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16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.” ~ Romans 10:16-18
Today, we return to our study of Romans 10 where the Apostle Paul is defending the sovereignty of God in light of the fact that most of the people of Israel have not come to faith in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. The rub here is that so many privileges were given by God to Israel that should have translated into them believing en masse in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. But, it didn't. And so, many question the veracity and the power of the promises of God.
In v.16 of today's passage we read, "But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed our report?'"
This quote from the prophet Isaiah was uttered when the people of Israel were surrounded by their enemies. They were surrounded because they had opened themselves up to their idols and the degrading practices that were associated with those idols. This was the context into which Isaiah the prophet spoke some 725 years before Christ was born in Bethlehem.
For the most part Israel, as a majority, rejected their Messiah. He came unto His own and they received Him not. But, just because the majority doesn't believe doesn't negate God's promise to the minority. The fact that God made a promise, and just a few believed it, does not negate His veracity. It actually reveals the hardness of the human heart and the fallenness of humanity.
In v.17 of today's passage we read, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
We grossly underestimate the word of God. We listen to the reading of the expression of God's culture so haphazardly. This explains why such a few in Israel really recognized the Savior when He appeared to them. They had not truly been trained to hear Him.
Faith in the God of the Bible comes as a result of hearing His voice within our hearts. The Greek word that is used for the word "word" in v.17 is a very unique word. This word is different than the Greek word used to describe the word "Word" in John 1. This word is the "spoken word" of God. Whereas the word used in John 1 describes none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, this word describes His utterances which creates faith in our hearts. And, most often, the utterance of God is unrecognizable to us. Our lack of real and meaningful and purposeful faith is the product of our inability to really hear. This type of hearing happens much deeper than in our ears; it happens in our hearts.
Since our faith in the God of the Bible is aroused by our hearing with our hearts, we do well to hone those skills which enable us to really hear, to hear with our hearts. There is a word in the Old Testament often translated "understanding" that is key to learning to hear God's spoken voice. This word is the Hebrew word shâma, which means "to hear." Solomon, the wisest human King ever, asked God for a hearing heart so he could lead the people and make good decisions. This wisdom came from his ability to hear God clearly and on a regular basis.
Hearing God comes through the unwanted moments of life. When I say the unwanted, I mean those things that we avoid at all cost, like pain and suffering and loneliness and grief. It is during these types of moments that we hear that still small voice most effectively. This does not mean that if we have intense pain in our lives that we will automatically be intimate with God. It is only when we encounter these moments and these moments aid us into seeking Him more and knowing Him better that we experience such a level of intimacy with Him. This, of course, is easier said than done.
In v.18 of today's passage we read, "But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world."
In this verse, the Apostle quotes Psalm 19:4 from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew. By doing so, he subtly underscores his point that this is a universal proclamation of the gospel. In Psalm 19 King David identifies the heavenly bodies which declare to all God's existence. We know this as natural revelation which when heeded leads us to special revelation. In the same way that the stars have touched the earth with natural revelation, the gospel touches the human heart with special revelation.
The gospel is the good news which God has sent throughout all the world. That makes the gospel a whosoever thing. It goes way beyond Jews to embrace Gentiles. Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And God showed it by sending His messengers all over the world. The sound is going out everywhere. Sadly, many Jews rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ because it involved the Gentiles. And many still reject it for that same reason.
When Galileo was summoned before the inquisition to be tried for heresy in declaring the revolving of the earth around the sun, he was brought in to be declared a scientific heretic. What he discovered, that the world was not the center of the universe, of course, was true. But the existing establishment denied it. He said to his judges these words, "I can convince you. Here is my telescope, see for yourselves." But, they refused to look. They were so convinced the earth did not revolve around the sun that no amount of evidence would ever make them change their mind, they wouldn't even look. That's the way it is with Israel and all who will not believe. They simply will not look.
There are different levels to spiritual reality, and, the more we die to self which is the essence of sin, the more we see. God offers us deep intimacy with Himself, but there is a price that we must pay. Most often that price involves discomfort. This explains the trials of this life that we as believers in Christ encounter. God give us the wisdom to not run from the trials but to learn to embrace Him through them. Better yet, may He through the trials embrace us. The result will be the unfolding of the greatest story every realized by any mere human. A story with God as the Author.
