A man who struggled with a bad habit asked, “can God still love me when I can’t stop sinning?” We all see our repeated secret failures and silently ask the same question. In the meantime, we become more cynical and judge others more harshly who continue their bad habit. This is most likely because we silently judge ourselves harshly for what we do, even though we try to keep our failures secret.
Malachi 1:2 shares God’s word to the Jews. It is a very insightful and equally perplexing word from God. Its context is about 100 years after the Jews had returned from being exiled in Babylon. Daniel and the three Hebrew children had come and gone. Malachi, the last of God’s prophets to speak for 400 years. His words were the returned exiles who, not only were confused; they questioned God, His love, and promises to them. Like all their ancestors, they too had failed to be faithful to God’s covenant with them. So, when Malachi said, “I have loved you,” says the LORD. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’ “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” the LORD says. “Yet I have loved Jacob (Malachi 1:2, NIV). By questioning God’s claim, these Jews were betraying a deep distrust of God, a lack of faith in His Word.
The first thought that popped up in my mind when reflecting on this verse was, how can loving Jacob be proof that God loves those to whom Malachi was speaking? It quickly became clear He used the name Jacob as a code word for all his offspring—the Jews. However, what God is saying here gives hope to all of us today! Here is how this is true.
There are those distracted because God loved the historical Jacob and ‘hated’ his twin brother, Esau. While that is a valid question for discussion, we must not allow ourselves to be distracted from what God is saying in this verse. A quick look at the history of each brother’s offspring reveals Esau’s lineage had a zero regard for God, while Jacob’s lineage at least claimed to embrace God. However, they had failed miserably in walking that love out. The book of Judges is a picture of their insane repetition of an on-again, off-again relationship with God. It is a vivid illustration of Proverbs 26:11 (GW) that reads, as a dog goes back to its vomit, {so} a fool repeats his stupidity. This then begs the question, why in the world would a perfect and holy God continue to love such fickle Jews (Jacob’s lineage)? Yet the Bible shows His faithful love for Jacob’s offspring, despite their intermittent faith and independent, rebellious life towards God.
We love our children even when they repeatedly do intolerable things. And we discipline them to help them stop those intolerable things. God’s love for Jacob and his stubborn offspring did NOT mean He approved of their choices. Rather, He disciplined their unrighteous attitudes or choices to help them come back to Him. Like us today, they did not see that God’s discipline (their pain) only expressed the depth of His love for them. The discipline God allows is only to position us to change our heart so we will stop making our bad choices. His discipline is not punishment for our sins.
The repentance the Bible talks about is not simply saying “I’m sorry”. It means I surrender the control of my life and determine to allow the Holy Spirit to manage my daily decisions. When we do this, He will so transform how we think, our repeated sinful habits, and cause us to love God as Jesus loved His Father. Yes, it takes time to unlearn our sick thinking and learn His values and ways, but in the end, we will arrive at our desired destination. That is the depth of love God had for Jacob AND for you and me. If you have been fighting for control of your life, STOP IT!! … and allow Him to live His life through you. It is for certain you will not regret this decision.