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19 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." 20 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." 21 But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” ~ Romans 10:19-21
Today, we conclude our study of Romans 10 where the Apostle Paul is explaining how God can be sovereign and Israel could resist His will. Even though God is by definition "the supreme being," He does not force Himself upon anyone. At the cross, God invited us into a personal relationship with Himself. He served the ball, so to speak, into our court. It is truly a miracle that we have chosen to love God in response. Of course, we love Him because He loved us first.
In v.19 of today's passage we read, "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.'"
God sent many prophets to Israel. He sent Moses and Samuel, Elijah and Elisha, Isaiah and Jeremiah, just to name a few. Through many years He sent His people these who faithfully shined the light of the truth in the midst of the people. God did this in order to jolt them due to the fact that the surrounding Gentile nations ended up believing in Him.
In v.20 of today’s passage we read, "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."
Since Israel had nullified the word of God by the letter of the law rather than the intent of the law and worshipped other gods, Moses prophesied that God would make them angry by nations that did not have understanding. As a result of the Gentiles believing in God, the people of Israel became envious. Their negative response was caused by what the prophet Isaiah said: "I was found by those who did not seek me: I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." Isaiah saw that the Gentiles would come to faith in the Lord Jesus and accept the gospel message and that Israel would reject it.
It wasn't that God made them envious or angry for if they had walked with the Lord those many years they would not have been in that position. In fact, they would have rejoiced that the heathen had come to faith in their God. The difference between the Jews and the Gentiles was that the Gentiles had come to an end of themselves and the Jews had not. The Gentiles knew that they would never be good enough for God on their own, but Israel has not understood that yet. All they saw was the literal letter of the law and not the embodiment of law which is the Lord Jesus who fulfilled the letter.
In v.21 of today’s passage we read, “But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
People who are not instructed about God will accept the gospel message more readily and with more gladness. It is far easier to comprehend and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ at face value when religion isn't in the way telling us, we must participate in our redemption. The biggest lie we believe is that we must do something to be right with God, instead of accepting the fact that the Lord Jesus paid the price in full.
Since Israel was ignorant of God and His Christ, they did not appropriate their faith in Him. This was due to their ignorance and that ignorance was self-imposed because of unbelief and that unbelief was self-imposed because they loved their sin so much. They did not want to know the truth. Even to this day, God patiently waits and calls for them to embrace this most important posture that propels us into a personal relationship with Him.
God's patience continues despite the fact that unbelieving Israel still give safe haven to stubbornness in their souls. God longs for the unsaved to come to the place where they see Him with their hearts. In order to enable them to get to this place He must arouse faith in them. In order to do that, He had to provoke envy and anger. He did this by sending messengers with His message of hope. Yet still there is resistance to the will and purposes of God on this planet.
So this chapter closes with this picture of God acutely involved in positioning man to be able to admit that the problem is their disobedience and their obstinate hearts. No man will ever go to hell without resisting the pleas of a loving God. God never damns anyone to hell without a chance. No one will end up separated from God who has not personally resisted the claim and appeal of a loving God who sought to reach them.
This is partly why God gave to you and me the Holy Spirit to protect us from going back to our old ways. Now that we have been born again, we do not need the law because we have the perfect guide living inside us directing and steering us in the culture of God. He has written himself upon our hearts so that we do not have to live by the letter, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Because of His abiding Spirit within us, we will experience the freedom which Christ purchased for us and God desires for us to have. As a result of being freed from religion and the law, we are postured to enjoy a personal relationship with the Father that the Lord Jesus died to guarantee us. The ball now is in our court.
