God's ironic hatred in Romans 9?
This past Sunday in my Sunday school class, we reached Romans 9. I was struck recently for the first time by the possibility that Paul’s use of texts in this section might be profoundly and perhaps intentionally ironic.
The idea that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and that God hated Esau, have something in common – and not just the fact that they represent problematic and objectionable details in Scripture.
They are also traditional affirmations of divine election of the Jewish people and God’s favoritism towards them against their enemies.
