What did God tell Rebekah about Esau and Jacob?
God told Rebekah that the elder, Esau, would serve the younger, Jacob, and this was declared before the boys were born. Scripture also states, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated," a comparative statement of God's surpassing love for Jacob.
Les explains that Romans 9 refers back to what was said to Rebekah before her twins were born: the elder, Esau, would serve the younger, Jacob. God declared this before the boys were ever born. Then verse 13 adds, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." Les qualifies that "hated" is not an intrinsic hatred but a comparative term, just as Jesus used "hate" for father and mother to show that love for Him must be so great that all other loves seem like hatred by comparison. God's love for Jacob was beyond comprehension, so it was as if Esau was hated.
It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
More Questions
Why was God's word that the elder would serve the younger so shocking to Isaac and Rebekah?
God's word that the elder would serve the younger flew in the face of Middle Eastern custom and of what Isaac and Rebekah understood, since Jacob the second twin would be the ascendant one and the one through whom the promises would come.