Israel set aside for a season–a very long season.
The Lord God of Israel set aside the Chosen People in order to provoke them and stir anger in them. That anger will eventually bring them back to the God they abandoned. Yes, they abandoned God, but he didn’t abandon them. They left their God for idols of gold, wood, stone, and self-worth. In the end, they valued their ceremonies, incense, and rituals over a true knowledge of the Almighty.
God, through the prophets, told them those ceremonies were a stench in his nostrils. He even told the true prophets to let others know the Lord wouldn’t listen anymore to false prayers and sounds of phony righteousness.
Why was Israel set aside?
This article continues a short series through the middle of the Book of Romans. Through most of that magnificent piece of literature, the Apostle Paul details his understanding of the correct way righteousness is attained.
Spoiler alert: It’s not by keeping the law.
There are a lot of excellent passages that deserve extra attention but I’m going to skip over most of them for this post. I will keep my focus on the issue of Israel and why they were set aside by God. Their rejection isn’t final. There are a couple of key verses in this chapter that I will use to make that argument.
So, as we move through the chapter, I will make brief comments, skipping over some really important passages because they aren’t the key verses that support the argument that Israel, set aside, for now, will be pulled back into the plan of God.
Actually, they aren’t out now, The Lord is waiting for the big finale to bring this part of the story to a close.
Israel set aside for now, but that will change when a Jew rules the world.
Romans 10:1 Paul the Apostle loved his lost brethren
“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.”
Paul cared for his Jewish family. He prayed they would finally understand things that he also stubbornly refused to accept in his younger life.
Romans 10:2 Israel set aside because they lacked knowledge
“For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.”
They lacked the knowledge of God’s true standards of righteousness. This is a remarkable passage. The Chosen People had direct access to the voice of God through Moses, and the law of God, given on Mount Sinai. Yet, they didn’t really know how to draw close to Him. The prophets were raised up in their midst, and yet, the Israelite People were rejected because they didn’t know God’s standard of righteousness.
What an incredible irony. God will fix the problem. He made a promise.
Romans 10:3 Israel set aside because they didn’t know God’s right standards
“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”
They were ignorant, they set themselves on a path to make their own rules even though they presented a facade of living by God’s standards. The Rabbinic teachings increased in prominence, to the point where Jesus rebuked them by saying the following’
Matthew 23:24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
Romans 10:4 Christ set believers free
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes.”
Believing in and trusting in the finished work of Christ released believers from the set of rules the Jewish adherents tried to follow.
Romans 10:5 The Law bound its believers
“For Moses describes the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which does those things shall live by them.”
The Law of Moses was unforgiving and final. Follow them all. Follow exactly, or fail to reach God’s standards.
Romans 10:6 Bringing truth down from heaven
“But the righteousness which is of faith speaks on this wise, Say not in your heart, who shall ascend into heaven? (That is, to bring Christ down from above.)”
I love passages like this. Paul takes an Old Testament passage and makes a point about Christ to support his doctrine of faith. Righteousness by faith is found in many places in the O.T. It’s only the blind who don’t see it.
Romans 10:7 Up from the grave?
“Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (That is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)”
The sea is an allegorical reference to the place of the dead. Paul interprets this to mean, “Who will go into the place of the dead and bring Christ back from the dead to us?” Only God can do that. Paul leaves the question unanswered but we should know the answer.
Romans 10:8 Israel set aside, but they were so close!
“But what does it say? The word is close to you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.”
Paul gives a plug to his own doctrine and ministry in this verse. The Hebrew scriptures, of which Paul was very familiar, taught vaguely what he began to preach very boldly and specifically. He used the O.T. truth to support the N.T. doctrine.
Romans 10:9 O.T. scriptures pointed to Jesus
“That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in hour heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”
Just say it and it will be true. Not exactly! I’m trying to avoid getting into the doctrines here because I want to stay focused on the rejection of Israel. Belief in Jesus is as simple as saying it, but the fruit of that belief must be evident in the life of the professing believing.
Romans 10:10 Believe with the heart; confess with the mouth
“For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.”
Once it gets into the heart and is real, then it comes out of the mouth as a conviction.
Romans 10:11 Trust in Jesus will be rewarded
“For the scripture says, whosoever believes in him shall not be ashamed.”
Here Paul makes a reference to a scripture that points to a foundation stone. That stone is Jesus, whom the builders rejected.
Jamieson, Faucett & Brown Bible Commentary
For the scripture saith–in Isa 28:16, a glorious Messianic passage.
Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed–Here, as in Rom 9:33, the quotation is from the Septuagint, which renders those words of the original, “shall not make haste” (that is, fly for escape, as from conscious danger), “shall not be put to shame,” which comes to the same thing.
Romans 10:12 Jew or Gentile, the Lord accepts everyone
“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.”
And now in this verse, he makes a statement that is a foundational truth of the Gospel of Truth. All are accepted into the grace of God regardless of who they are, where they come from, or what faith their family clings to. Faith in the One True God is the key, not a set of rules or a family lineage.
Romans 10:13 Salvation: One Simple Rule
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
The Apostle draws from a verse in Joel. It’s an apocalyptic verse pointing to the last days when decision time is critical. Paul lets readers know there is no need to wait until the hounds of hell are at the door. Making the choice to call on the Lord soon, rather than later, is the better choice. The prophet Joel writes about a final series of battles and a brutal war that will leave Israel clinging to existence. All who call on the Lord at that time will be saved. Some will refuse. Bad move.
Romans 10:14 Israel set aside because they rejected the truth
“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not Heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”
Here he used O.T. scripture to point to the exact thing he and others on his team were doing. They went across mountains, through valleys, and Through stormy seas to “preach” the message. Why did they travel so far? Two reasons. God sent them, and the Jewish people rejected the message and persecuted them.
Romans 10:15 Beautiful feet carry the Good News
“And how shall they preach, except they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!’”
My feet aren’t beautiful but if I carry the gospel with these ugly stinky things they are transformed into soles of beauty. Paul compares another O.T. passage with his ministry.
Jamieson, Faucett & Brown Bible Commentary
15. as it is written— ( Isa 52:7 ).
How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, &c.–The whole chapter of Isaiah from which this is taken, and the three that follow, are so richly Messianic, that there can be no doubt “the glad tidings” there spoken of announcing a more glorious release than of Judah from the Babylonish captivity, and the very feet of its preachers are called “beautiful” for the sake of their message.
Romans 10:16 Israel set aside because few if any, obeyed.
“But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report?”
Specifically, the focus is Israel in the passage, but in the N.T. the gospel was sent out and when it was, the Gentiles were rejecting it in many places also. But for those who did accept it, and many did, it stirred anger in the Jews who heard about it.
Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing, not doing!
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
The Jews thought it was all about doing. Paul said no, you should have seen in your own scriptures. Abraham believed and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Romans 10:18 Israel set aside, and the whole world should know why
“But I say, have they not heard? Yes truly, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.”
By now, if one is paying attention, it should be clear why the Lord set Israel aside. They didn’t know God’s standards. He intended to stir them to jealousy when the Gentiles drew close to God while Israel was dispersed and rejected. They began to set their own Rabbinic standards, such as not spitting on the Sabbath.
Are you seriously kidding me with that?! How could a baseball player be Jewish with a rule like that? That’s a joke, the baseball part, but not the silly rule about spitting. Jesus spat and healed on the Sabbath to confront this absurdity.
Romans 10:19 Israel should have known. Moses warned them.
“But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses, says, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.”
Moses warned them. The Book of Deuteronomy contains a series of blessings and warnings before the Israelites entered the Promised Land. The blessings rarely materialized as the people hoped. The curses, though, were frequent. Jealousy is the reason. Make them jealous so they will get angry and turn back.
Romans 10:20 Israel set aside but the Gentiles brought in
“But Isaiah is very bold, and says, I was found of them that sought me not. I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.”
Isaiah made the point more strongly than Moses. The Israelites by this time should have known things weren’t going to turn out so well for them. The warnings were constant. But, at no point did the Lord ever say he was going to cast them out forever. There would always be a remnant. These were all intended to send the message that the Lord was serious and that he would expel them from their land. When he did he would call a people who weren’t even looking for him. The time of the Gentiles is drawing to a close. When it’s over, Jerusalem will be in ruin, and the Jewish people will be clinging to life, barely. Then they will call out to the one who breaks through the clouds to rescue them.
Romans 10:21 Israel set aside for disobedience
“But to Israel he says, all day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.”
Disobedient and proud. That sounds like all of us, not just the Jews. Paul also warned the Gentiles against the same pride, because if the Lord cast aside the Chosen People, he would certainly cast aside any others.
Keep the faith, and show the fruits of righteousness.
Jamieson, Faucett, & Brown Bible Commentary
The essential terms of salvation have in every age been the same: “Whosoever will” is invited to “take of the water of life freely,”Rev 22:17( Rom 10:13). (4) How will the remembrance of the simplicity, reasonableness, and absolute freeness of God’s plan of salvation overwhelm those that perish from under the sound of it (Rom 10:4-13 ). (5) How piercingly and perpetually should that question–
“HOW SHALL THEY HEAR WITHOUT A PREACHER?”–
sound in the ears of all churches, as but the apostolic echo of their Lord’s parting injunction,
“PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE”
( Mar 16:15), and how far below the proper standard of love, zeal, and self-sacrifice must the churches as yet be, when with so plenteous a harvest the laborers are yet so few (Mat 9:37, 38 ), and that cry from the lips of pardoned, gifted, consecrated men–
“Here am I, send me”
( Isa 6:8), is not heard everywhere ( Rom 10:14, 15)! (6) The blessing of a covenant relation to God is the irrevocable privilege of no people and no Church; it can be preserved only by fidelity, on our part, to the covenant itself (Rom 10:19). (7) God is often found by those who apparently are the farthest from Him, while He remains undiscovered by those who think themselves the nearest (Rom 10:20, 21). (8) God’s dealings even with reprobate sinners are full of tenderness and compassion; all the day long extending the arms of His mercy even to the disobedient and gainsaying. This will be felt and acknowledged at last by all who perish, to the glory of God’s forbearance and to their own confusion ( Rom 10:21 ).
Let me know what you think.