Romans 10:18-21 (NIV)
But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, “I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”
And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”
But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
Israel’s problem was not and never had been God’s failure to clearly communicate His word and His will to them. Far from it! They had God’s word in the Scriptures given and handed down for 1500 years. And when they went astray, God sent angels (Judges 2:1-5) and prophets to clearly bring His words and His judgments to them. But the vast majority of the time, they did not repent.
In the last days, God had sent His Son to speak His words to the people, many of whom responded and repented, and to the leaders, most of whom did not. Jesus used parables to convey God’s truths, but when He spoke to the leaders, He pronounced God’s judgment very clearly (Matthew 23:1-36).
After this, God had sent out the apostles, emissaries of His kingdom, who took the good news of the inauguration of God’s kingdom, and the history of Jesus, who He was, what He taught and what He had done, including His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. And their initial focus was on bringing the gospel to the Jews. So, did the Jewish people hear God’s judgment and His gospel? Without question, yes!
Paul’s next question is: was the problem that they didn’t understand? And the Scriptures that he uses to answer that question shows conclusively that the gospel was not above their ability to understand and respond to. If that had been the case, God would have simplified it still further and have worked in their minds and hearts to help them to understand.
But that was not the problem. Instead, it was rebellion in their hearts. Rebellion and resistance to God’s will had been a part of the fabric of the Israelites since the days of the Exodus.
But God’s plan had always been to expand the limits of His kingdom far beyond the Jewish people, through the gentiles, to the ends of the earth. So, He sent Peter to Cornelius (Acts 10:1-11:18), and Saul/Paul to the gentile towns of the Roman empire (Acts 13:46-49). One of the intended consequences of the gentiles coming into the kingdom was to incite jealously among the Jews. When they saw the gentiles experiencing the joy of the kingdom and working in God’s power, it was hoped that they would choose to opt back into God’s chosen people, so that they could experience the same things. And some did. But, sadly, many merely stiffened their necks and hardened their hearts further.
Father, thank You for reaching out to the gentiles with Your good news and the privilege of entering Your kingdom. Because of that expansion, I was able to come in and find salvation through Jesus, and all that goes along with it. Lord, Paul’s heart broke over the rebellion and resistance of the Jewish people, just as my heart breaks for my family, my friends, my neighbors who don’t yet know You. You still haven’t given up on reaching the Jewish people with the gospel, even after two thousand years, but You continue to send Your messengers and missionaries to them. Help me to act as Your messenger, Your missionary to those all around me who don’t yet know You, but who You desperately want to repent. Amen.