And Malachi wrote and ministered to our people of all, the people of Israel, about 400 years before Yeshua the Messiah was pronounced as the Lamb of God which would take away the sin of this world. So Malachi, very interesting book. It is actually the last prophecy that our forefathers heard from God for about 400 or 450 years passed by and there was no messenger to present before Israel a message until John the baptizer came and said, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of this world. So I would like to read today the first five verses of chapter one. And we have already have gone through an introduction in our previous ministry meeting.

And today I would like to present before you the first five verses of the first chapter. Let me read those verses so we will have this before us. It says in verse one, Malachi 1.1, the burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you. 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 the dragons of the wilderness. Where is Edom, where is 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 has indignation forever. And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, the Lord will be magnified from the borders of Israel. Yigdal Adonai Me'al Gvul Yisrael These are the last verses I want to read today. Now, brothers and sisters, just once again, give me a moment or two before I'm going to enter into these verses. I want to just refresh your mind with that one fact. That by the time that we read the prophet Malachi, it is about 430 or so B.C.

Jewish people who returned from Babel now have already built a temple in the city of Jerusalem. They finished to build a temple at about 513 B.C. The temple was finalized and the sacrificial system had continued on. About 515 B.C. the temple was finished and the people of Israel are now back from the diaspora, the dispersion. The Jewish people have already rebuilt the temple in Yerushalayim. The walls of Jerusalem was already built by Nehemiah, Nehemiah, and you might say things began to come into a formal order. After those 70 years of dispersion and after the return back, now by that time, the very same temple that was once destroyed in 586 B.C.

by the Babylonians is now rebuilt, of course, in a smaller scale, but rebuilt again. The sacrificial system continued. The sacrificial system continued. The priests were there doing their service. There was an altar there. The animals were killed. And you might say the routine of the worship of the Lord now was restored. And now that it was restored, you would expect that the people, Israel, our own nation, who have enjoyed now a restoration, and now you might say the service of the Lord and the worship of the Lord continue on, you may say, what a privilege it is. Let us now enjoy what God had brought us back into.

Our forefathers were in Babel. Our forefathers have already suffered, have been persecuted. Now we are coming back. Yes, we have enemies around us, but at least we can worship the Lord and praise the Lord and go through the ceremonies and all that, you might say, the rituals that God has given to our fathers according to the law. Now, but something has happened. And something has happened, perhaps we might say, similar into our condition today in the days of the assembly, the church age. The restoration back to the truth that was given to us in the word of God is amazing. It is great. The problem is that there is a problem because the heart, though we are going through the routine, we are going through the system, and yet the heart still is hardened and discouraged and not really enjoying the things that God has intended us to enjoy.

Now, I am always, as I am studying and teaching the word of God in relationship to Israel, I am always making an application to our lives today. Because if you remember, as we read it many, many times in the Brita Hadashah, in the New Testament, the apostles more than once said, when he wrote to the Romans and when he wrote to the Corinthians, he said in Romans chapter 15, So whatsoever things were written for time were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the scripture, might have hope. In other words, we learn from the events that happened in the days of Malachi, to apply it to our lives today.

You see, we live today in the last days of what we know and understand of the church age. 2,000 years pass by. The Messiah had already died, was buried and rose again, ascended to heaven. The Holy Spirit of God descended in Jerusalem some 2,000 years ago. He formed the assembly, the ecclesia, when the Spirit of God descended and formed the body of Messiah. 2,000 years passed by and now we are finding ourselves right now, much later, after all the experiences that the body of Messiah have experienced. In about the 1800s, about a few hundred years ago, there was a revival. And the times of darkness, of the dark ages had passed by and there was a revival and the truth of the word of God was now presented.

And many got saved and accepted the Lord Jesus, the Messiah and become part of the assembly, part of the ecclesia. There was a time, the dark ages, where the Bible could not have been even read. We didn't have believers in the early days, in the dark ages, never had the privilege that you and I have today to read the word of God and to study the scripture and to search the scripture and to ask the Lord to guide us. But we are in such a privileged era at the last days of the church age, just the same like our own Jewish brethren were in the days of Malachi.

But, beloved brothers and sisters, whatsoever things have happened to our people of all under the law, we can see it evidently happening today to the assembly, to the people of God, to the ecclesia under grace. While Israel, our forefathers, failed under the law, you see in these last days of the church age, how the church have completely failed under the days of grace. Last week, or last ministry meeting, when we started together, we read 2 Timothy. Where the apostle Paul said, I know. He says, I know that in the last days, perilous times shall come. And he listed the things that will happen in the last days of which you and I experience today, in our own life and in our own people's lives today.

So now, in this preaching of Malachi, it is really very interesting because it's like a dialogue. God state a statement. Israel responding to God with a response, with an answer. And God began to explain to them that whatever condition they are in, they were wrong and they have departed from the Lord. And so if you notice, there are seven statements that God says here in the whole book of Malachi. That he gave to the people of Israel, restored remnant of Israel, who are now back in the land, back in Yerushalayim, back in the temple, back through the worship system. And all things seems to be just right.

But the heart was not right. And it didn't take too long and they were so discouraged and they didn't continue to follow that which God had intended for them to follow. The first thing that we find out in chapter 1, Malachi 1, verses 1 to 5, is the first statement of God concerning his people Israel, the response of Israel, and then the answer of God in response to what they said. In this case, in this case, is chapter 1, verses 1 to 5, God is presenting the fact that he has loved his own people Israel. And so you notice that it says here, the first verse of Malachi chapter 1, verse 1, the burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.

And I just, one more point before I'm going to move along. The word, the burden, comes from the Hebrew word Masah. Masah means a load that one is carrying. When I was in the Israeli army, we had to carry many Masahot, many heavy burdens, in order to strengthen you, to be able to run and to walk for miles after miles after miles. But here the Masah is not something physical that Malachi was carrying, but it was the spiritual condition that Malachi was exhorted. Malachi was exhorted to present it before Israel that their condition was so wrong that it became like a heavy load that God had to tell Israel that he was very much concerned about their spiritual state.

And so it was the burden, the Masah, of the word of the Lord. Notice it was not Malachi's burden. It was the burden of the word of the Lord, but he presented it to Israel through the man by the name of Malachi. In this book of Malachi, there are four times the word Malachi or Malachi mentioned. The word Malachi simply means messenger. In chapter 1, verse 1, the Malachi or the messenger was the servant, the prophet Malachi himself. In chapter 2, verse 7, for he is the messenger of the Lord. In chapter 3, verse 1a, we have the third person who is a messenger, and the third person is the announcer of the coming of the Messiah at his first coming, and we know that, that it is applied to John, Yohanan, Hamadbil, John the baptizer.

And in chapter 3 and verse 1b, the fourth person that the word messenger applied to, and this is to the person of Yeshua, the Messiah, the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in. So we have four times, by the Holy Spirit of God mentioned the word Malachi, or Malachi, my messenger. Once applied to Malachi, the man. The second time applied to the priest who is a messenger. The third time it applied to John the baptizer, Yohanan, Hamadbil. And the fourth time it applied to Yeshua, Jesus, our Lord, and our Messiah, who is the messenger of the covenant, who would come to provide for Israel that new covenant, the Brit HaChadasha, when he would die and will be buried and will be resurrected from among the dead.

And so here we begin. From the next verses, from verse 2 all the way to verse 5, those are the only verses I would like to speak about in this ministry meeting today. Verse 2 to verse 5, we have some of the things that the Lord is dialoguing with Israel. He's sharing with the people of Israel. And you notice how it began? In verse 2, it says that the Lord is announcing his love for the people of Israel. Notice what it says. I have loved you, saith the Lord. In Hebrew it's very nice. It says, Ahavti etchem, amar Adonai. I just simply love you. I have loved you in the past.

I love you in the present. And I will love you in the future. I love you. This is tremendous when God is saying to the Jewish people who return now from Babel, and they are now already the next generation, and the next generation, some few hundred years pass by, and he's giving them this wonderful statement, and he said to them, I love you. I love you now. I loved you in the past. And I will love you for time and for eternity. This is tremendous, the thing of God's love. I mentioned in our previous meeting together that there are four verses in the word of God that you might say describe before all humanity of the love of God.

John 3.16, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Then we also mention Jeremiah chapter 31, where God said to Israel, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Ahavat ad. A love that is unconditional. According to verse 3, I have loved you with an everlasting love, God said to our people of all the people of Israel. In other words, it is unconditional and unlimited to a time and to a season. I have loved you with an everlasting love. Then in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 25, we read, Husband, love your wives as the Messiah loved the assembly, Paul Shaul said, and gave himself for the assembly, the church, the ecclesia.

And then we also mention in our previous meeting together, that Paul Shaul elsewhere said in Galatians 2.20, the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Paul was always fascinated with the fact that how can God love me? He was saying when he was sharing this with the Galatians believers. So God love for the world, John 3.16. God love for Israel, Jeremiah 31.3. God love for the assembly, Ephesians 5.25. And God love for you, for me individually, Galatians 2.20. And so God is pronouncing this statement when he said to Israel, he said, I have loved you, sayeth the Lord. Now you and I might wonder and say, what is it that God found in Israel that he loved the nation?

What is it that God found in the church and the assembly that he loved the assembly? What is it that God loved in the world that have rejected him? And what is it that God loves us? That God loves us unconditionally. Unconditionally the love of God towards whom he has set his love upon. It is unconditional. It is unconditional. Now I want you for the context, if you will, go back with me to the book of Deuteronomy for a moment. Because we are studying Malachi, but I want you to see it in light of historical promises of God to the people of Israel. Historical relationship that he had with our forefathers, the people of Israel.

Look at Deuteronomy chapter 7, verses 6, 7, and 8. We read there in verse 6, God said to Israel through Moshe, Moshe Rabbeinu, Moses the lawgiver, God said to him to say to Israel, for thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God has chosen thee to be a special people. Unto himself above all the people that are upon the face of the earth. And then he continues, he says, The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than the people, or than any people, for ye were the fewest of all the people. But then he continues, he says, But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, but has the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeem you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

Look at this. By the way, when God stated this statement, in Deuteronomy chapter 7, our forefathers, the people of Israel were standing on the shore of the promised land. Soon they will enter into the promised land. 38, 39 years have passed by where they rebelled and disobeyed God all along for 40 years, 38, 39 years. And yet God still say, I have loved you. That makes you wonder. It makes you wonder, why would God set his love, knowing the manner of the behavior of the people whom he have chosen? Yet he says, I have loved you. After 40 years, nearly 40 years of rebellion and complaining against God and against his will, constantly saying, we don't have any food, we don't have any water, we want to go back to Egypt, to eat the food from Egypt, back to Egypt.

And God says, no, I want you to go to the promised land that I will give to you. I promise to your fathers. And yet Israel rebelled again and again. And when they were standing before the shores of the promised land, God said to them, the Lord did not set his love upon you, nor chose you because you were more in number than any of the people, but because the Lord has loved you. We will never understand the love of God. We will never fathom his unconditional love towards his people. Notice in chapter 10, in the same book of Deuteronomy, in chapter 10 and verses 14 and 15, we read, listen to this, beloved brothers and sisters, behold, he said, verse 14, the heavens and the heavens of heaven is the Lord thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is, only, listen to this, verse 15, only the Lord had delight in thy fathers, to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all the people as it is this day.

It's not because Israel or the Jewish people were better than any other nation, but it was simply the election and the love of God towards our forefathers that brought them into such a favor, the love of God towards his people. I read Jeremiah 31, 3, I have loved you with everlasting love. I didn't read, but Hosea 11, God speak of Israel, Israel is my firstborn, and I have loved him. Sometimes, beloved brothers and sisters, when you're on your own, and when you are questioning the Lord, sometimes ask yourself the question, why is it that God have loved me, and have brought me into a relationship with him? What is it in me, that God could set his love upon me?

It is fascinating. It is fascinating. So you see, when God states this statement to Israel, Israel, like you and I, have the audacity to question the love of God. And you notice what we read here in verse 2 again, but this time 2b, the second part of verse 2, it says there, yet ye say, notice that, Malachi chapter 1, verse 2b, yet ye say, wherein has thou loved us? In other words, in a different translation, yet ye say, how is it that you say that you loved us? In what way you really loved us? They kind of neglected to look back at the faithfulness of God throughout the whole history of the people of Israel.

And to say the fact that they have experienced persecution even in those days. A few years earlier, in the days of Haggai and Zechariah, God promised that he will eventually bring about the Messianic kingdom. So when they were sitting now in the temple or in the city of Jerusalem, they were looking back just a few years earlier, when in a time of Haggai, in the time of Zechariah, the Jewish people built the temple, and with Rebbevel and Ezra beautify, and build the temple and beautify it, and they looked back and Haggai said to them, by the word of the Lord, that the temple that they are building, meaning looking to the future, will be greater than ever before.

And they were anticipating the Messianic kingdom to come. But he didn't come. They didn't quite understand, like many of us do not understand, the program of God, and the plans of God, and the way he works in our life, we don't quite understand. So instead of saying, God love me anyway, in spite of the fact that I am going through difficult time, they began to ask the question, does God really love me? I don't know if you like me, but when things don't go right in my life, I began to question. Sadly, of course, does really God care? Does he really love me? If he really love me, why this happened to me in my life?

People question him. If really God love me, why I have my health problem? Maybe why my finances are not as well as I would expect them to be. If really God love me, why do I go through these experiences right now in my life? Maybe with my family, maybe with my children, maybe with my health. Does God really love me? That is the question that you and I might raise. And that's what they said to him, in Hebrew, in other words, in what or wherein you really loved us? Did you really love us? Do you really love us? Do we question God? It is amazing, beloved brothers and sisters, how the human heart is.

Instead of recognizing that in every circumstance in our life, God knows best, God knows best, and He is sovereign, He allows things to happen. Yes, we live in a world that is filled with sorrows and trials and tribulation. You remember what Yeshua said in John chapter 16? In this world, ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. In other words, you and I might say, when everything is going to be well and we're going to sit and everything is comfortable, everything is easy and no problem in our life, then will be the time that we can say that God loves us?

No. You know how do we know that God loves us? Just think what happened to Yeshua, the Messiah, when He died for us on the cross. This is God who became a man and as a man He went all the way to the shameful cross where He was penalized for every sin that we have committed, past, present, and future. You remember what we read in John 13 at the Passover? We just celebrated the Passover. John chapter 13, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them all the way through. He could have called 10,000 angels and destroyed the world and be freed from going to the cross, but He did not.

A shameful death, He died. He suffered on our behalf. You tell me that God does not love you? Again, John 3, 16, for God so loved the world that He gave. He didn't expect from us anything, but He gave His only begotten Son. But you can see that Israel, like you and I, challenging God and saying, wherein have you loved us? How can you say that you love us? Look at our situation today. We have all kind of problems. We have enemies from without. We cannot enjoy what we want to enjoy. The promises that you have given us haven't come to fruition. How can you say that you really love us?

And so God is so gracious and thank God the way that He is, if He will treat us the way we deserve to be treated, if He would have treated Israel the way Israel deserved to be treated because of their unbelief and violation of His word, Israel will have no longer any future. But God in His grace is dialoguing, He's explaining to His people and He's showing to them that really, after all, He does love them. And He began to tell them their history. And so notice what He does. And I wanted to say that between from verse 2c, the third portion of verse 2, all the way to verse 4, He gives them five-fold reason or proofs to the fact that He really, really loved the people of Israel whom He has chosen to be His chosen people.

Notice that the first thing that He said to them and He's responded to His own people who said wherein have thou loved us in B, notice not quite towards the end of verse 2 He stated this statement and He said to them was not Esau Jacob's brother? You know what He does? It's so interesting because He takes the Jewish people all the way back to where Jacob and Esau were born. And I'd like you to turn with me to Genesis chapter 25. Go back with me to Genesis chapter 25 and I want you to notice that dear brothers and sisters that there when God said was not Esau Jacob's brother in Genesis chapter 25 He reminded Israel of how Israel as a nation came to be.

And so in Genesis chapter 25 if you remember we read there in verse 19 and these are the generation of Isaac Yitzchak Abraham's son Abraham beget Isaac and Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rivka to wife the daughter of Betuel the Syrian of Paddan Aram the sister of Lavan the Syrian and Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife because she was barren and the Lord was entreated of him and Rivka his wife conceived. In verse 22 he continued and he said and the children struggled together within her and she said if it be so why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord. So you remember Rivka she was actually barren.

Yitzchak Isaac prayed to God and he says God please allow my wife to be impregnant so we will have a family. So God answered to the prayer of Yitzchak of Isaac and Rebecca conceived and apparently when she conceived she had two children in her belly because he does say the children were struggling within her and she was troubled and she went to inquire of the Lord she said why is it that I feel the way I feel? It seems to be like there is going a conflict already in my belly before my children were even born.

so notice what the Lord said to her in verse 23 he said that the Lord said unto her two nations are in thy womb two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels the one people shall be stronger than the other people and the elders shall serve the younger verse 24 and when her days to be delivered were fulfilled behold there were twins in her womb then verse 25 and the first came out red all over like a hairy garment and they called his name Esav in English Esa in Hebrew Esav and then in verse 26 and after that came his brother out and his hand took hold of Esa's hill and his name

was called Yaakov and Isaac was 60 years old and when she bare him in other words here's two boys struggling in the belly of Rivkah in the womb of Rivkah the first one that was born his name was Esav because he was hairy the second one Yaakov held the hill of Esav and his name was called Yaakov it comes from the Hebrew word hill holdel he held the hill he came out after him here was Esav the first one the second one was Yaakov and now God reminded Israel was not Esa Jacob's brother he took the people of Israel all the way to the time when Yitzhak and Rivkah had two sons both of them

are twins both of them are struggling already in the womb of the mother both of them came in that order Esav was first and Yaakov was next and so twins same mother same father both of them were brought forth out into this world both of them were part of the same family but now here God is teaching the people of Israel and he's teaching us something that many of us have a lot of problem with and the next statement that we have here in this first chapter of Malachi again it is found here in chapter one you notice that immediately after he said in verse two was not Esa Jacob's brother saith the Lord yet

notice what he said in the last portion of chapter one and verse two yet I loved Jacob and if you just continue to read in verse three and I hated Esav Esa when we read such a statement immediately we ask ourselves the question how is it that God said I hated Esa I loved Ahavti et Yaakov v'Saneti et Esav in Hebrew I have loved Jacob and he said but I hated Esa of course to read a verse like that how many a time many people ask me this question brother Gideon I just don't understand how is it that God could say that he hated Esa now beloved brothers and sisters that's why it's so good

to understand or we can say this way that God never hates any human being God never hates any human being God hates sin but he loves the sinner nowhere throughout scripture we ever read of God hating any human being the only place it is mentioned it is here but we need to understand what is he saying here when he said Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated does God hate human being the answer of course is not again to mention John 3 16 declared for God so loved the world the human race that he was willing to give his son the Messiah to die for the human race so God does not hate

any men or any woman but we need to understand what is the Hebrew biblical explanation as to these two statements so when God loved one and hates the other we understand it from other passages that God have chosen the one and did not choose the other it has to do with election was not Esau Jacob's brother yet we read Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated God does not hate the person of Esau but God have elected the one and did not elect the other now let me prove this to you from scripture so if you go back with me once again to Genesis the same passage Genesis chapter 25 chapter 25 notice

the statement that we read in verse 23 Genesis 25 and verse 23 this is very helpful to see to understand that election or choosing the one and not choosing the other notice that it already happened before even the babies or the children were even born look at this verse 23 the Lord said unto her verse 23 this is Rivka two nations are in your womb two men two manner of people shall be separated from thy vows and the one people shall be stronger than the other people and notice that the elder shall serve the younger now God already told Rivka long before the children even came out into this world that the elder a sub

who came first will serve the younger Yaakov who came after him out it is an issue of election not love and hate because God never hate any human being but it is elected or did not elect let me show you a little bit to develop it a little bit more that we will see that as well when it's come to other passages look at Genesis 29 now Jacob was born Esau was born they became two you might say nation they were separated now from each other because after all Jacob has stole the birthright from Esau and he went away and now notice in Genesis chapter 29 look what we read concerning Rachel and Leah you

remember Jacob have worked for Laban Laban was his family member he went all the way to his house Laban has two daughters one of them Rachel the other one Leah Jacob want to have one of his daughters to marry her so you remember in chapter 29 he said to to Jacob that he is willing he want to have her as a wife so he said to Laban Laban said to him you got to work for seven years for Rachel so the Bible said in verse 20 of Genesis chapter 29 that Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days for the love that he had for her can you

imagine he wanted to marry this young lady and seven years for him became like few days that's what a real love is you labor and you labor and you labor and you labor and for seven years but it's like a few days when your heart is set in love upon one and so we continue now you notice that where it says a little bit later in verse 29 to 31 you notice that his seven years have passed by and he finally wanted to get his wife Rachel but what Lavan does he tricks him and instead of giving to him Rachel that he gave him the other sister by the name of Leah he goes in

at night he comes get up in the morning look lo and behold it it's not Rachel it's Leah and then he had to work an additional seven years to get Rachel but I want you just to notice what it says very very interesting in these verses this is Genesis 29 verse 30 I'll read verse 29 30 and 31 it says and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhar his handmaid to be her maid and he went into also unto Rachel and he loved notice he said he loved also Rachel more than Leah and he served him yet seven other years and then it says in verse 31 and when the Lord saw that Leah was

hated and he opened her womb but Rachel was barren notice the word Jacob loved Rachel but the Lord saw that he hated Leah but he didn't hate Leah he just didn't choose Leah Jacob have I chosen Esau have I not chosen it's not a matter of hating because God never hates any man it's an expression of the fact that one have elected one over the other because that was his sovereign choice let me develop this just a little bit more because in Deuteronomy chapter 21 there is an additional explanation that would help us to understand the love hate or the election the sovereignty of God in election Deuteronomy chapter 21 verses 15 16 and 17

and I'm reading here we find out an instruction that God gave to Israel through Moses and he said if a man verse 15 have two wives and notice that brothers and sisters one beloved and another hated and they have born him children both the beloved the one who is loved and the other one who is hated and if the firstborn son be held that was hated verse 16 then it shall be when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated which is indeed the firstborn now notice that it's very unusual that a man have two wives

that was not what God have intended from the beginning let a man leave his father and his mother and cleave unto his own wife and them two shall be one flesh but here we can see here is the situation that God gave an instruction through Moshe if a man have two wives the one he loved the other one he hated another one it has a matter of preferences rather than despising and hating one that is not the intention that we have here the thought of hating in the context of Malachi chapter 1 and verse 2 and 3 is simply one was elected and chosen and the other one was not because God does not hate

any men or any woman God hates sin while he loves the sinner and for this he proved when he sent the Messiah Yeshua to die for the sin of this world now I'd like you to turn to a New Testament passage that will illustrate as well for us go to Luke chapter 14 with me Matthew Mark Luke the gospel of Luke chapter 14 and I want you to see what Yeshua the Messiah himself says in relationship to love or hate notice what we read in Luke chapter 14 and verses 25 and 26 here is Yeshua himself said the Messiah himself we read in verse 25 and there went great multitude with him and he turned

and he said unto them and notice what he says if any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters yea his own life also he cannot be my disciple what does it mean when Yeshua says if any man hate not his father and his mother what does Yeshua Jesus the Messiah teaches us to hate our parents to hate our children to hate our wives to hate our brethren to hate even our own life he cannot be my disciple what does he mean obviously beloved brothers and sisters what we learn this is Hebraic this is a Hebrew way of expression that God gave to our

people of all the people of Israel in his word love and hate is elected versus not elected it's just the same like if you would go to buy anything you would choose one over the other Jacob have I chosen and Esau I have not chosen now of course we know the life of Jacob how can God say I can understand what God could say I hated Esau well what I can't understand how can God say I love Jacob what we cannot understand that how can God say I love you knowing our heart condition knowing our sinfulness how can God even love us and choose us to be those with whom he will have eternal relationship

so when God responded to Israel who said wherein have thou loved us number one he says was not Esau Jacob's brother look at history he was a twin brother number two God says yet I love Jacob Jacob was not better than Esau Jacob is not better than Esau and then he said I hated Esau meaning I did not choose Esau but I did choose Jacob it's my sovereign choice I'm a sovereign God and I can choose whom I will this is brothers and sisters what we call in scripture the truth of election election now we don't quite grasp it and we are always willing to tell God whom should he choose and whom should he

not who deserve and who is not but God does not ask man God does not ask Israel neither he asking you and I he he elect whom he will let me show you another verse go to Ephesians chapter 1 please with me Ephesians chapter 1 now in relationship not only in relationship to Israel but in relationship to each and every one of us look what Ephesians our pastor Paul said in Ephesians chapter 1 and verses 3 and 4 Paul said there to remind the brethren in Ephesus who were pagan who were idol worshippers he said to them in verse 3 blessed be the God and father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah who has blessed

us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in the Messiah according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world where were we when God had elected you and I who became believers in time God have chosen us before the foundation of the world as we clearly can see here in Ephesians chapter 1 and verses 3 and 4 Paul said it to the Colossians in Colossians chapter 3 notice what he said to them in verse 12 Colossians 3 and verse 12 Paul is saying to them put on therefore as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercy kindness humbleness of mind meekness and long suffering you are an elect

of God Shaul Paul said this to the believers in the city of Colossi I read one more verse in 1 Thessalonian chapter 1 and verse 4 and notice there what the apostle Paul said to the Thessalonians he says to them knowing brethren beloved your election of God and and I don't have to tell you in John chapter 15 when Yeshua before he died he said to the apostle ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you now you might come with your reasoning and I might come with my reasoning and Israel might come with their reasoning but God is telling to Israel Jacob have I chosen and Esau I have not chosen that is

the truth of election God have elected Israel long before Israel was even coming to an existence where he said in Genesis chapter 25 the elder shall serve the younger long before they were even born God have elected Jacob because he is sovereign and he has a right to choose whom he may so beloved brothers and sisters in verse 2 was not Esau Jacob's brother the first respond the second respond yet I have loved Jacob chapter 1 verse 2 at the end and then in chapter 1 verse 3 he says I hated Esau I did not choose Esau but I chose Jacob because I am sovereign and even though Jacob is not deserve election yet it

is the sovereignty of God and I want you also to notice that God never hurts man he loves man but you know what he does he hates the things that man does because of sin that that's what God hates every time you and I sin God hate that sin while he love that sinner let me show you another verse go to Proverbs the book of Proverbs in Hebrew we call it Mishle this is very important verse to read Proverbs chapter 6 God gave Israel through Shlomo Solomon the king of Israel he gave Israel this list of things that God hates he never hates men but he hates sin and look at this list that we

have in Proverbs chapter 6 verses 16 to 19 it says and this is King Shlomo Solomon said these six things that the Lord hates yes seven are an abomination unto him and here's the list number one he hates a proud look number two he hates a lying tongue number three he hates the hands that shed innocent blood number four verse 18 he hates the heart that devises wicked imagination number five he hates the feet that be swift to run to mischief number six verse 19 he hates false witness that speak lies and yet the greatest of them all number seven is that he that soweth discord among brethren do you know how many times we

are not careful in a way that we behave instead of building the people of God we are sowing seeds of discord among God's people and God hates it he despised it and that's why it's the greatest of them all he said as it says six things the Lord hate but the seventh are an abomination unto him a proud look a lying tongue a hands that shed innocent blood a heart that devices wicked imagination feet that are swift to running after mischief false witnesses and he notice now he's centering the person he that soweth discord among brethren you know how many of assemblies have been divided because we didn't watch the way we said things and

acted upon them you know how many times people have ended up separating from each other because we sowed this sin seed of sin to sow discord among the people of God and God hates it he hates it yet he loved the sinner so much so Jacob have I loved Jacob have I chosen Esau have I hated Esau I simply did not choose I am sovereign and I do as I please and I am God and I am supreme over the face of this world and so now please go back with me to our chapter and now just to conclude here for us now in verse 3 after he mentioned the fact that Esau has he

not chosen then he also showed to the people of Israel who complain wherein you have loved us he shows us the consequence of Esau disobedience to him and his departure from God that brought about the necessity that God have disciplined and punished Esau and his descendants because Edom become the nation that are descended from Esau and so listen to these verses very interesting because in the next verse at the end of verse 3 it says here notice he said I hated Esau and notice what it says at the end of this verse 3 and I laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness in other words what God said in

the end of verse 3 that God now have disciplined Esau who departed from him and he laid the mountains and the heritage of Esau to be wasted and you know Edom today is really found today from south from the Dead Sea all the way unto the Gulf of the Aqaba there those of you that have been with me to Israel and have been crossing through the Aqaba border into Jordan all these areas on the other side of the Dead Sea is present day Jordan and all these areas were occupied by the Edomite the Admonite and the Midianite and Midian Ammon and Moab was there and God says notice what he says to us here in

verse 3 he says he laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness if you're going to go there you're going to see the wilderness that exists there and today the people of Edom are no longer there you might say the other new people who came and occupied the land new people who came and now occupied the land of Edom who used to live in that place and he continued and he says now in verse 4 Edom who is Esau descendant of Esau who were constantly opposing Israel constantly opposing Jacob there was a friction that existed from generation to generation between Esau and Jacob Jacob is not better but Jacob was

elected and chosen by God and God had a plan for Jacob but what happened is when Esau had gone against God's will and against God's people look what we read in the next verse verse 4 Edom will eventually will experience an overthrow and Edom eventually will be called as it says here the people that against whom the Lord has indignation forever look at verse 4 let me read that again where is Edom say we are impoverished but we will return and build the desolate thus says the Lord of hosts they shall build but I will throw down they shall call them the border of the wickedness and the people against whom the Lord has indignation

forever you see what God is saying to Israel you Jacob you Israel were carried in 586 BC to Babylon just the same as Nebuchadnezzar came and destroy your temple destroy your city Nebuchadnezzar also have destroyed Edom during those days and many other countries around read it in Jeremiah chapter 25 but Edom want to say and he will say look I am going to return and I'm going to build all the rebuild all the desolation but God says no no no Edom you will not be able to rebuild the desolation I will throw down and they shall call them that is Edom the border of wickedness and the people against whom the Lord has indignation forever

now God had indignation against his own people Israel and he judged them but he restored them God had an indignation against Edom but he judged them and his indignation is against them not for a season but forever Esau is a representation of the old nature that man has and all nature needs to be put down when it belongs because God will not allow the sin nature to rise up that's why when we became believers he gave us new life new birth and we now have a new nature a divine nature a nature that was received by the Holy Spirit of God and Edom is a representation of all those who are the enemies of God

that are called the border of wickedness and they are called by all people against whom the Lord has indignation forever you asking me Jacob wherein have I loved you just look at your history people try to destroy you again and again and you return back to the land you were supposed to be ending your history Israel but I brought you back to myself you know it just remind me because we just finished a few days ago the memorial of the Holocaust and every time I think about it you think of the 6 million Jews who died only because they were Jewish not because they have done anything wrong to anybody they may have like anybody

else but 6 million you would think that there would be no restoration anymore because most of the Jews were taken over by Hitler and his machine killing machine but God has a purpose for Israel he has a plan and the Jewish people will revive because God has that plan for them Edom Esau the border of wickedness the people against whom the Lord hath indignation forever Jacob have I chosen but Esau have I not and Esau departed and gone further and further and eventually I judged them and I will yet judge them now finally beloved brothers and sisters in verse 5 the Lord promised Israel that there is a day coming when Israel will recognize that

God really loved them there is a day coming beloved brothers and sisters when Israel will finally realize they will never anymore ask the question wherein thou loved us he takes them all the way to the messianic kingdom in verse 5 and he is speaking about the day that will come and it will be very soon hopefully very very soon from our vantage point of time it says here in verse 5 and your eyes Israel shall see and ye shall say this is your mouth shall speak and say the Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel there is coming a day Yaakov Israel you will no longer say these words really wherein have you

loved us Israel God is saying to them there is coming a day when you are going to not only see it and experience it but you shall proclaim it throughout this wonderful age of the messianic kingdom when you will say the Lord is magnified notice the Lord in magnified from where it says here from the borders of Israel Israel will be a nation that through Israel blessing will flow to all the nations of the world that that that is the messianic kingdom Isaiah Isaiah Isaiah chapter 2 says many people verse 3 said shall go and say come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of God of

Jacob Jacob and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his path for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Yerushalayim from Zion will come out the word of the Lord and it's going to flow the word of the Lord will flow out from the city of Yerushalayim that is yet a future day that will come but Israel will have to come to faith in the Messiah whom today they don't realize that he is Yeshua but they will eventually in a future day will come to acknowledge that he indeed is the promised Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world can we

say amen to that may the Lord bring that to fruition very very soon and thank the Lord for the time that we could study Malachi chapter 1 verses 1 to 5 I have loved you God said to his people Israel