Obstinate Disobedience

A vivid contrast is presented in these last verses of Romans 10 as Paul wraps up the case he has been building. He is trying to show in chapters 9–11 that the Jews’ rejection of Christ does not mean that God’s redemptive purposes have failed, and he has been arguing since 9:30 that the Jews’ unbelief is their fault, not God’s. Today’s verses, containing quotes from Isaiah 65:1–2, remind us of the reasons for the Jews’ unwillingness to believe.

In the first of Paul’s quotes from Isaiah, the prophet relays words from God concerning gentiles. These pagan outsiders, Isaiah says, have “found” God despite not seeking Him. This quote brings Paul back to the point at which he began this argument, 9:30–31, where he spoke of gentiles attaining righteousness even though they did not seek after it, while the Jews, who diligently pursued righteousness through law-keeping, never got it. Dr. James M. Boice sums up the contrast here: “The Jews did seek God. This is how they would have described their religious life and quest. They sought Him by trying to obey His revealed law and by keeping His ordinances. The Gentiles did not do any of this. They were happy-go-lucky pagans. Yet they were finding God in spite of themselves.” And why was this? Isaiah hints at the reason: “ ‘I was made manifest to [them].’ ” God was revealed to the gentiles, or, more specifically, revealed Himself to them. He caused them to hear, understand, and believe the gospel. Israel, by contrast, heard and understood the gospel, but did not believe. It was not that the gentiles were more righteous or intelligent. The explanation was the sovereign working of God in hearts, the inward call going forth with the outward summons to belief.

The Jews, as we have seen, were blessed with many “advantages,” blessings of God that pointed toward Christ (9:4–5). It was as if God was standing all day long with His hands stretched out to His people, continuously offering His compassion and mercy to them. But their response was obstinate disobedience. Seeking to establish their own righteousness, they refused to obey God’s decree that they come to Him through Christ. In the ultimate sense, God had not predestined them to believe. But the blessings they had received were sufficient to leave them without excuse. Their unbelief was their fault, not God’s.