God Provokes Israel to Jealousy Romans 10:19

Paul the apostle told the people in Rome, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” and he added, “But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth,

and their words unto the ends of the world.” In chapter ten and verse nineteen of Romans, Paul asked another question concerning people receiving the gospel and stated, “I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people” where we read:

But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses said, I will provoke you to jealousy

by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.

The verse begins, “But I say, Did not Israel know?” Paul began with the word, “but” which means “nevertheless, notwithstanding, moreover and” “I say” which means “Paul declared, uttered, proclaimed and questioned”, “did not Israel” or “was it not so that Israel whose name means he shall be a prince of God” “know” which means “learn, understand, perceive and have knowledge of these things”. Paul rhetorically asked whether “Israel” knew the “world” would “hear” the “good news” of Jesus Christ.

The verse goes on to say, “First Moses said, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.” Paul added the words, “First Moses” which means “in the chief an principal place Moses whose name means drawing out and was the legislator of the Jewish people and in a certain sense the founder of the Jewish religion who wrote the first five books of the Bible commonly referred to as the Books of Moses” “said” or “uttered, proclaimed and declared”, “I will provoke you” which means “God will excite the Jewish people” “to jealousy” or “to excitement and provocation toward emulation and rivalry” “by them” which refers to “through means of the people” “that are no people” or “the people who were not Jewish”, “and by a foolish nation” which means “and through an unintelligent, without understanding and stupid company, troop, swarm and multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus” “I will anger you” or “these non-Jewish nations would rouse to wrath, provoke and exasperate the Jews”. Paul shared how “Moses” wrote about God “provoking” the people of Israel to be “jealous” and “angry” because nations other than Jews would “hear” the “good news” of “salvation” through Jesus Christ.

When we think through these words of Paul, we see how her referred to “Moses'” written words, “They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.” (Deuteronomy 32:21) These prophetic words were fulfilled when the “Gentiles” who were not part of the Jewish nation were able to “hear” the “gospel of Jesus Christ”. This meant the “good news” of God was for everyone, everywhere, and people who receive Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord” realize what a great gift God has extended to all. Israel may be “jealous or angry” over God's grace through Jesus which is offered to the whole world, however, it is only that they also may accept their Messiah Jesus as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”.

Next time we see Paul tells his readers how Isaiah was “very bold, and said, I was fond of them that sought me not”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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