Romans 9: 7-16

Rom 9:7 Being descendants of Abraham doesn't make them truly Abraham's children. For the Scriptures say, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted," though Abraham had other children, too. Rom 9:8 This means that Abraham's physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham's children. Rom 9:9 For God had promised, "I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son."

If you remember the story Isaac was the only son of Sarah. Sarah was 99 when she had the child that God had promised Abraham had other sons but not by Sarah. Abraham had children by three different women (Isaac, by Sarah—see Gen_21:1-7; Ishmael, by Hagar—see Genesis 16; and six sons by Keturah—see Gen_25:1-4). But God made it clear that Isaac was the son through whom Abraham’s descendants will be counted.

Rom 9:10 This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins. Rom 9:11 But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to His own purposes; Rom 9:12 He calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, "Your older son will serve your younger son."

Life Application New Testament Commentary: “Was it right for God to choose Jacob, the younger, over Esau? God chose Jacob to continue the family line of the faithful because he knew that Jacob was teachable. But he did not exclude Esau from knowing and loving him. We must remember what God is like: he is sovereign; he is not arbitrary; in all things he works for our good; he is trustworthy; he will save all who believe in him. When we understand these qualities of God, we will know that his choices are good even if we don’t understand all his reasons”.

Rom 9:13 In the words of the Scriptures, "I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau."

God had predestined Jacob to be the leader of his nation. Esau was not condemned to hell only condemned as a leader. Please listen this explanation by www.gotquestions.org  Mal1:2-3

Rom 9:14 Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! Rom 9:15 For God said to Moses, "I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose." Rom 9:16 So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.

Life Application New Testament Commentary: 9:14-16 “God chose Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over Esau, not because of their character or their actions, but simply because that was his choice. “Was God being unfair?” we might ask. “Surely those Jews who are working so hard to follow all of God’s laws should be chosen. Isn’t it rather arbitrary of God to just choose some and reject others?”

Paul’s wording of the question in Greek expects a negative answer, which he emphatically supplies: Of course not! If God gave anyone exactly what they deserved the results would be disastrous! Both Isaac and Jacob were scoundrels. God demonstrated unexpected grace when he chose these men in spite of their weaknesses and failures. God is absolutely sovereign. He had explained to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose” (see Exo_33:19). We might still be tempted to say, “Doesn’t that seem a bit unfair?” But by asking such a question we are claiming a higher understanding of fairness than God himself. We must remember that God has no obligation to show mercy or compassion to any of us—not one of us deserves his slightest concern. For God to even choose anyone is evidence of his great mercy. These words of God reveal that he does show mercy and compassion, but they are by his sovereign choice.

We tend to read God’s statement to Moses (which was a response to Moses’ request to see God’s glory) as if it were an expression of God’s withholding mercy rather than a statement of his merciful generosity. In the context of this statement in Exodus, God was not justifying himself, but saying in effect, “I will have mercy on people you would not expect, and I will have compassion in ways that will surprise you, especially when I am compassionate with you!” No one can know the heart of a person in the way that God knows. No individual, court of law, or group can perfectly assess the righteousness of a person. So we must leave the choosing and judging to God”.