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Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 2 * PART 3 * BOOK 24
ROMANS 9:6-9 AND GENESIS 32:27-28
(Jacob)
Now God said that before the boys were ever born. Now verse 13, and I know this throws a curve at people.
Romans 9:13
"As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."
Now, even when Jesus used the term in Luke 14:
My problem is how in the world did He love Jacob?" It's no problem to understand how He hated Esau because Esau was totally destitute of faith, and didn't think anything of what God said, but how could He love Jacob? Why did God love you? No more than why He loved Jacob. Malachi 1:1-3
"The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, `Wherein hast thou loved us?' `Was not Esau Jacob's brother?' saith the LORD: `yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.'"
Well you can read on down through these verses and you can see what God said. He said, "I'll destroy you, I won't let you prosper because coming out of Esau they were anti-God, they had no time for God, and He says in verse 4:
Malachi 1:4,5
"Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return (In other words God had already thrown down their houses once.) What God is saying, is that even these Edomites and all their pride, and physical stamina, and so forth, they were nothing under a Sovereign God. But little old weak Israel, God could make them what ever He wanted. Romans 9:13
God will never be unrighteous, He will never treat somebody unfairly.
Romans 9:14-16
Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."
Let's go back again into Israel's history, and we find that God has raised up the deliverer Moses to go down into Egypt, and confront Pharaoh. While Moses was up in the mountain the Children of Israel asked Aaron, "Make us a God." Now then, what did God have every right in His righteousness to do with Israel? Was God ready to do that? Oh, he falls on his face before God, and I think for almost thirty days he pleads with Jehovah God to spare these people. Now on what basis did God spare Israel? His Mercy. That was the only thing that God could fall back on.
All through Israel's history when they would fail God in His promises, and would go into idolatry, where would God have to go each time? Back into His Sovereignty, and in His Sovereignty He would pour out mercy.
What could God had done? Mercy. "God be merciful to me a sinner."God has already poured out His mercy. Now let's come on back to Romans Chapter 9, so this is what Paul is referring to, that when Moses was flat on his face after the episode of the golden calf, and that's when God told Moses:
Romans 9:15,16
(Because God is Sovereign. Now verse 16.) So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."
John 1:13
Turn on over to Chapter 8. Look what Jesus says now in Chapter 8 of John's Gospel.
John 8:36,37
I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you."
Now reading on:
John 8:38
John 8:39,40
"They answered and said unto him, `Abraham is our father.' Jesus saith unto them, `If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. In other words when God spoke to Abraham, Abraham didn't respond in self righteousness and say, "Hey, away with you, we're going to kill you." Abraham the man of faith recognized Who God was when He came into his life. Now verse 41, and Jesus said:
John 8:41
"Ye do the deeds of your father, (watch this) Then said they to him, `We be not born of fornication: we have one Father, even God.'"
Do you realize what their throwing at Jesus? Now verse 42:
John 8:42-47
"Jesus said unto them, `If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. (your father) John 8:48
Jesus answered, `I have not a devil:(demon) but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.'"
Romans 9:16a
In other words a person can't just say, "Oh well, since I am of a particular genealogy, or nationality, or race, I'm going to be a child of God." Romans 9:16b
"...nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."
It's absolutely contrary to the workings of a Sovereign God. Now verse 17.
Romans 9:17
Now what's that verse referring to? The pagan Canaanites up there years later still talked about how the God of Israel had dealt with Pharaoh.

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