Romans 10:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, "I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me."

NIV: And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me."

NASB: And Isaiah is very bold and says, 'I WAS FOUND BY THOSE WHO DID NOT SEEK ME, I REVEALED MYSELF TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME.'

CSB: And Isaiah says boldly, I was found by those who were not looking for me; I revealed myself to those who were not asking for me.

NLT: And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying, 'I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.'

KJV: But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.

NKJV: But Isaiah is very bold and says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”

Israel should have understood that God would eventually welcome non-Jews into relationship with Him. That's the case Paul is making about their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. In the previous verse, he pointed to God's words in Deuteronomy that he would make Israel jealous of those who are not a nation, just as they had symbolically made Him "jealous" with their worship of non-gods.

Now Paul quotes Isaiah, again by name. Isaiah's bold statement also quotes God's own words. Paul claims them out of the context of Isaiah 65:1 and applies them as an analogy of how God has rescued the Gentiles. He has been found by those who didn't look for Him. He has shown Himself to those who didn't ask.

This circles back to Paul's question at the end of the previous chapter: "What shall we say, then? That 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 failed in reaching that law" (Romans 9:30–31).

God had declared believing Gentiles righteous based only on their faith in Christ. He did this even though they had never tried to become righteous through their own good deeds or by following the law. At the same time, God had rejected Israel's attempt to become righteous on their own without faith in Christ. (Romans 3:20).

Romans 10:14–21 explains that, despite hearing the gospel and understanding it, Israel continues to disobey. Paul works through a series of questions, showing where and how Israel has failed to accept the truth given them by God. His point is clear: the people of Israel have been given more than enough knowledge, and so they ought to recognize their Messiah. Despite that stubbornness and failure, God waits, still holding out His hands to His people.

Paul's heart is broken for his people, Israel. He prays they will be saved through faith in Christ. Their enthusiasm for God is made useless by their attempt to be made righteous by their own law-keeping instead of by faith in Christ. What, then, is required to be saved? One must confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead. The same is true for both Jews and Gentiles. God waits patiently for Israel to turn and believe.

Romans 9 concluded with Paul's declaration that Israel has stumbled over the stumbling stone of Christ. Romans 10 describes Paul's heartfelt prayer that Israel would be saved, despite her commitment to saving herself through works. Why have the Israelites not confessed the Lordship of Jesus and believed in the resurrection? It's not for lack of hearing and understanding; they are disobeying the gospel. Paul will insist, though, in the following chapter, that God has not rejected Israel. He still holds out His hands to her, offering salvation through faith in Christ.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.