Nielsen’s Nook

¹ מַשָּׂ֥א דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל בְּיַ֖ד מַלְאָכִֽי׃

2� � � � � אָהַ֤בְתִּי אֶתְכֶם֙ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֖ם בַּמָּ֣ה אֲהַבְתָּ֑� וּ הֲלוֹא־אָ֨ח עֵשָׂ֤ו לְיַֽעֲקֹב֙ � ְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה וָאֹהַ֖ב אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹֽב׃

3� � � � � וְאֶת־עֵשָׂ֖ו שָׂ� ֵ֑אתִי וָאָשִׂ֤ים אֶת־הָרָיו֙ שְׁמָמָ֔ה וְאֶת־� ַחֲלָת֖וֹ לְתַ� ּ֥וֹת מִדְבָּֽר׃

4� � � � � כִּֽי־תֹאמַ֨ר אֱד֜וֹם רֻשַּׁ֗שְׁ� וּ וְ� ָשׁוּב֙ וְ� ִבְ� ֶ֣ה חֳרָב֔וֹת כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת הֵ֥מָּה יִבְ� ֖וּ וַאֲ� ִ֣י אֶהֱר֑וֹס וְקָרְא֤וּ לָהֶם֙ גְּב֣וּל רִשְׁעָ֔ה וְהָעָ֛ם אֲשֶׁר־זָעַ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה עַד־עוֹלָֽם׃

5� � � � � וְעֵי� ֵיכֶ֖ם תִּרְאֶ֑י� ָה וְאַתֶּ֤ם תֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ יִגְדַּ֣ל יְהוָ֔ה מֵעַ֖ל לִגְב֥וּל יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Translation

1. An oracle of the Word of YHWH to Israel by means of Malachi:
2. “I have loved you,” says YHWH.
   But you say, “In what way have you loved us?”
   “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares YHWH. “Yet while loving Jacob,
3. so I have hated Esau. I have caused desolation in the hill country and caused his inheritance to be for jackals in the wilderness.”
4. If Edom is saying, “We have been destroyed, so we will return and we will rebuild the ruins.” Thus says YHWH, Lord of Hosts, “They may build up but I will tear down and they will be called ‘Wicked Territory’ and ‘The people with whom YHWH is wrathful forever’”.
5. Your eyes will see this and you will say, “Great is YHWH beyond the borders of Israel!”

Reflection

O how this is indicative of us all who are born of women! The sin of Adam has so corrupted us that we rail against the very one who created and sustains us. “In what way have you loved us?” we say seeking to call God to account. All the while, it is our own eyes that cannot see and in presuming that our Creator owes us such account, in seeking to bring him under us, we sin in graver ways still.

The wonder that we find even here in a Prophet is that mixed with the message of just condemnation we find a divinely sourced hope. “Jacob I loved, but Esau I have hated.” ‘How is this hope?’ one might ask, ‘Esau does not seem to have a chance! For what ever he would build up, YHWH vows to tear down.’ Yet I say to you that this text is teaching us what is true for all of us. God’s hatred of Esau is deserved and just and is the norm for all who sinned in Adam, all humanity without exception. But, his love of Jacob, now that is something to be amazed about. Jacob was a liar and a cheat, but God chose to love him unto redemption in Christ Jesus. Yet was not Ruth an Edomite? Did not some of that rebellious land of Esau find the Grace of God in the Redeemer of the Lord, the go’el YHWH? Indeed, we see that even in the desolation of Edom, the light of God’s redemption for us in Jesus shines brightly.

Unfortunately, in our current estate of sin and misery God must tear down all that we would build that we might see that he is God and we are not; that he is King and we are his subjects. It is at this time that we will see God is more than Israelite mythology, but indeed is great beyond the border of Israel.