I’ve recall hearing one grieving father at a “family” conference using Romans to explain why his one son did not come to Christ, calling him an “Esau.” Unfortunately, this is all too often set up by poor hermeneutics and lack of steady observation of a Biblical text.

Romans 9 is written to the Romans (fair enough). Rome ruled the known “world.” And they are the audience of Paul’s instructions. The apostle Paul speaks to them in Romans 9–11 to help them understand why the old flagship of Israel were not believing in droves like the Gentiles were. He will turn to the Roman/Gentile/Edomite/Esau believers of the world and saying “them” regarding the Jewish unbelievers—the one’s who “have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.”

It would certainly be a question on their minds concerning why don’t the Jews believe? I mean they were the ones originally chosen of God to have the covenant and so forth. So, Paul is explaining what God is doing in the world in saving the Gentiles now, but with compassion for Jews to also be among them. There is only one people of God, those who believe in Jesus, the true Israel of God. This is not replacement theology, but a flowering of the original intent of God’s promise to save the nations.

Nonetheless, what is amazing about Romans 9 is that of “the riches of [God’s] glory” made known in how he is doing things in this world. His salvation is more vast than the Jews liked. They would be quite like the elder brother in the prodigal story (Luke 15). He is not rejoicing over the younger brother being made alive together with Christ by the mercy of God. Paul is explaining to the younger brother why the older brother is not rejoicing. The younger brother (spiritually speaking) is Esau, associated with Rome according to Jewish Midrash (cf. footnote 2). We can see this further in the church father Tertullian:

“from Rebekah’s womb two peoples and two clans were about to come forth. They are, of course, the Jews—that is, Israel—and that Gentiles—that is, us…. For indeed, God designed two peoples and two clans to come forth from the womb of one woman, not to separate grace on the basis of the name but on the order of the birth, such that the one who would come forth from the womb first would be subjected to the younger—that is, the later….

And so, although the people or clan of the Jews is anterior in time and older, graced with the first honour in relation to the law, ours is understood accurately as younger in the ages of time. This is so, as in the final lap of our age we have grasped the notion of divine compassion. Without doubt, according to the decree of the divine utterance, the first, the elder people, namely the Jewish, inevitably will serve the younger. The younger people, namely the Christian, will rise above the elder…

In fact, our people—that is the later—having forsaken the idols to which previously we used to be devoted, were converted to the same God from whom Israel departed… For thus the younger people—that is, the later—rose above the older people while it was obtaining the grace of divine honour from which Israel has been divorced.”1

There has been a great reversal then. Jacob at one time according to the flesh representing the Jews has indeed enjoyed being God’s people, and still are, but in a smaller number compared to all the Gentiles coming in Paul’s time. Paul is explaining to Rome why this is the case through the doctrine of God’s sovereignty in salvation. He has the right and freedom to save whomever he wills. He is now saving the nations, and of course this calls for humility as well as hope for sinners whatever their physical descent. Nonetheless, the point is that this passage was never meant to convey something about explaining unbelieving children. The point was to explain why there are so many of those who were counted children of wrath now coming to be called Sons of God and sharing the spirit of adoption (Romans 8:16; 9:27).2