The Evidence Is Clear

“But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:

‘I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation,
I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.’

²⁰ 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.’

²¹ But to Israel he says:

‘All day long I have stretched out My hands
To a disobedient and contrary people.'” – Romans 10:19-21

Romans 10:19 reminds us of Moses’ words: “I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation” (NKJV). Paul is saying that Israel should have known this was coming. Even their own prophets foretold that the gospel would go beyond their borders. Jesus Himself lamented, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem… How often I wanted to gather your children together… but you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37, NKJV). Through parables like the two sons, the wicked vinedressers, and the wedding feast, Jesus made it clear: if Israel rejected the kingdom, God would extend His invitation to others. Tax collectors, harlots, and Gentiles believed, while many of His own people refused. What was meant to stir them to repentance only hardened their hearts further.

Paul continues by quoting Isaiah: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me” (Romans 10:20, NKJV). The gospel reached Gentiles who weren’t even looking for God, yet they received Him with joy. Meanwhile, Israel resisted, though God had stretched out His hands to them again and again. Their rejection was not due to ignorance but to willful blindness. Like Galileo’s opponents who refused to look through the telescope because it challenged their beliefs, Israel refused to see the evidence of Christ even though it was right before them. The truth was clear, but they would not look, because looking meant they would have to repent and submit.

This same danger exists today. The gospel has gone out into all the world. Creation itself testifies to God’s glory, and Scripture makes His plan of salvation plain. The question is not whether we have heard, but whether we will obey. Will we be like those who shut their eyes to the light of truth, or will we humble ourselves and believe the report? Faith requires submission, and submission requires repentance. Let us not be willfully ignorant, clinging to our own ways. Instead, let us open our eyes to Christ, receive His invitation, and carry His message beyond our borders. The evidence is clear—the choice is ours.

“Did not Israel know? … This question is an emphatic way of affirming that they did know. Moses had long before declared that God would provoke them to jealousy by those who were not a nation, and Isaiah had boldly said that God would be found by those who sought Him not. Thus the Jews had full warning that the gospel would be extended to the Gentiles, and that they themselves, though greatly favored, would be rejected if they persisted in disobedience.”
— Albert Barnes