided because he had acquired the worldly profit he felt was wrongfully snatched away from him.

The Lord hated Esau because he wanted God to hate him. He set himself as an adversary against the Lord and His ways, while Jacob clung to God even when He told him to let go. Although the Lord gave Esau a way of redemption through voluntary servitude to Jacob, He eventually apportioned to him the inheritance he had eagerly sought apart from God, and the Lord would not take it away from him (Duet. 2). Esau could never come to the place of trust in the Lord’s leadership or believe His good will. He held on to his bitterness toward the Lord, never submitting to Jacob because he did not believe His choice would result favorably. The Lord gave him the dignity of free choice, and thus, Esau chose to remain obstinate and receive a passing reward.