God’s Hate

 December 20, 2023

”“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved; But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness.”

—Malachi 1:2-3 

This is one of those Scripture texts that puzzles many of us. Why would God say he hated Esau, and how was this manifested? The answer is pretty simple, though not well known. 

If you read the history of both Jacob and Esau, there is one glaring difference in how God dealt with them. When Esau made bad choices, both as the individual and as a nation, God didn’t correct him. Instead, he let Esau be Esau. With Jacob however, whenever he sinned or made bad choices, God disciplined him, refusing to allow him to continue to be Jacob the Cheater, and instead shaping him through discipline and correction to become Israel, a Prince.

Many a parent allows their child to grow up without discipline. Lines are crossed, boundaries are violated, but there is no discipline forthcoming. Such children never learn the life lessons they need to succeed. The parents may see their laissez-faire approach as a more gentle, loving way of handling their children, but it is the parents who envision the character they want to inculcate in their children and are willing to endure their children’s anger by inflicting a lesser present pain so as to avoid a greater future pain who truly love. 

The Bible says God chastens those he loves. It may not feel loving at the time, but I can attest to the times God “spanked” me. I didn’t like it at the time, but I am so grateful God loved me enough to hurt me a little so I wouldn’t destroy myself later on.