Many people reading Malachi question God loving Jacob and hating Esau. The Genesis record has no mention of God hating Esau. Isaac’s blessing for Esau is that he would live by the sword and serve his brother. But when he grows restless, he’ll throw his yoke from off his neck. Genesis 27:41 says, “Esau held a grudge against Jacob.” That grudge continues down through the centuries.
The prophecy of Obadiah amplifies what Malachi said. Paul amplifies this further in Romans 9:10-13, “Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad – in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls – she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ Just as it is written: ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’”
John MacArthur’s Bible Commentary states, “Obadiah’s prophecy indicated that the Lord’s hatred was against Esau’s idolatrous descendants. In the same way, the Lord’s love for Jacob refers to his descendants who were His sovereignly elected people…Nor does the love/hate language signify a comparative love in which He loved Jacob more and Esau less. Rather, the context here speaks of love as ‘choosing for intimate fellowship’ and hate as ‘not choosing for intimate fellowship’ in the realm of redemption.”