Paul in these chapters 9-11 is ad­dressing a puzzling and painful para­dox. The people most expected to respond to the message of the gospel — the Jews — did not. Whereas the people least expected to respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ — the Gen­tiles — were coming to faith in great numbers. This anomaly was a matter of great grief and concern to the apostle. He writes, ‘I have great sor­row and unceasing anguish in my heart ... Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved’ (9:2 and 10:1). ‘What shall we say, then?’ (9:30). How do we explain this phenomenon? Paul spent the greater part of chapter 9 emphasising the fact that we can’t blame God. If anyone is saved at all, it is due to the sovereign election and mercy of God. Now in chapter 10, the apostle is going to explain that Israel’s unbelief is due entirely to her own disobedience. Their failure to enter into the kingdom of grace was their own fault. They had no one to blame but themselves. They can’t blame God.

This is not a matter of mere history and theology. It concerns you and me. How? Israel was a religious and privileged people (9:4-5) — but lost from God. Many thought they were going to heaven — when in fact they were going to hell. There are many in churches today that are religious and privileged who think they are going to heaven, when in fact they are not. This is a tragedy that should be avoided. Our subject therefore is vi­tally important. The late Bill Shankley (Manager of Liverpool F.C.) once fa­mously said, ‘Football is not a matter of life and death — it’s more important than that!’ We can say in all sincerity that the subject in this chapter is not a matter of life and death — it’s far more important than that!

How then can we learn from the past mistakes of Israel? Where did they go wrong?

1. ‘They Got the Wrong End of the Stick’ (9:30-10:4)⤒🔗

Paul explains the great anomaly, ‘the upside down religion of his day’. ‘Gentiles who did not pursue right­eousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law’ (9:30-31). The irony was that the Gentiles were not looking for the Messiah. They were like the man in the parable who found treasure hid­den in a field, and ‘when he found it, he hid it, and in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field’ (Matt. 13:44). He hadn’t been looking for treasure — but happily stumbled upon it and realised its worth. ‘Whereas Israel’s pursuit of righteousness was almost proverbial. They were imbued with a religious and moral zeal which some would call fanaticism’ (Stott). Yet they didn’t succeed in attaining righteousness. Why not? Not for lack of effort or zeal or interest or sincerity or earnestness — they had it in buckets (see 9:31a and 10:2a). Remember the great zeal that Paul had — see Phil. 3:4-6. What then was their problem? Their aim was good but they went about it the wrong way. They got the wrong end of the stick. ‘They did not pur­sue it by faith, but as if it was based on works.’ (9:32). ‘They had zeal for God but not according to knowledge’ (10:2). ‘They did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own’ (10:3). They did not know that, ‘Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes’ (10:4). The ‘law way’; the ‘work’s way’ of right­eousness, has been terminated by Christ. The way of righteousness is by faith in Jesus Christ.

The Jews confused the law with the gospel, and thus denied the very heart and soul of the gospel of grace. They saw the Law as a ladder to get them into heaven. Whereas, it is a signpost — designed to show us our sin and point us to Christ — who kept the law perfectly, and paid the penalty of a broken law. ‘For by grace are you saved through faith. And this not of yourselves it is the gift of God. Not a result of works, so that no one may boast’ (Eph. 2:8). The way of righteousness is not by our works but by the work of Christ.

Horatius Bonar states it well: ‘Upon a life I did not live, upon a death I did not die. Another’s life, another’s death, I stake my whole eternity’. I am often reminded (and teased) about my first attempt in our first manse at fixing a creaking floor board in an upstairs bedroom. A hammer and nail soon did the trick. That evening however, there was evidence of water dripping through the ceiling. A plumber had to be called to fix the punctured pipe. The moral of the story is that my D.I.Y. solution didn’t work. Nor does D.I.Y. Righteousness! If it did, what was the point of Christ dying on the Cross?

Because they got the wrong end of the stick, ‘Christ became a stum­bling block and rock of of­fence’ (9:32-33). Christ is either our foundation stone or a stumbling stone. If righteousness is by the law — then it is not by Christ; and if it is by Christ through faith — then it is not by law. Now that Christ has accomplished our salvation by His death and resurrection, He has ter­minated the law as a means of achieving righteousness. Many people tragically just don’t get this. It’s not only Jews who get the wrong end of the stick. It’s Presby­terians too! Religious people and moral people are prone to trust in their own performance — and not in the provision that God has made for us in Christ. If you are one of those people I warn you now that you are on the wrong road.

In the news recently we heard of a man who entered the Hume High­way at Cabramatta — driving in the wrong direction. After only 500 me­tres he was involved in a head on collision. He (the driver) was killed, his passenger was seriously in­jured, and the driver of the oncom­ing car had serious leg injuries. How could it happen? He had to ignore the traffic signs (‘No En­try. Wrong Way Go Back’). He had to ignore a police officer who was doing points duty at the in­tersection in Cabramatta. He went the wrong way. A foolish and tragic mistake with disastrous con­sequences. Who was to blame? No one, sadly, but the driver. There is a way that seems right to a man — but the end is death.

2. They Thought that the way of Salvation was Complicated and Demanding (5-13)←⤒🔗

God’s way of salvation is essentially very simple. It’s not about doing or giving or trying harder. There is no secret code. It’s not for the initiated. It’s not complicated. It is simply, ‘that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved,’ and, ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’ (9 and 13).

God does not ask us to do some impossible — monumental — Hercu­lean task. You don’t have to climb your way up into heaven! (6). Nor do you have to plumb the depths of hell (7)! Jesus has already done it all. He has come down from heaven, He has died, He descended into hell and He is risen and ascended into heaven! He now makes salvation accessible and available to all (11-13). Salvation is near. The gospel message that you hear and read is the very word of Christ offer­ing you salvation. The apostolic gospel is the word of Christ. That’s how near Christ comes to us (verse 14- see mar­ginal reading ESV). No matter who you are or what you are; no matter your past or your present; ‘everyone (or anyone) who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’ (13).

What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord? Paul summarises the gospel in these terms: ‘That if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved’ (9). There are essential things that we must believe and confess if we are to be saved. We must believe in the true Biblical Christ. We must believe that Jesus is fully God. We must believe that Jesus died as a sacrifice for our sins. We must be­lieve in His resurrection — which was God’s statement of approval of Jesus’ sacrifice. As proof that we believe these things — we will not be ashamed to confess and acknowledge Him be­fore others. The Bible links faith to expression. A silent Christian must have something wrong with him.

Because the way of salvation is so clear and simple — many think there must be a catch. We are often warned, ‘If a thing seems too good to be true — it probably is’. But there is no catch. The gospel is true. It is literally out of this world. It is this way because God has designed it so. It is simple, sublime and saving. Remem­ber the story of Naaman? He was a great man, a highly decorated soldier, but he was a leper. Elisha’s instruc­tions to him — wash seven times in the Jordan — seemed too simple and hu­miliating to him. At first he refused. However, when his servants con­vinced him to do as instructed he was healed — see 2 Kings 5:13-14. Like­wise God is not asking you to perform some great achievement — but in sim­ple, childlike fashion — to put your faith in Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. It’s that simple.

3. They Were A Disobedient and Obstinate People (14-21)←⤒🔗

There’s no way to sugar-coat it. There’s no way to say it nicely. We can’t disguise the facts. The reason for Israel’s unbelief is because they were disobedient and obstinate. The fact is that Israel had to try hard to reject the gospel. It’s not that they never heard the message. They did­n’t like it. They could never say, ‘we had no opportunity — no one ever told us’. That excuse will not hold wa­ter. Paul says, ‘Did they not hear? Of course they did’ (18a). God had taken steps to ensure that all the necessary prerequisites for hearing the gospel and calling on the name of the Lord were in place (14-15). The fact is that Israel was never scarce of prophets and preachers. No one who reads these words of Paul could ever say, ‘But I never heard the gospel.’

Neither could Israel say, ‘But we didn’t understand the message’! (19). That would be a lie. If Gentiles with no Bible background or teaching understood the message — then Israel has no excuse! (20).

There is only one explanation for Israel’s unbelief — she was disobe­dient and obstinate (21). Paul quotes from Isa. 65:1-2. There God is pictured as a welcoming fa­ther with arms continually out­stretched. He is like the father of the prodigal who patiently and lovingly waited and watched for the return of his son. He is like the Saviour who prayed over the city:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children to­gether, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings — but you were not will­ingMatthew 23:37

Despite the Lord’s overtures, they wilfully and deliberately re­fused His embrace. They had only themselves to blame.

What about you? Have you learned from Israel’s mis­takes? You really have to make an effort to go to hell. You have to bypass the cross of Christ. You have to tune out the gospel message which you know to be true. You have to avoid every preacher of the gospel. You have to suppress your own conscience. You have to be obstinate and dis­obedient. That would be a tragedy. That would be a great mistake. But you would only have yourself to blame. You can’t blame God.