The Hope for Israel’s Salvation

Romans 10

Siblings, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. Since they were not understanding God’s righteousness and were seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law, and there is righteousness for everyone who believes.

For Moses writes about the righteousness from the law, “The human who does these things will live by them.”+Lev 18:5 But the righteousness from faith says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’+Deut 30:12 (that is, to bring Christ down); or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’+Deut 30:13 (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)” But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart;”+Deut 30:14 that is, the word of faith which we are preaching: that if you will confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in ʜɪᴍ will not be put to shame.”+Isa 28:16 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord [YHWH] will be saved.”+Joel 2:32

How then can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe in him whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

“How beautiful are the feet of those, who bring the good news of good things!”+Isa 52:7

But they didn’t all listen to the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord [YHWH], who has believed our report?”+Isa 53:1 So then, faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard from the word of God. But I say, didn’t they hear? Absolutely yes,

“Their voice went out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”+Psa 19:4

But I ask, didn’t Israel know? First Moses says,

“I will provoke y’all to jealousy with a non-ethnic group. I will enrage y’all with an ignorant ethnic group.”+Deut 32:21

Isaiah is very bold and says,

“I was found by those who didn’t seek me. I revealed myself to those who didn’t ask for me.”+Isa 65:1

But about Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”+Isa 65:2