Israel failed to find what it was seeking. Why would they have eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear? Paul refers to one of the Old Testament prophecies from Isaiah 29:10 as he describes the state of Israel’s spiritual condition.

Romans 11:7-10

Israel failed to find what it was seeking. Why would they have eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear? Paul refers to one of the Old Testament prophecies from Isaiah 29:10 as he describes the state of Israel’s spiritual condition.

A few verses later, Isaiah tells us why God has made Israel blind and deaf.

“This people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men…”

Isaiah 29:13

How different are we? Are any of us ever guilty of paying lip service to God? Is our fear of God really fear of man?

Now back to Romans 11. Paul tells us that although many of the Jews rejected Christ due to their spiritual hardness of heart, the benefit to us is that salvation has come to those of us who are outside of the Jewish bloodlines through faith in Christ.

As Peter met with the Roman Centurian, Cornelius, in Acts 10: 34-43

“…Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. “

The Gospel is the central focus of Paul’s teaching in Romans since Christ died and rose again so that we might live.