Sermon Video: Jacob I Loved, Esau I Hated - Malachi 1:1-5

The last of the prophets before the 400 years of silence preceding John the Baptist, Malachi brings a message to the people of Israel reminding them of their covenant obligations.  The Word of the LORD through Malachi begins with a hypothetical conversation between God and his people in which the people question the validity of God's statement of love for his people.  In response, God replies with, "I have loved Jacob, but Esau I hated".  The use of the example of Jacob and Esau, Abraham's twin grandsons, serves as a stark reminder of the nature of the relationship between God and his people, for it is a relationship founded entirely upon grace.  Esau was the older brother, but God chose to make Jacob the heir of Abraham's promise, before the boys were even born.  It was not a question of which brother was superior, for Esau displayed greater character than Jacob, but of the choice of God.  Because God's love is an act of grace, not obligation, those who receive it have no basis to demand anything of God, and ought to simply respond by praising the goodness of the Lord.

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