Romans 10:14-21 Listening with the heart produces faith

14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “ How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”
16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “ Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
18 But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have;
“ Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.”
19 But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says,
“ I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation,
By a nation without understanding will I anger you.”
20 And Isaiah is very bold and says,
“I was found by those who did not seek Me,
I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
21 But as for Israel He says, “All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” Romans 10:14-21

Background

Many people often question why the bible appears to be boring and could not come alive when they read it. It is because their hearts doubted His guidance and are not connected with Him. The Jews could not accept the message of Christ and claim to have never heard of it as if the gospel is a new revelation that has never been preached to them. Paul shows them that the message of Christ has been preached since the days of Isaiah, but they would not receive it. The message was not hard to understand, for even the Gentiles who unintentionally stumbled upon the gospel responded to God in repentance. The issue is with their hearts who could not fully trust God and who is divided in the pursuit of holiness and the pleasures of the flesh. But if one listens to God with his heart in the context of a loving relationship with Him, it produces faith and strength for success.

Observation

14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” 

This follows from the previous passage that all who call on the Lord will be saved. Paul asked the question on their behalf: How could people know about salvation of Christ when no one preached to them? It is perplexing that despite their years of being exposed to the Law and having seen countless miracles and provisions from God, they still could not comprehend the good news. Paul reminds them of the good news of salvation that was previously spoken to them by preachers during Isaiah’s time: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” Here, the preachers proclaimed to the people under Babylonian captivity that the time of freedom had come. The Lord will deliver them from the bondage of the enemy; the time to repent and return to their homeland has come. However, Isaiah also spoke of a more enduring peace and eternal salvation for the nation when the Messiah will come to Zion and reign.

How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace
And brings good news of happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7-8

16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
18 But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have;
“ Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.”

Through Isaiah’s message, the good news of repentance and the coming Messiah had indeed gone out to all of Israel: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.” But the people did not heed the good news, they continued in their rebellion against God: “Lord, who has believed our report?”. Paul emphasized that the good news of freedom for the nation is still being preached today, this time by Christ Himself: So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Hearing the word in the context of a relationship with Christ produces faith and strength. Without a relationship with God, the word remains merely as a principle without the power to impart life. The preaching of the good news by the Spirit of Christ is the final call to all the world for repentance towards salvation.

19 But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says,
“ I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation,
By a nation without understanding will I anger you.”
20 And Isaiah is very bold and says,
“ I was found by those who did not seek Me,
I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
21 But as for Israel He says, “ All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.

Israel is reluctant to respond to the good news not because they did not believe that God could save them and free them from captivity. It is because they wanted salvation on their own terms; they wanted God to be their Savior but not the Lord of their lives. Hence, God devise a plan to stir them towards repentance: by prospering the nations that have no relationship with Him, and these nations will rule over them: “I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation. By a nation without understanding will I anger you.”

Truth

1.    Abundant life and blessings cannot be purchased by works of charity or gained by filling one’s mind with knowledge; but by a heart fully dedicated to God with love and forgiveness towards others. I have seen churchgoers who spent much time reading the word, but use the word to condemn others and to justify their personal righteousness. There are those who do works of charity not out of concern for others but to earn brownie points to be exchanged for personal blessings. True revelations of the Spirit produces a life overflowing with love for others, and freedom from the cares of life and the bondages of sin. As the Word is not a system of teachings but a Person. Hence, one who listens to Christ with his heart in the context of a loving relationship (faith) will receive grace and strength for success.

2.    One could never be satisfied by striking a “balance” between God and the cares of life. Christians who look to relationships, work achievements or material gains for fulfillment are hardly satisfied. They reflected that emptiness through their relationship with God, that is usually rocky and inconsistent. The true issue is not the matter of discipline or their work schedules but their distrust or lack of gratitude for the One who died on their behalf. They try to strike a “balance” between the pursuit of God and the pursuit of blessings. There is no balance to strike, you’re either for God or for the flesh! The fact is: God is Lord, He is the very source of all blessings. If believers would put their trust in God, deferring to Him full authority to lead in what He deems best, abundant life would be for real. The Jews did not believe in the message of the prophets, they did not trust God fully to lead them, for centuries they were divided between the way of God and the cares of life.

Do you find yourself frequently torn between what you want and what God wants? Do you find yourself seeking out the passages that assure you of God’s love and blessings while deemphasizing the other passages?

3.    When we reject the revelation of the Spirit at a moment in time, we become less sensitive when He prompts us the next time. Beware of selective hearing, where one’s ear grows tired and immune to the truths that is able to prosper. The Jews have been hearing the truths as preached by the prophets for centuries, but they could not understand Jesus’ message and rejected Him without the slightest consideration. Do you find the words of the bible foreign to you? Do you hear the same message being iterated to you and you are beginning to feel tired of it? Do you find it more difficult to let the words of the Bible speak into your heart?

Application

1.    Make a list of your worries and cares concerning your work, family and ministry. Free yourself from unnecessary anxieties by releasing them to God. God will reveal to you what you need to do in your situation. Do not straddle the world of cares and God. If you are wholly for God, God will be wholly for you.

2.   For some of the messages that you have been hearing, spent some time meditating and chewing on them. God will lead you to remove the stubborn blockages that has been hindering your progress.

Dear Lord, help me release the problems that I am carrying to you, I trust that you will solve them in your way and time. Help me understand what I should do on my part and entrust the rest to you. Help me receive your promptings into my heart, use the people around me to reveal to me your wisdom and truth. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.