Romans 9.11-God's Choice Of Jacob's Descendants Over Esau's Is In Accordance With His Immutable Predetermined Plan And Sovereign Will
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday March 11, 2009
Romans: Romans 9:11-God’s Choice Of Jacob’s Descendants Over Esau’s Is In Accordance With His Immutable Predetermined Plan and Sovereign Will
Lesson # 304
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 9:1.
This evening we will continue with our study of Romans chapter 9.
In Romans 9:6, Paul presents the premise that not all Israel is Israel and that God’s Word has not failed and for the rest of the chapter he illustrates this premise.
In Romans 9:7, he cites Genesis 21:12 to prove this point with his readers that being a spiritual child of Abraham is not a birthright or in other words it is not based upon one’s racial heritage but rather it is based upon faith in the promises and in particular faith in the promised Messiah.
Then, in Romans 9:8, Paul teaches that the racial descendants of Abraham are not considered by God to be His children but rather He considers the children of the promise as being such.
Then, in Romans 9:9, Paul paraphrases Genesis 18:10 and 14 to identify specifically the content of the Lord’s promise to Abraham, which was that the Lord would fulfill His promise to Abraham and Sarah and they would have a son named Isaac.
In Romans 9:10, Paul teaches that the story of Rebekah and her twins illustrates the principle that true Israel is based upon God’s sovereign grace rather than race.
In this passage, Paul continues to support his argument from Romans 9:6 that even though the majority of Jews had rejected Christ, this did not constitute a failure on God’s part since He had not broken any promises to the patriarchs and their descendants.
This evening we will note Romans 9:11 in which the apostle Paul teaches that God’s choice of Jacob’s descendants over Esau’s in forming spiritual Israel was in order that the Father’s predetermined plan, which is in accordance with election would remain immutable.
Never based upon human merit as constituting this plan’s source but rather based upon the Father who effectually calls as constituting this plan’s source.
So in Romans 9:11, Paul is teaching that God’s choice of Jacob’s descendants over Esau’s is in accordance with the Father’s immutable predetermined plan and sovereign will.
Let’s read Romans 9:1-13 and then concentrate on verse 11 for the rest of the evening.
Romans 9:1-13, “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: ‘THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.’ That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise: ‘AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.’ And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, ‘THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.’ Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’”
Now, let’s concentrate on verse 11.
Romans 9:11, “For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls.”
Romans 9:11 interrupts the flow of Paul’s argument and thus leaves Romans 9:10 syntactically incomplete.
The thought begun in Romans 9:10 is continued in Romans 9:12 and completed in Romans 9:13.
Romans 9:11, “For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls.”
“For” is the “explanatory” use of the conjunction gar (gavr), which introduces a statement that explains the implication that lies behind Paul’s statement in Romans 9:10.
Namely, there was absolutely nothing to distinguish or discriminate Jacob from Esau “for you see” they had not even been born or done anything good or bad when God gave his prophetic word to their mother concerning them.
“Though the twins were not yet born” is emphasizing the non-meritorious nature of Jacob’s selection over Esau and that it was based upon God’s sovereign grace and this is true of the spiritual descendants of the patriarchs who are the children of the promise and children of God and true spiritual Israel.
“Good” is the accusative neuter singular form of the adjective agathos (a)gaqov$) (ag-ath-os), which refers to actions that are in obedience to the revealed will of God and which would merit approval from God.
“Bad” is the accusative neuter singular form of the adjective phaulos (faulo$) (fow-los), which describes actions that are in disobedience to the revealed will of God, which of course is sin.
“So that” is the conjunction hina (i%na) introduces a purpose-result clause that indicates that God choice of Jacob’s descendants over Esau’s to form spiritual Israel before Jacob and Esau were born and had not yet practiced anything good or evil accomplished what He intended, namely keeping His predetermined plan immutable and which plan is in accordance with election.
“According to His choice” is composed of the preposition kata (katav), “according to” and the accusative feminine singular form of the noun ekloge (e)klogvh) (ek-log-ay), “His choice.”
In Romans 9:11, the noun ekloge is used by Paul in relation to the election of those racial descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who exercised faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and help to compose “spiritual” Israel.
Ekloge describes spiritual Israel as those who are “elected” to the privilege, responsibilities and blessings related to the four unconditional covenants to Israel as well as an eternal relationship and fellowship with the Trinity and service to the Father through faith in Jesus Christ.
Election is the expression of the sovereign will of God in eternity past.
This is clearly indicated here in Romans 9:11 since Paul says in this verse that God gave His prophetic word to Rebekah concerning her sons before they were born and had done anything good or evil in order that His predetermined plan, which is in accordance with election, might stand.
The preposition kata functions as a marker of a relation involving similarity of process, which denotes that God’s predetermined plan for spiritual Israel and His electing them involve similarity of process.
The preposition kata denotes that the Father’s predetermined plan for spiritual Israel is “in conformity with” or “in accordance with” His election of them.
“God’s purpose” is composed of the nominative feminine singular form of the noun prothesis (provqesi$) (proth-es-is), “purpose” and the articular genitive masculine singular form of the noun theos (qeov$) (theh-os), “God’s.”
In Romans 9:11, the noun prothesis refers to the “predetermined plan” of God the Father or in others words, the Father’s plan for “spiritual” Israel, which originated in eternity past.
This is indicated since in context Paul is demonstrating in Romans 9:7-13 his premise in Romans 9:6 that not all Israel (biological) is (spiritual) Israel.
God’s purpose for Jacob was to build a nation from him.
Furthermore, Paul’s statements in Romans 9:12 and 14 are a prophecy concerning the nations that would come from Jacob (Israel) and Esau (Edom) since these statements were made by the Lord in the context of the nations that the two boys would be the progenitors of.
Romans 9:12, “It was said to her, ‘THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.’”
In this passage, Paul quotes Genesis 25:23, which records the Lord’s prophecy to Rebekah concerning the nations that Jacob and Esau would be the progenitors of.
Romans 9:13, “Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’”
In this passage, Paul is quoting Malachi 1:2-3.
Genesis 25:23, “The LORD said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger.’”
The Lord’s statement to Rebekah that “two nations are in your womb” implies that she is pregnant with twins and refers to the fact that these twins are twin progenitors of two nations.
The oldest son “Esau” would be the progenitor of the Edomites (See Genesis 36:1-43) whereas the younger son “Jacob” would be the progenitor of the Israelites.
In Genesis 25:23, the Lord declares that the “older shall serve the younger” indicating that the younger son, Jacob would receive the inheritance and not Esau who was older.
Esau, the older, did not actually serve Jacob, his younger twin but rather Esau’s descendants did (see 1 Samuel 14:47; 2 Samuel 8:14; 1 Kings 11:15-16; 22:47; 2 Kings 14:7).
The statement “Jacob I loved but Esau I hated” is “not” a reference to Jacob and Esau as individuals but rather it is a reference to the nations, which descended from them, namely, the Israelites from Jacob and the Edomites from Esau.
Therefore, the statement refers to the “national” election of Israel as God’s covenant people who are descendants of Jacob and the rejection of the Edomites as His covenant people who were descendants of Esau.
Romans 9:11, “For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls.”
“Would stand” is the third person singular present active subjunctive form of the verb meno (mevnw) (men-o), which denotes the immutability of the Father’s predetermined plan.
“Not” is the emphatic negative adverb ou (ou)) (oo), which emphatically negates the idea that God’s predetermined plan is by means of human merit or action as constituting the source of that plan.
“Because of works” is composed of the preposition ek (e)k), “because,” which is followed by the genitive neuter plural form of the noun ergon (e&rgon) (er-gon), “of works.”
The noun ergon is used in the plural form means, “meritorious actions” since we are speaking in the context of God’s choosing the descendants of Jacob, spiritual Israel over Esau, the nation of Edom before Jacob and Esau were born or had done anything good or evil.
The preposition ek functions as a marker of cause with focus upon source indicating that God’s predetermined plan, never remains immutable “based upon meritorious actions as constituting its (God’s predetermined plan) source.”
“But” is the adversative use of the conjunction alla (a)llav) (al-lah), which introduces a statement that stands in direct contrast to the idea that God the Father’s predetermined plan is by means of meritorious human actions as constituting its source.
“Because of Him who calls” is composed of the preposition ek (e)k), “because of,” which is followed by the articular genitive masculine singular present active participle form of the verb kaleo (kalevw) (kal-eh-o), “Him who calls.”
As the case in Romans 8:30 and 9:7, here in Romans 9:11, the verb kaleo refers to the “effectual call” of God since Paul is emphasizing God’s sovereign decision to use the descendants of Jacob who exercise faith in Him instead of Esau’s in order to form spiritual Israel and spiritual descendants for Abraham.
The preposition ek functions as a marker of cause with focus upon source indicating that God’s predetermined plan, never remains immutable based upon meritorious actions as constituting its (God’s predetermined plan) source but rather “based upon the one who effectually calls is the one who constitutes its source.”