Again Paul makes a second question that whether Israel had understood God’s offer of righteousness through faith? Yes Israel had good knowledge. Even this was predicted by Moses centuries back. “I will make envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding” (10:19; Deu.32:21). When Israel has rejected the Gospel of Christ, God sent the Gospel to the Gentiles that they might be saved. Although in NT many times we read that Gospel is first for the Jew and then to the Gentiles, the ministry of the Gospel has penetrated deep into the Gentile world. After the stoning of Stephen and persecution broke loose, God sent the Gospel to the Samaritans (Acts 8:1-8) and then to the Gentiles (Acts 10 onwards). The Jewish believers were shocked when Peter went to the Gentiles (Acts 11:1-18). It was God who sent Peter to make them understand that Jews and Gentiles are equal in God’s sight. Although God had redemption plan for the entire mankind, the rejection of Messiah by Jews brought the Gospel early to Gentiles. Again Paul taking the quote from Prophet Isaiah “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me,. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, Here am I, here am I.” (10:20; Isa.65:1). The Old Testament leaders wrote about God’s turning to the Gentiles, whom the Jews thought had no understanding. Israel’s continuing rebellion and unbelieving disobedience was judged by God’s turning to the Gentiles, at the same time God has not withheld salvation from Jews. He has held out His hands, imploring them to return to Him.
Paul for the third time quotes from (Isa.65:2) “all day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” The apostle Paul also laboured and toiled for the sake of Jews. Paul wanted to preach in the city of Rome. But God’s ways are amazing. He had to come to Rome as a ship-wrecked prisoner and was kept in house-arrest, tied with chains with soldiers the whole day for 2-years. He was given little liberty that he could meet visitors. In such deplorable condition also, Paul expounded the Scripture from morning till evening convincing the visitors and soldiers to accept the Salvation and accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah (Acts 28:33). God was stretching our His arms through Paul to the disobedient Jews asking them to return to His fold. At the same time, God’s favour to the Gentiles did not diminish, for God has extended the blessing given to Abraham to Gentiles when they believe in Him.
By saying Israelites are disobedient and obstinate people which is true for all the mankind, a few points to be noted are:
- Mere sincerity in the religion will not compensate for the deliberate rejection of saving truth.
- Mere knowledge of the saving truth will not save any person, unless he confesses with his mouth and believe in His heart and submit himself to the righteousness of God.
- God has made us a watchman. We need to warn people of the impending danger. How shall they know unless someone is sent there to tell them. If we do not have the aptitude and attitude to tell the Gospel to others, something is wrong within us.
- God wants to use us to share the Gospel with both Jews and Gentiles. God can use our feet and our arms just as He used Paul’s. The Lord Jesus Christ wept over Jerusalem and longed to gather His people in His arms! Instead, those arms were stretched out on a cross where He willingly died for Jews and Gentiles alike. “The Lord is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9b).
- Don’t go to heaven alone, take somebody with you. If this is not in our thought, we have lost the love for God.
A few questions to answer before we move to next chapter:
- Was I ever zealous for God and his law, displayed through my activities?
- Has there been a real confession through my mouth believed in heart that Jesus Christ is my Saviour?
- Who has been instrumental in my accepting the Lord Jesus as my personal Saviour?
- Am I envious of a blessing given to someone else? Does that envy have good fruit, or bad?