The answer from God

This prophetic book is written in a dialogical format. (1) The Lord speaks: “I have loved you” (v 2a). (2) In response, the people raise a question: “How have You loved us?” (v 2b). (3) The Lor2d answers the people’s question (v 2c-5). “‘Was Esau not Jacob’s brother?’ declares the Lord. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and given his inheritance to the jackals of the wilderness’” (v 2c-3). (1) God is comparing Jacob and Esau. Jacob and Esau were twin brothers, but it was Jacob who inherited the birthright. (2) Paul quotes this passage in Romans 9:13. He does so to demonstrate God’s sovereign election. Jacob was chosen by God’s sovereignty. (3) The two verbs, “loved” and “hated,” must be interpreted in the Hebrew sense. They are terms that indicate election, not emotional love or hatred. In Genesis 29:30-31, Jacob is said to have loved Rachel and hated Leah. This likewise means that Jacob gave preference to Rachel over Leah. (4) “His mountains” refers to the land of Edom. It had become “a desolation,” a place inhabited by “the jackals of the wilderness.”

The Lord be exalted

“Though Edom says, ‘We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins’; this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘They may build, but I will tear down; and people will call them the territory of wickedness, and the people with whom the Lord is indignant forever’” (v 4). Like Israel, Edom was also destroyed by Babylon. The Edomites were eager to rebuild their nation, but they were never able to recover from their ruins. This stands in sharp contrast to Israel, which was able to rebuild its homeland. In this fact, God’s love for Israel is clearly demonstrated. “And your eyes will see this, and you will say, ‘The Lord be exalted beyond the border of Israel!’” (v 5). If the people of Israel had eyes to compare the histories of Israel and Edom, they would praise God’s love and glory. The God of Israel is One who works beyond national borders and is to be exalted throughout the whole world. Let us also greatly praise the name of the Lord in this nation.