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"But Esau I have hated"

Text: Malachi 1:3

A DIFFICULT STATEMENT

Some Biblical statements are complex and they have to be studied carefully.

“But Esau I have hated,
And laid waste his mountains and his heritage
For the jackals of the wilderness.”
Malachi 1:3

1. “But Esau I have hated”

If this statement is read on its own, we might end up with misunderstanding.

2. How may we understand why God “hated Esau”

a) The word “Esau” may be understood in two ways.

i) Esau as the brother of Jacob.

ii) Esau may also be understood as “Edom”.

b) What had God hated about Esau?

i) He despised his birth-right as the firstborn son of Isaac.

ii) He was a rash man and full of anger and hatred.

iii) Though Jacob had deceived and cheated him, there was no reason to plan to murder his own brother (Genesis 27:41).

iv) He married two Hittite women. The Hittites were idolatrous.

This brought much disappointment to his parents (Genesis 26:34).

3. “His mountains and his heritage”

a) Esau left Canaan to seek his fortune in Mount Seir (Genesis 36).

b) He and his children integrated with the Horites (another idolatrous nation).

c) The Horites were the original dwellers of Edom.

d) In time, Esau became known as “the father of the Edomites” (Genesis 36:43).

4. “Laid waste his mountains”

The LORD destroyed Edom for its arrogance and wickedness.

5. “His heritage for the jackals of the wilderness”

The descendants of Esau were disciplined by God. Their homeland became a wilderness.