Reflection for Toldot
“God Chooses”
Romans 9:6-16
Hebrews 12:14-17
excerpted from TorahScope Apostolic Scriptures Reflections
By the time one arrives at Toldot (Genesis 25:19-28:9) in your Torah reading, many of the idiosyncrasies of the family chosen to receive the blessings of revelation from the Creator, are evident. Certainly, after the third generation from Abraham, an indiscriminate pattern is emerging, as God did not necessarily choose the children born first, of the two succeeding generations, to carry forward His plan. Rather than choosing Ishmael, the first born of Abraham by the handmaiden Hagar to be his principal heir, God instead placed His blessings of the promise on Isaac, the son of the aged Sarah. Coincidentally, this pattern repeated itself in the next generation, as the younger Jacob supplanted the elder Esau, by not only conniving to purchase Esau’s birthright, but by stealing the blessing given by his father Isaac.
Obviously, by being so blunt in these descriptions of family rivalry, the Holy Writ is not hiding how God is ultimately in complete charge of just whom He chose to bless. Of course, the reason why He chooses one person over another, has been the subject of countless debates down through the centuries. Nevertheless, the fact that He chose one from each generation, could be especially disconcerting—especially if you, as a born again Believer today, have siblings who do not share your belief in the salvation provided by Messiah Yeshua.
Why, you might ask, do I believe in the Lord, but my brother/sister does not? What have I done any differently to merit God’s favor? Do we not come from the same family? Do we not have the same ancestors? What, perchance, made me believe?
On an individual level, understanding why God chooses to reveal Himself to one person, and not to another, simply does not make sense. We find in reading the Torah that belief is not necessarily on the basis of merit, because God revealed to Rebekah that the die was cast for Esau and Jacob before they were even born. Rebekah inquired of God as to why the children were struggling in her womb during pregnancy, and she got a definitive answer:
“Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. The LORD was entreated by him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The children struggled together within her. She said, ‘If it is like this, why do I live?’ She went to inquire of the LORD. The LORD said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples will be separated from your body. The one people will be stronger than the other people. The elder will serve the younger’” (Genesis 25:21-23, WMB).
In his letter to the Romans, Paul used aspects of the concept of indiscriminate choosing, in describing the differences between children of the flesh versus children of the promise. He reminded his audience how God’s choice is not a matter of human works, citing what happened to Esau and Jacob while they were still in the womb:
“But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel that are of Israel. Neither, because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children. But, ‘your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac’ [Genesis 21:12]. That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs. For this is a word of promise: ‘At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son’ [Genesis 18:10, 14]. Not only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father Isaac. For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls, it was said to her, ‘The elder will serve the younger’ [Genesis 25:23]. Even as it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated’ [Malachi 1:2-3]. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be! For he said to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion’ [Exodus 9:16]. So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy” (Romans 9:6-16, WMB).
Not only did Paul quote from Genesis 25:23 to verify his argument, but he complemented this by quoting from Malachi 1:2—which stirs great discussion and debate among interpreters, because the Prophet Malachi spoke of the descendants of Jacob and Esau, and not the two as individuals. However, the most complete explanation about how or why the Lord chooses one (or some) and not the other (or others), comes from the extended discussion Moses received from the Almighty, as he prepared to receive the second set of Ten Commandments. Here, we find that God’s mercy or compassion toward an individual or a people is by His sovereign will, not because of anything sinful people deserve:
“The LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. He turned again into the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, didn’t depart from the Tent. Moses said to the LORD, ‘Behold, you tell me, “Bring up this people;” and you haven’t let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, “I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.” Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me your way, now, that I may know you, so that I may find favor in your sight; and consider that this nation is your people.’ He said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ Moses said to him, ‘If your presence doesn’t go with me, don’t carry us up from here. For how would people know that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Isn’t it that you go with us, so that we are separated, I and your people, from all the people who are on the surface of the earth?’ The LORD said to Moses, ‘I will do this thing also that you have spoken; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.’ Moses said, ‘Please show me your glory.’ He said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the LORD’s name before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.’ He said, ‘You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live.’ The LORD also said, ‘Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock. It will happen, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back; but my face shall not be seen’” (Exodus 33:11-23, WMB).
One of Moses’ distinctive characteristics, evidenced throughout the Torah, was how he was truly seeking after God. Moses prayed to God, sought God’s favor, desired to know God’s ways so that he would know Him better, and desired to find favor in God’s sight. We even find that Moses wanted to see God’s glory, and His very face. Because it would be impossible for a mortal like him to see God’s face and live, the consolation Moses received was being protected in a cleft of rock, as God’s “back” passed by. In the midst of this revealing passage, the Lord stated how He would be gracious to whom He willed, and He would show compassion to whom He willed. It does seem, but is not absolutely stated, that God is moved by those who truly seek Him with all of their hearts, soul, might, and strength. It appears from this text (and various others) that the seeker will find Him. However, the mystery will forever remain, as to what generates the will to seek after God. Is it just innate to certain individuals, or is it something inspired by a prompting of the Holy Spirit?
Perhaps in Exodus 33:11-23 we see a glimpse of the difference between a committed person after God’s heart, or even just a seeker of God—versus those who are hardened to the things of God. In the Epistle to the Hebrews, we see a reference to the incidents when Esau sold his birthright, and then later in life, lost the blessing of his father Isaac. The writer used these things to admonish his audience to live properly:
“Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord, looking carefully lest there be any man who falls short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and many be defiled by it, lest there be any sexually immoral person or profane person, like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal. For you know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for a change of mind though he sought it diligently with tears” (Hebrews 12:14-17, WMB).
In this passage, the author exhorted his audience to “Strive for peace with everyone” (ESV). This means that Believers are not just to be at peace with all people, but that they are to make an effort to create peace with all people. Being at peace with all people comes as a result of striving for holiness. If holiness, peace, and the attendant unity among brothers and sisters is not attained, then one can instead develop what is termed a “root of bitterness”—something which causes trouble to the point of becoming defiled. Esau was considered by the author of Hebrews to be a very immoral person, an example not to follow.
In his letter to Titus, Paul detailed what it meant to be defiled:
“To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess that they know God, but by their deeds they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work” (Titus 1:15-16, WMB).
Note how the defiled are not only unbelieving, but are inherently impure. The telling comment is that although they profess to “know God,” they actually deny God by demonstrating detestable and disobedient activities, being immoral and godless. Perhaps despite their protests, and later tears of remorse for being haters of God—such sinners will receive exactly what they deserve in the end—because their desire was to satisfy their own flesh, and never really seek or pursue the God of Creation.
Perhaps you know some people like this in your own family or among your acquaintances. If so, pray that whatever root of bitterness exists between these lost souls and God, that it would be revealed and removed. God is merciful and does answer the fervent prayers of His redeemed children! While Esau may not have been able to resolve his differences with God, and may be used as an example about how God chooses some rather than others—God nevertheless has given every human a free will, and the right to choose whom they will serve.
May He hear our prayers for the lost, using them to set the captives free! Might I suggest claiming the words of Isaiah, for those who perhaps are still trapped in the cavernous roots of bitterness and despair:
“The Lord GOD’s Spirit is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:1-3, WMB).
