BibleInteract

Did God Really Hate Esau?

When Paul cited from Malachi (“Jacob I loved but Esau I hated”) I have concluded that Paul was using the Hebrew sanae to mean “unloved.” God did not “hate” Esau in the sense of condemnation, but simply did not bestow His love upon Esau because of his unworthy behavior of selling his birthright. God does the same with us by bestowing love in the form of grace and withholding love as a form of testing and instruction. God does not hate His children, but He does withhold His love for unworthy behavior.

How to Understand Paul’s Midrash in Romans 9

The word midrash comes from the Hebrew דרשׁ (darash), which means to search diligently for something that is not in plain sight. A verse in Deuteronomy captures the essence of the mysterious nature of God and His Word. “You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search [דרשׁ] for Him with all your heart and all your soul” (Dt 4:29). Halachic midrash uses methods to draw out this hidden meaning.

Legal Midrash Uncovers a Mystery

Paul presents the conclusion of his midrash as a premise that needs to be proven. “They are not all Israel who are from Israel” (Rom 9:6). Paul is continuing to address Jewish believers in Rome who are teaching their Christian brethren that circumcision and knowledge of the Law are required to participate in the household of God. The Gentile believers in Rome would have been listening, and so are we.

Remnant is the Theme of Romans 9-11

After chastising the Jewish believers for their self-righteous behavior in Romans 9:1-5, Paul presents the theme of his discourse, which is God’s selection of a Remnant. What Paul was going to present next would fly in the face of comfortable and well-established Jewish traditions of that time. Paul was going to use halachic midrash to uncover a mystery from the depth of Scripture that had not been fully known or appreciated before.

Did You Know Israel Has an Inheritance?

You must resist the temptation to conclude that the Jews, whom Paul was addressing in Romans 9-11, “will not be saved.” All Jews are God’s people who have been born to an inheritance called the birthright, which bestows a leadership role. However, Paul cautions these Jews that unless they overcome the sin of pride, they will be found unworthy of the special inheritance although they will still belong to God with a lesser inheritance.

Is Paul Speaking to Believing or Unbelieving Jews?

We can see that Paul is speaking to Jews in Romans 9-11, ”my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.” In all of chapters 9-11 there are only nine verses that deal with Gentiles (Rom 11:13-21). So, are these Jews believers in Christ? Many have concluded they are not Christians, so Paul must be reprimanding them for their unbelief. If this is true, it promotes an anti-Semitic interpretation of Paul’s words. I have come to a different conclusion.

Is Romans 9-11 Anti-Semitic?

For the past 2,000 years the writings of Paul have spawned conflicting theological interpretations. As for a reflection from the Jewish community, a rabbi recently shared with me this thought. “We never discuss Paul,” he explained. Why? Because Christians have tended to interpret Paul’s obscure words literally, which has led to anti-Semitic conclusions. I will offer my personal journey to find the true meaning of Paul’s words.

Inheritance of the Birthright

Dr. Anne Davis goes into detail on the importance of inheritance and the birthright in the Old Testament and that will show the deeper meaning in Paul's message in Galatians 3:29.

Paul's Startling Markers

In Galatians 4:24, Paul uses startling makers to lead us to the Hebrew Scriptures, pointing to the story of Hagar and Sarah. What is Paul up to when he is leading us to the Old Testament in this way?

Sons of God

Dr. Anne Davis continues unraveling the chiasm in Galatians 3:25-29 where Paul uses the term "sons of God".