Is God Unjust?
Paul is heading into a three chapter section dealing specifically with Israel. The question of where Israel fit into the message of the Gospel was obviously one that Paul dealt with a lot. It had personal meaning for him as well as being an “issue” virtually everywhere he went.
He starts this off by speaking to God’s choice in election. The Scriptures make it pretty clear that God chooses whomever He wants to choose. He choose Jacob over Esau. Why? Few of us would have made that choice. Esau was a man’s man, a hunter, seemingly hale and well met. Jacob was...well, he was pretty much a scoundrel. Keep an eye on your stuff when he’s around and don’t expect him to do you any favors when you negotiate. A birthright for a bowl of soup?
Yet, God choose Jacob. Why? Because He did. That seems very arbitrary and even harsh. Yet, can anything God does really be arbitrary? Just because we don’t understand it doesn’t make it wrong. Is He truly God? If He isn’t then don’t worry about it. These are just a bunch of stories. If He is God then don’t worry about it. He always does what is right. I opt for the second line of thinking.
Now, consider what a great comfort this is. The doctrine of election is about the believer, not the unbeliever. If you are a believer then you may rest assured that He chose you. He did not choose you because of what you had done. This is not a license to sin but it is a license to be free, to be who you are and know that who you are is who He choose.
2 comments:
Of course, Esau was the kind of man who would sell his birthright for a bowl of soup, whereas Jacob was the kind of man who would hold on to G-d without letting go even with a dislocated thigh.
True, my friend, of course God always makes the right choice. I'm just saying that most people would rather have Esau for a next door neighbor. We often make the wrong choices and therefore should always be aware of our unfitness to question God's choices.
I hope all is going well with you, Matt.
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