God loved Jacob because Jacob had a 'little flicker' of faith in God's promises, while Esau was completely destitute of faith — and the word 'hate' is a comparative term expressing the contrast, not literal malice.
Les Feldick teaches that God's 'hatred' of Esau is a comparative word: God's love for Jacob was so far greater than His regard for Esau that it seemed like hatred. The real difference was faith — Esau saw nothing in the promises of God, while Jacob saw that the birthright and blessing were worth having. Scripture itself calls Esau a 'profane person' (Hebrews 12:16).
Malachi 1:2-3 — This is the foundational Old Testament passage where God first declares His love for Jacob and hatred of Esau.
Romans 9:13 — Paul quotes Malachi directly, applying the love/hate distinction to God's sovereign choice.
Hebrews 12:16 — Scripture's own description of Esau as a 'profane person' reveals why he was set aside.
The Scripture speaks directly to this question. In Malachi 1:2-3, God declares, 'I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.' The Apostle Paul takes up the same words in Romans 9:13: 'As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.' Hebrews 12:16 warns against being 'a profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.' Genesis 27:41 shows the human side: 'And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him.'
Les Feldick stresses that when Scripture says God 'hated' Esau, the word must be understood as comparative. God cannot hate, because hate is sin; rather, God's love for Jacob was so much greater than His regard for Esau that it was as if He hated Esau (Clip 1). He draws the same principle from Jesus' words about hating father and mother — love for the Lord must be so supreme that family love looks like hatred in comparison (Clip 2). The underlying reason for the distinction is faith. Les explains that Esau was 'destitute of faith' and saw nothing in the promises of God, while Jacob had 'just a little flicker' that recognized something valuable in the birthright and blessing (Clip 6). Scripture describes Esau as a profane person (Clip 5), and even his later weeping and begging did not produce faith (Clip 7). God, in His sovereignty, mandated that Jacob would be in the line of the Messiah, and Jacob's actions, though imperfect, were in line with what God had spoken (Clips 4, 5).
Les teaches that the word 'hate' is a comparative term. It does not mean God had malicious hostility toward Esau. Rather, God's love for Jacob was so profound that His attitude toward Esau seemed like hatred by comparison. 'But God can't hate,' Les says, because 'hate is sin.' He compares it to Jesus' command that we 'hate' father and mother — meaning our love for the Lord must be so great that every other love appears as hate in comparison (Clips 1, 2).
Esau was not rejected because Jacob was better. The consistent testimony in the clips is that Esau was destitute of faith. He saw absolutely nothing in the promises of God (Clip 6). Hebrews 12:16 describes him as 'a profane person' (Clip 5), and his priority was the double portion of wealth rather than the Messiah line (Clip 3). Even his bitter tears and pleading with Isaac did not increase his faith — he remained spiritually destitute (Clip 7).
Les points out that Jacob, when he told his father 'I am thy firstborn son' and that 'the LORD thy God brought it to me,' was actually describing how God had sovereignly mandated the matter — he did not lie. God had spoken, and Jacob's actions aligned with that mandate. More importantly, Jacob had a 'little flicker' of faith: he saw there was something to be gained by the birthright and the blessing, whereas Esau saw nothing (Clips 4, 6).
The real issue is faith versus the absence of faith. Esau was destitute of faith and saw nothing in the promises; Jacob had a flicker of faith that saw the value of the birthright and blessing. God, in His sovereignty, designated Jacob to be in the line of the Messiah (Clips 5, 6).
Why Did God Hate Esau? Romans 9:13 and Sovereignty Explained
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God's 'hate' for Esau is comparative
Les teaches that the word 'hate' in Malachi 1:3 is a comparative term: God's love for Jacob so far exceeded His regard for Esau that it appeared as hatred, since God cannot literally hate.
The same comparative use in Jesus' words
Les compares God's 'hatred' of Esau to Jesus' instruction to 'hate' father and mother, showing that the word signifies relative priority, not literal malice.
Esau's love of wealth, not the promise
Les explains that Esau was upset about losing the double portion of Isaac's wealth, not about being excluded from the line of the Messiah.
God's sovereign mandate and human faith
Les teaches that God had spoken and expected faith; Esau had none — while Jacob's actions, though deceptive-looking, followed what God had sovereignly mandated.
Esau called 'profane' in Scripture
Les points to Hebrews 12:16, where Esau is called a fornicator and profane person, as the Bible's own explanation of why God set him aside.
Jacob's flicker of faith vs. Esau's destitution
Les contrasts Esau, who was destitute of faith and saw nothing in God's promises, with Jacob, who had a little flicker of faith that recognized the value of the birthright and blessing.
Esau's tears did not bring faith
Les notes that Esau wept and begged but his tears did not increase his faith — he remained destitute.
Malachi 1:2-3: I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
God's own declaration of His love for Jacob and hatred of Esau.
Romans 9:13: As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Paul's direct quotation of Malachi in the New Testament.
Hebrews 12:16: Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
The Bible's description of Esau's character.
Genesis 27:41: And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
Shows Esau's human hatred toward Jacob.
Luke 14:26: If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Les uses this verse to illustrate the comparative sense of 'hate.'
Yes — Malachi 1:2-3 and Romans 9:13 both use the phrase 'I hated Esau.' But Les Feldick teaches that the word 'hate' is a comparative term. God's love for Jacob was so much greater than His regard for Esau that it was as if He hated Esau. God cannot hate, for hate is sin (Clip 1).
Esau was destitute of faith and saw nothing in the promises of God. Scripture calls him a 'profane person' (Hebrews 12:16), and even his tears over the lost blessing did not increase his faith (Clips 5, 6, 7).
Les explains that Jacob was acting in line with how God had sovereignly mandated the matter — he didn't lie about being the firstborn in terms of God's decree. And unlike Esau, Jacob had a 'little flicker' of faith that saw the birthright and blessing as worth having (Clips 4, 6).
Watch the Teaching: Why Did God Hate Esau? Romans 9:13 and Sovereignty Explained