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The same principle holds good with respect to "all in Adam" and "all in Christ".
These terms do not extend to every individual descendant of Adam, for some, like the
Canaanites, ought never to have been born. At the creation of Adam, God had already in
view a chosen seed, whose names are written in the Book of Life. Although this purpose
has been attacked by Satan, and imperilled in many ways--by Cain and others, by the
offspring of the sons of God and the daughters of men at the time of the flood, and by the
"tares" of our Lord's own day (John 8: 39-44)--the children of promise are preserved,
and will finally reach their true goal.
The history of the birth of Esau and Jacob, and the prophetic utterance that preceded
their birth, call for a word of explanation. We can all see that Israel's superior position
did not depend upon birth or personal goodness. By blood and birth Esau and Jacob
stood on the same level; or indeed, if there was any advantage it was with Esau, the
elder. And the question of goodness is also ruled out. Many readers, however, will feel
that a problem that needs solution is founding Rom. 9: 3:
"Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I heard."
The next verse contains our own unspoken thought:
"What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?"
How could God be righteous if He hated an unborn infant that, according to His own
word, had not done "either any good or evil"? The answer is that upon examination we
shall find that no such statement is intended.
If we refer back to the passages from which the apostle quotes, we shall find that
under the names Esau and Jacob two nations, and two peoples are in view.
"Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and
she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord. And the Lord
said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated
from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the
elder shall serve the younger" (Gen. 25: 21-23).
"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 dragons in the wilderness. Whereas Edom saith,
We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the
Lord of Hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The
border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever"
(Mal. 1: 2-4).
In connection with these passages it should be borne in mind that, both in the Hebrew
of Genesis, and in the Greek of the LXX and Rom. 9:, the words "elder" and "younger"
are literally "greater" and "lesser". The adjective "greater" is used in Scripture where we
should use "elder", as for example in Gen. 27: 1 where the literal translation would
read: "Esau his great son" (Heb. gadol). This allows the statement of Gen. 25: 23 to