Romans 10:20 – Bold Proclamation
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.”
Truth to Learn
Be bold in proclaiming the truth!
Behind the Words
The Greek word translated “very bold” is apotolmaō, which is a compound word made up of apo, used as an intensifier and tolmaō, which means “to be bold, or confident, or daring.”
“Found” is translated from heuriskō, which means “to find or discover, whether by searching or not.”
The word “seek” is from dzēteō, which means “to look for or search for something.”
“Made manifest” is from emphanēs, which is made up of en, meaning “in” or “into” and phainō, meaning “to shine” or “to make apparent.”
Meaning Explained
In the previous verse Paul quoted Moses in the book of Deuteronomy as evidence that the Jews should have well known that the Gentiles would come to know God even though they weren’t seeking after God in Moses’ time. Therefore, it should have been obvious to the Christian Jews in Rome that God had indeed turned to the Gentiles after the Jews rejected the Messiah.
Paul now quotes Isaiah to show that he, too, had proclaimed the same message hundreds of years after Moses did. This quotation is from the opening portion of Isaiah chapter 65:
I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by My name. I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts; a people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face; who sacrifice in gardens, and burn incense on altars of brick; who sit among the graves, and spend the night in the tombs; who eat swine’s flesh, and the broth of abominable things is in their vessels; who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am holier than you!” These are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all the day. (Isaiah 65:1-5)
Clearly, this is a scathing rebuke upon the Israelites who would not pay attention to Moses and to those who did not listen to Isaiah. In fact, when Paul introduced this quotation he stated that Isaiah is very bold in saying this. Why was it so daring for him to deliver this message? Remember what he said in Isaiah 53:1? “Lord, who has believed our report?” It was bold of Isaiah to proclaim this because he knew that his fellow Jews would not believe him and would, in fact, attack him for being so negative to them.
Application
Doesn’t that sound like many Christians today? If you confront them about their liberal, watered-down theology, their blatant sinfulness, or their legalism, they deny what you say and attack you for not being more forgiving and loving or for not being more “inclusive” in your theology.
I would rather be thought a “fundamental fanatic” when confronting ungodliness than to be well liked because of being willing to compromise on what the Bible says. How about you?
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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