Anchored in Truth™ Striving Not to Build 'Great' Churches, but 'True' Churches

2/18/2010

Posted By Ken Askew

“Country preacher at large” is how Brother David is introduced.  His tenacity at proclaiming the truth from his wheel chair is always uplifting to me.  I’m sure it is an inconvenience, but it hasn’t appeared to hinder his ability or zeal for preaching.

Text:  Malachi 1:1-5 (from memory as always)

The Wonder of Unconditional Love:  a two-point sermon.

1.     Jacob have I loved.

2.     Esau have I hated.

Jacob have I loved.

What does this mean?  It means that by an act of his will, God singled Jacob out to be an object of divine perfection; the love of God that saves.

Jacob was not particularly righteous and wasn’t seeking God.  That sounds like us today doesn’t it?  Brother Miller has enumerated several items that could be considered common graces.  Who were our parents?  Where were we born?  What if we had been born where the proclamation of God’s word was hindered?

Three sub-points in regard to this first statement.

1.     God loved Jacob sovereignly and freely.  God loves us freely and sovereignly as well.

2.   God loved Jacob with selectivity and favoritism.

3.   You cannot argue (either from an Arminian or Calvinist viewpoint) that the two statements contained in verse do not contrast.  They do contrast.

Esau have I hated.

Have you ever thought of the heritage that Esau enjoyed? Have you thought of the advantages and blessings that were his?

1.     Esau was born as an answered prayer and received as a gift from God.

2.     Esau was the firstborn and in line to receive a double portion of all father’s possessions.

3.     Esau was destined to be father of a great nation.

4.     Esau had Isaac as his father and Abraham as his grandpa.  Think about it.

5.     Esau was a good ole boy.  It’s easy to identify with the character traits of Esau.  He was a manly man and his father loved him.

Esau had a wonderful heritage, yet “God hated Esau.”  What does this mean, “Esau have I hated?”  There are four mainstream interpretations:

1.     The relative comparative interpretation:  In comparison to Jacob, God loved Esau less.  On examination though, it doesn’t match the context of the text.

2.     The preferred and passed over interpretation.  God simply preferred Jacob and passed over Esau.  The danger here is believing that God saw something in Jacob that he didn’t see in Esau which leads to God’s love being contingent on your performance.

3.     God loves Jacob and hated Esau means that he loved Esau but hated the sin.  A down home response:  “I wish my momma had of known that while I was growing up.”

4.     This word hate is a “holy disdain” or a “strong feeling of antagonism;” at least that’s what the dictionaries.  This interpretation seems to fit the context best.

But why?  You could name several reasons why God might hate Esau.

a.     Esau lived for the present.

b.     Esau lived for the flesh.

c.     Esau lived for the praises of men rather than God.

d.     Esau counted worthless what God highly esteemed.

But Jacob also lived for these same things.  God had as much right and reason to hate Jacob as Esau.  Looking at the congregation, I see only Esau’s.  Peer pressure is not new to any of us.  We all lived for the praise of me.  Every last one of us is like Esau in some respect.

Do you want proof that God loves you?  Bend your knee and confess before him.  We can no more change our hearts than a leopard can change its spots.  Call upon the lord while he can be found!  Do this and you’ll discover that the love of God has already been shed upon your heart.

 

Oh...the wonder of his love.

           

Truth Matters articles are available online at www.truthmatters.us.  Comments may be sent to kenaskew@me.com.