Romans 10:11-21

Paul has pointed out that Israel did not heed the call of faith given by Moses in Deut. 30:11-14.  In today’s passage reference is made to this call to faith elsewhere in the Old Testament.  Verse 11 quotes Isa. 28:16 (Paul had used this same quote at the end of 9:33) and verse 13 quotes Joel 2:32.  Both of these passages use the term “whoever”; thus Paul notes that this call to faith is for both Jew and Greek.  There is only one Lord to confess and He will abundantly save all who call on Him!  This is truly good news.

Verses 14-17 contain a simple and profound truth: if men need to call on the Lord, then they need to hear about the Lord!  The call of unbelievers to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is at the same time a call to believers to preach the Lord Jesus Christ.  As Paul had made clear in the very beginning of Romans, the gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek (1:16).  Thus “they” in 10:14 refers to both Jew and Greek, although the primary concern is still with Israel.  

The need for preachers of the gospel is emphasized in two quotes from Isaiah.  First a blessing is pronounced on those who preach (v15, from Isaiah 52:7).   Second, it is noted that not all have believed and thus still need to hear (v16, from Isa. 53:1).  The context in Isaiah is the Man of Sorrows passage (Isa. 52:13-53:12), one of the greatest gospel presentations in all of Scripture.

The concluding verses in today’s reading (v18-21) ask two questions.  First, have they not heard?  Paul’s affirmative answer is based in Psalm 19:1-6 (the quote is from Ps. 19:4) where the whole of Creation is calling men to seek God.  Again, early in Romans (1:18-32) Paul had proven that all men are without excuse because they have denied the basic message available to all.

Paul’s second question brings us back to the issue for Israel: did Israel not know?  The question seems to be, “did Israel not know about this receiving of the gospel by Gentiles, while at the same time she would reject the gospel?”  The answer again relies on the Old Testament scriptures which Israel should know.  The quote from v19 comes from the Song of Moses (Deut. 32:21), the song God gave Moses to teach Israel about this very moment in her history, when she would rebel against God and the Gentiles would be saved.  The Gentiles are those not a nation as well as the foolish nation that would provoke Israel.  Verses 20-21 are from Isaiah 65:1-2 and say exactly what Paul has said here: God was found by the Gentiles who were not seeking Him while He was rejected by His disobedient and contrary chosen people.

The Holy Spirit has made it clear that Israel, Paul’s fellow countrymen, are in a state of rejection.  The only question now to ask is, “Is it permanent?”  This will be the subject of Romans 11.  There is much in today’s reading to consider.  Be careful to hear the Spirit in your own heart!