Skip to main content

Romans 10:19: But I Ask, Did Israel Not Understand? First Moses Says, "I Will Make You Jealous"


Romans 10:19
[19] But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” (ESV)

Have you ever been in a room when two lovers begin to quarrel? It is a very awkward situation. God's relationship with the people of Israel was a relationship between two lovers. Because of the waywardness of Israel it was a relationship where God was faithful to a spouse who was not. God plays the role of the jilted lover.

Imagine God having a conversation about his lover, Israel. Would you like to listen in? Paul says in this verse that Israel should have understood what the relationship with God was about. She should have realized that God wanted a faithful bride. Because she had been unfaithful God planned to make her jealous by offering his love to another.

So, what would the new nation look like that God wanted to have a relationship with? Was she pretty? Surely, Israel would want to know who God was going to offer his love to. The reality is that God would offer his love to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were the last people on Earth the Jews would have wanted for God to love. The idea of God loving Gentiles was insulting to Jews.

Paul says that the nation he is going to use to make Israel jealous will be a foolish nation. It will be Gentiles. God is looking for a people who will love him and be faithful. He chose Israel to be that nation, but they have largely rejected his loving offer. He now offers his love to all nations; the foolish. The ugly. The rejected. You. Me. People from all nations.

Do not make the mistake that Israel did. If God offers you his love, love him back! Be faithful. Do not chase after the pleasures of this world. He will be all that you could ever imagine.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Romans 8:18: For I Consider That The Sufferings Of This Present Time Are Not Worth Comparing

Romans 8:18 [18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (ESV) Perspective. What an important word. Let's be honest. We do not like the idea of suffering. We will do almost anything to avoid any kind of suffering. Some churches have gone so far as to preach against the idea of suffering, declaring it to not be a part of the true believer's life. Paul is not shy about the topic. Paul uses the sufferings of this present time as a means to consider the greater glory that awaits us. Perspective. Paul is not in any way attempting to diminish our suffering. A view toward eternity puts our suffering in a proper understanding. Yes, our suffering is terrible. In the grand scheme of eternity it is not even worth comparison. Maybe you are thinking that Paul does not know what he is talking about when it comes to suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul describes countless beatings, often near death,

Romans 11:24: For If You Were Cut From What Is By Nature A Wild Olive Tree, And Grafted, Contrary To Nature, Into A Cultivated Olive Tree . . .

Romans 11:24 [24] For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. (ESV) We continue looking at the illustration of an olive tree. The root of the tree is the covenant relationship relationship of God with Abraham. Abraham's faith is what this spiritual tree is built on. The first branches would have been the faithful people of Israel, who like Abraham, placed their faith in God. They believed God, just like Abraham, and it was credited to them as righteousness. There were branches of the people of Israel who never placed their faith in God. Because these branches were not true followers of God they were broken off of the tree. Faith in God was the essential element that made the branches true branches of this spiritual tree. Some branches remained. Others, the faithless unbelievers, were removed. After Jesu

Romans 15:20-21: And Thus I Make It My Ambition To Preach The Gospel, Not Where Christ Has Already Been Named

Romans 15:20–21 [20] and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, [21] but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” (ESV) We need to be reminded continually that the message of the Gospel is intended to move all across the world. Jesus said that his followers were to preach the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem, and continue preaching the Gospel to the whole world. Christians have not always been good at delivering the Gospel message as far and as often as they should. In the first century church it took intense persecution to motivate the disciples in Jerusalem to bring the Gospel to Judea and Samaria. Once the disciples fled to new regions they shared the Gospel wherever they went. Would the disciples have preached the Gospel without the persecution? We may never know. Some probably would have stayed in their co