10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
Romans 9:10-13
Last week, we learned that “not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,” meaning that it is not the flesh or ancestry that determines who is to become faithful Israel and children of God. In this week’s scripture, Paul continues his argument by dismantling the idea that works or cultural expectations contribute to the salvation of an Israelite. He uses the twin grandsons of Abraham, Esau (the older) and Jacob (the younger), as his example.
Esau was older and had the favor of his natural-born father, Isaac. He contributed to the family by hunting game in the field, which made his father proud, but Jacob was a mama’s boy, preferring to hang out in the tents and keep his hands clean. By the cultural standards of the day, Esau was the clear choice for the selection and blessing of his father. He even tried to bless Esau (Genesis 27:1-4) despite what God had already clearly proclaimed about “the older shall serve the younger” before the boys were even born (Genesis 25:23). If God had taken into account the preferences of Isaac (the child of promise, carrier of the promise to Abraham) Esau would have been chosen. Yet, he was not.
Paul clarifies that God sovereignly chose Jacob over Esau before either was born, and neither their cultural standing nor their works affected His decision. Before either had done any good works, God chose and called Jacob to be the one who would become Israel and father the patriarchs of the 12 tribes. From these would descend the ethnic nation of Israel.
Through these arguments, Paul is challenging some very long-held assumptions about the salvation of the children of Israel. The natural ancestry of Israel is not a reliable source for salvation, for God can cut off an heir as quickly as Ishmael was dismissed into the desert. Nor does it come through works or cultural expectation, for God told Samuel in search of a mighty king, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) Paul expresses in Romans 2:29 that it is indeed a heart matter for the Jew, but then quickly assures that “No one is righteous, no, not one. No one understands, no one seeks for God.” (Romans 3:11)
Paul backs his Jewish brethren into a corner, slicing through each thread of their safety net of salvation until they have no recourse but to cry out, “Brother, what shall we do to be saved?” As they asked Peter on the day of Pentecost, Paul is begging for the opportunity to tell them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (Acts 2:38-39).
Salvation is through Jesus Christ (an ethnic and spiritual Jew, which is how salvation is of the Jews) and comes to those whom God calls to Himself, the first of whom were ethnic Jews.