Romans 9 -- Accrording to the Foreknowledge of God the Father

The reason why Jacob’s brother is not named is because it is written in the Scriptures, “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated” (Rom. 9.13). This is the marvelous way of God’s election. “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion” (Rom. 9.15), thus showing that the purpose of God according to election “is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy” (Rom. 9.16). Notwithstanding this sovereign way of God’s election, it is not done casually but rather according to His “foreknowledge.” For God knows beforehand who will be willing to accept grace and so be blessed: “the elect . . . according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Peter 1.1,2). First, foreknowledge; then, election. Due to God’s love for Jacob, his sons became the twelve tribes of Israel.