(Rom 10:1 NASB) Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.
Rom 10:1: Paul is expressing his desire for Israel of the flesh to embrace Yeshua as Messiah and have salvation.
(Rom 10:2 NASB) For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.
(Rom 10:3 NASB) For not knowing about God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
Rom 10:3: Israel of the flesh had a zeal for Elohim. But that zeal is misplaced. That zeal is pointed in the wrong direction. They wanted Elohim to award them righteousness on their own terms instead of on His terms.
They did not subject themselves to the righteousness of Elohim which is forever (Isa. 51:6-8). Israel ignored Elohim’s righteousness and tried to substitute their own rules, regulations, and dogma.
(Rom 10:4 NASB) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Rom 10:4: The Greek word for “end” is telos. It means, the ultimate goal or destination. Messiah is the ultimate destination of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
(Rom 10:5 NASB) For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness.
Rom 10:5: This is a quote from Leviticus 18:5 which says, “(Lev 18:5 NASB) ‘So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the LORD.” Moses states that a man may live if he follows Torah.
(Rom 10:6 NASB) But the righteousness based on faith speaks thus, “DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ (that is, to bring Christ down),
(Rom 10:7 NASB) or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”
Rom 10:7: Paul is quoting Moses and applying it to his purpose (Deut. 30:11-14). Paul is saying that righteousness based upon faithfulness does not claim that Elohim’s righteousness through Torah is lofty and in the heavens, nor is it across the deep sea and unattainable.
He that has righteousness based upon faithfulness agrees with Moses that “this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.” (Deut. 30:11)
(Rom 10:8 NASB) But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”– that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
Rom 10:8: Paul is saying that Messiah is the ultimate goal of Torah and Torah is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. It is not unattainable, nor is it too difficult (1 John 5:2-3).
(Rom 10:9 NASB) that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved;
(Rom 10:10 NASB) for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Rom 10:10: Paul is using Torah to explain how salvation works. In the previous three verses (6-8), Paul was quoting Deuteronomy 30:11-13. In this passage he is paraphrasing the next verse in Deuteronomy (Deut. 30:14).
Since Messiah is the final destination of Torah, if Torah is truly on your hearts and in your mouth, you will confess Yeshua as Messiah and live according to His Torah (“resulting in righteousness”). It is not a lofty and unattainable achievement. But one that Elohim grants to those who are His.
(Rom 10:11 NASB) For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”
Rom 10:11: Paul once again quotes the Tanakh to prove his point (Isa. 28:16-17). In Isaiah, the Hebrew word quoted by Paul for believe is “aman.”
H539. aman, aw-man’; a prim. root; prop. to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse; fig. to render (or be) firm or faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or quiet; mor. to be true or certain; once (Isa. 30 : 21; by interch. for H541) to go to the right hand:–hence assurance, believe, bring up, establish, + fail, be faithful (of long continuance, stedfast, sure, surely, trusty, verified), nurse, (-ing father), (put), trust, turn to the right.
“To be faithful” is the meaning of the Hebrew word “aman.” It is also the meaning of the Greek word “pisteo” which is almost always translated as “believe.”
(Rom 10:12 NASB) For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him;
(Rom 10:13 NASB) for “WHOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”
Rom 10:13: Paul makes it clear that there is no difference between Jew or Gentile. One must call upon the name of Yahweh in order to be saved. This is a quote from Joel 2:32.
(Rom 10:14 NASB) How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
(Rom 10:15 NASB) And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!”
Rom 10:15: How can people call upon the name of him in whom they have not been faithful to? How can faithfulness come if it is not heard? Paul says we must tell others of Messiah and of righteousness.
His quote about the feet comes from prophecies in Isaiah 52:7 and Nahum 1:15..
(Rom 10:16 NASB) However, they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?”
Rom 10:16: Many who are Israel of the flesh were not faithful. They did not heed the glad tidings. They rejected the arm of Yahweh that was revealed to them through the Messiah. Paul is quoting the Truth of Isaiah 53 (Isaiah 53:1).
(Rom 10:17 NASB) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Rom 10:17: Faithfulness comes by hearing the Word of Elohim. And those that can hear can only hear by the Word (command) of Messiah. It is only by His command that His people have ears to hear.
(Rom 10:18 NASB) But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; “THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.”
Rom 10:18: Paul says that the world has already heard the message of deliverance. He quotes Psalm 98:2-3 and Isaiah 52:10.
(Rom 10:19 NASB) But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? At the first Moses says, “I WILL MAKE YOU JEALOUS BY THAT WHICH IS NOT A NATION, BY A NATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WILL I ANGER YOU.”
Rom 10:19: Fleshly Israel is not ignorant of Messiah because they have not heard of Him. Elohim is going to make Israel of the flesh jealous by that which is not a nation. This is a quote from Deut. 32:21.
(Rom 10:20 NASB) And Isaiah is very bold and says, “I WAS FOUND BY THOSE WHO SOUGHT ME NOT, I BECAME MANIFEST TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME.”
(Rom 10:21 NASB) But as for Israel He says, “ALL THE DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE.”
Rom 10:21: Paul quotes that the wrath of Elohim will strike Israel of the flesh for their sins. What sins did they commit (Isa. 65:1-6)?
The point of this chapter is that Israel of the flesh has invented their own form of righteousness and rejected the righteousness of Elohim and His Messiah.
Patrick McGuire
Copyright 2014 Patrick McGuire and Beit Yeshua Torah Assembly All rights reserved, no portion of this Lesson may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews. Beit Yeshua Torah Assembly Fort Smith, Arkansas