Romans 10:16-10:21 - 10:16-10:21

Calvin (2/3/02)

10:16: Lest any should argue that Israel had heard for years, and therefore must have faith, Paul points out that while faith comes by hearing, not all who hear believe. Many are called, yet few are chosen. (Is 53:1 - Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed His arm?) Here, Isaiah was looking forward to the time of Christ, and was shocked at the small number of believers that would be at that time. Footnote: 'Report' and 'hearing' are from the same Greek word. That word can mean the act, the faculty, the organ, or the thing heard. (Mt 13:14 - In them, Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled: You will continue to hear, but you won't understand. You will see, but not perceive. 1Co 12:17 - If the body had only the eye, where would hearing be? If all was hearing, how would one smell? Mk 7:35 - His ears were opened, and that which stopped his tongue was removed, so that he spoke plainly. Jn 12:38 - Thus was Isaiah's prophecy fulfilled: Who has believed our report? To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?) It is not unusual for Paul to use the same word in two different meanings in close proximity to each other. Indeed, the words of the preacher are effective only when the LORD reveals His arm to the hearer, only when the Holy Spirit shines within them, giving them understanding. This is what distinguishes the effectual call from the general call.
10:17: Whereas the word preached does not inevitably lead to faith, faith inevitably is the confirmation of effectual preaching, of the Spirit's effectual call. Thus, the faith of the Gentiles already stood as proof of God's call upon them, of their participation in the eternal inheritance. The voice of man cannot penetrate the soul, nor is it wise that it should. Could man effect regeneration, pride would exalt him too far, yet it is by preaching that faith comes. This is true because the weakness of man's words is no impediment to the greatness of God who works through those words. It is He who creates faith through the words of His messengers. Note well that faith comes solely by the word of God. No room is given to the words and doctrines of men. No room is given to any authority outside God's own word.
10:18: The question remains, whether God had ever before extended His teaching to the Gentiles. To answer this, Paul turns to the Psalms. (Ps 19:4 - Their line has gone out to all the earth. Their words have gone forth to the end of the world.) Here, the writer is addressing God's acts of creation, which would not seem to address the question at hand. Yet, Paul has already shown how creation serves to teach of the Creator. Many have tried to turn that psalm into an allegory because of Paul's use of it here. Others have settled for claiming an allusion to the apostles is established here. But again, Paul has already pointed out that creation reveals the Creator, leaving men without excuse for ignoring Him. The psalm is used in its original meaning here, to show that while preachers had not been sent to the Gentiles, yet God had been preached by His own creation. The question remains as to why 'line' was translated as 'voice.' Footnote: While no text has ever been found which words the Psalm as Paul does, yet that wording would seem more fitting to both the form and the context of the poem. It fits the usual parallelism of Jewish poetry far better than the idea of line. This fitness becomes more apparent when verse 3 is included, giving the parallels of being without words, and yet being with words, of being voiceless, yet having a voice. The sound is the Gospel, the voice is its being preached. The doctrine that is preached by the heavens is not confined to one land, but is equally evident to all the world.
10:19: If this dim revelation had brought the Gentiles running to God, how then had the greater revelation in the Law failed to bring the Jews? God is not inconsistent in this. He had told them from their first rebelliousness what would come of it. They having rejected Him, He declared that He would bring to Himself people from other nations, so as to make those He had originally chosen jealous. One could argue that Israel was not suffering from idolatry when Christ came, yet they had at that time defiled the true worship of God with their own inventions and rituals. The degree of that defilement is seen in that they eventually rejected God the Father, when they rejected the Christ who was the revelation of the Father. The foolish nation is no nation, for the existence of the nation does not begin until God is present. Life starts with the coming of faith. Wisdom comes only by the word of God. All else that vaunts itself as wisdom is but vanity. Footnote: (Dt 32:21 - They have made Me jealous with their pursuit of what is not God, and provoked Me to anger with idols. Therefore, I will make them jealous with what is not a people, and provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.) The parallelisms here are striking: no-God vs. no-people; foolish idols vs. foolish nation.
10:20: Where Moses' words might have been considered hard to understand, Isaiah writes most clearly and certainly. (Is 65:1 - I allowed Myself to be sought by a people that did not ask after Me. I permitted Myself to be found by those who weren't seeking Me out. To a nation that had not called upon My name, I said, "here I am.") The words are tensed so as to declare the certainty of the prophecy. That prophecy clearly speaks of the Gentiles, the nation which did not call His name. It is also an apt description of the calling of the faithful from whatever background they come, for ever He calls to us when we are not looking for Him, and have no desire to know or serve Him.
10:21: Israel had been wooed by God for a long time, yet had mocked His efforts. He had both invited them to Himself, and shown them every kindness in hopes of attracting them to Himself, yet they would not come to Him. In the preaching of His word, He still stretches out His hands to man, like the father anxiously waiting to fold his son in his arms. Is it any wonder that He wearied of waiting for response, when daily He stood waiting, and they refused to come? (Jer 7:13 - I rose early to speak with you, yet you did not hear. I called, but you would not answer. Jer 11:7-8 - I have persistently warned you, since your fathers came out of Egypt even until now to listen to My voice, yet they did not obey, but walked after the evilness of their own hearts. Seeing this, I brought the words of the covenant, commanding them to do as they should, yet they did not.) It was a matter of their 'untamable pride' that they had continuously rejected the words of the Prophets.

Matthew Henry (2/3/02)

10:16: An objection is raised. If this preaching is indeed the foundation of belief, and this preaching is God ordained, how is it that the believing response to it is so small? So many hear, and yet don't believe. To this, Paul allows Isaiah to answer. (Isa 53:1 - Who has believed our words? Who has seen the arm of the LORD revealed?) The preacher faces with the seeming lack of response to God's word does well to bring his concerns to God.
10:17: Well, the word may not always lead to faith, yet faith always comes of hearing that word preached. The giving of faith is indeed God's doing, and His alone, yet He chooses to do so through the word preached. No wisdom of man can lead to that faith, but only the word of God. (1Th 2:13 - We are ever thankful to God that you received and accepted God's message, not as though it were man's wisdom, but as it is in truth: the word of God, able to perform its work in you who believe.)
10:18: Those who hear and remain unbelieving have no further excuse, and have brought their ruin upon themselves. This word had indeed penetrated the Gentile world in short order. If any had not heard the Gospel message directly, they had certainly heard of it. It was for the purpose of this rapid spread that the gift of tongues was given, and so effective was that gifting, that even England had heard the Gospel within a few short years of Christ's ascension. (Ro 15:19 - In the power of the Spirit, I have preached the full Gospel of Christ from Jerusalem to Illyricum. Ac 2:4 - They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them to speak. Ps 19:4 - Their line goes out to all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.) What God had been doing through His creation in the Old Testament, He was doing through His ministers in the New. Thus are His preachers called stars.
10:19: From the words of Moses and Isaiah, Paul shows that the Jews had already heard this message, as well, and that the influx of the Gentiles into God's grace should have been expected. (Dt 32:21 - They have made Me jealous with their non-Gods, I will make them jealous with a non-people. They have angered Me with their idols, I will anger them with a foolish nation.) They had had the first offer, and the right of first refusal, which they exercised. This right, Paul maintained in all his travels, preaching first to the Jews. (Ac 3:26 - It was first for you that God raised up His Servant. He was sent to bless you by turning you from your wicked ways.) They had become like the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son, envious of the reception of this wayward people. All who will not accept God are foolish, as will be proven in the end. That such a foolish people should come to be accepted by God was a great and unacceptable shock to the Jews. (Ac 13:45 - When the Jews saw the crowds, they became jealous and contradicted Paul, even to the point of blaspheming. Ac 17:5 - The Jews became jealous and took wicked men from the market to form a mob, making an uproar in the city. They came to Jason's house hoping to drag Paul out. Ac 17:13 - When the Jews from Thessalonica hear that Paul was preaching in Berea, they went there and began to stir up the crowds. Ac 22:22 - They listened to Paul until he spoke of his being sent to the Gentiles by God, and then began shouting him down, and demanding his death.) They should have known better. God had warned them, yet man's sin is often his punishment. "A man needs no greater plague than to be left to the impetuous rage of his own lusts."
10:20: If Moses was hard to understand, there remained Isaiah, whose writing was plain and most bold. "Those that are resolved to please God must not be afraid to displease any man." The rule for man is, seek and you will find. For God, there is not such a rule. He often is found by those not seeking Him, as His grace is determined by His own sovereign will. So it was with the Gentiles, who were given the light of the Gospel, when they were fully occupied with chasing after vanities and idols. So it was with us, as well, who found God's love manifested towards us when we were not looking for Him at all. How can we recall this, and not be most thankful?
10:21: Long and long had Israel known these expressions of God's love toward them. Over and over, God had stretched out His hands towards them in hopes of acceptance by them. (Ac 26:1 - Paul stretched out his hand [in hope of an honest hearing] and made his defense. Pr 1:24 - I called and you refused. I stretched out my hand, and you ignored me. 2Ch 30:8 - Don't be stiff-necked like your fathers. Yield to the LORD and enter His sanctuary. He has consecrated that sanctuary for eternity, so serve the LORD your God, that His anger may be turned from you.) "Christ was crucified with His hands stretched out." God is so patient with us provoking sinners. His patience is bright like the day, but it is also of limited duration like the day. Night will fall. He will not bear with us forever. Not only were His people disobedient and stiff-necked in refusing His word, they even quarreled with it. It is one thing to admit to a good proposal yet not accept it. It is quite another to contradict that proposal. God's patience toward this behavior made it all the more sinful. "It is a wonder of mercy in God that His goodness is not overcome by man's badness; and it is a wonder of wickedness in man that his badness is not overcome by God's goodness."

Adam Clarke (2/4/02)

10:16: An objection is raised: If this preaching were a divine mission, its success would be complete. In answer, Paul brings the words of Isaiah, who foretold that most would not believe. God brings word of salvation, but He does not coerce man into embracing the message.
10:17: Preaching is the normal mode by which God's word is heard, such that it can produce faith unto salvation.
10:18: The news of the Gospel had indeed traveled to most if not all of the known world. Certainly, all of Palestine had heard the message. If they still chose not to believe, it was not God's fault. He provides ample opportunity, the refusal is entirely in the hands of the hearer. Some have thought that the word 'line' in the Hebrew should properly be 'voice.' The words are indeed similar in that language. However, this is not the only place where 'line' is used as a reference to words. (Isa 28:10 - Order on order, line on line. A little here, a little there.)
10:19: When they object to the word going forth to the Gentiles, they show that they have not understood their own Scriptures. Moses, himself, wrote God's words, when He said that He would provoke the Jews to jealousy by taking a people to Himself that had not previously known Him. This seems a clear prediction of the calling of the Gentiles. [Perhaps their rage is because the do know, and know the implications.]
10:20: Isaiah declared much the same thing, at no small risk to himself. Salvation was placed before them that weren't seeking it, and they 'found that redemption which the Jews have rejected.'
10:21: God had most patiently offered His care to His people for years uncounted, but they consistently disobeyed, and even spoke in contradiction to His prophets, speaking against Him. Now, that message was given to the Gentiles, and they received it. The opposition of the Jews did nothing to disprove the sufficiency of the Gospel, but served to confirm that this was the means chosen by God to effect salvation. No other is to be expected. Some have thought that Paul's usage of Scripture in this chapter shows him to play fast and loose with the texts, but were that the case, all his arguments would be as nothing. Indeed, his use of Scripture is most careful, but his manner of using it is not always the same. In some instances, the words of Scripture are brought forth not as declaring the same thing that Paul is, but as being equally applicable to his subject as to their original context. In other cases, he brings out parallels between the current situation and that of former times. Then, there are instances where Scripture is brought out to explain, or to prove, a point of doctrine. Further cases are found, where the quote is made to show prophecy fulfilled. In all these cases, Paul shows proper care and regard for the true sense of what he quotes. A great distinction is shown between the justification afforded by the Law, and that which is by faith in Christ. That of the Law is shown to be impossible to attain to because it makes no way for pardon, gives no help in performing its demands, and allows for no imperfections in those duties. The standards there declared do not take into account the fallen state of man, assuming instead a righteous soul. The perfect obedience it demands must continue in all places and circumstances. This has never been accomplished since the fall. Thus, salvation by works is shown impossible. However, the righteousness of faith has Christ as the means of pardon. It provides the continual aid of the Holy Spirit to aid man in loving God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength, as he is commanded. Sufficient grace is given to allow this love in all places and circumstances, to bear up to any trial that may come, for Christ is 'ever at hand to support and to save to the uttermost.' Thanks be to God for this wonderful gift of the Gospel!

Barnes' Notes (2/4/02)

10:16: It must be conceded, should any so argue, that not all have obeyed the message brought in the Gospel. The evidence is clear, and furthermore, Scripture itself has told us that it would be this way. (Ac 28:24 - Some were persuaded by the message, but others refused to believe. Heb 4:2 - Both we and they have heard the good news preached, but it did not profit them because it did not meet with faith in them. Isa 53:1 - Who has believed our message? Who has seen God's arm revealed [in it]?) Isaiah, in his day, was declaring news of the coming Messiah, yet he knew that many would reject that news. The bulk of the chapter from which the quote is taken is spent declaring any number of reasons why Messiah would not be accepted at His coming. This was fulfilled in Paul's day. Consider this in the context of the previous quote in Romans. The feet of the messenger are indeed beautiful when bringing good news, yet not all believe the news when it comes.
10:17: The argument takes this quote from Isaiah as a basis for a new complaint against Paul's doctrine. If hearing is so necessary to faith, as even Isaiah's example shows, how can it be just to make that hearing a necessary ingredient for salvation? How can God condemn those without faith, if they have had no opportunity to hear? It cannot be said that all who hear inevitably come to faith. That is not the intended meaning here. On the other hand, that faith cannot come without having heard. One cannot believe until that which is to be believed is made known to them. "People are converted by the instrumentality of truth, and of truth only." The message is sent by God's command, or withheld by God's command, as He determines. How, then, can those be blamed from whom He withholds His word?
10:18: Indeed, all that is said in this objection is true. Faith does require the divinely sent word. However, that word has been so fully furnished to both Jew and Gentile that there remains none that could honestly plead this excuse. The objection sought to show that this idea that the Gospel was the unified message of salvation to both Gentile and Jew must be wrong, because it made for an unjust condemnation of those not told. Paul accepts the premise, but shows from Scripture that no room was left for that unjust condemnation, because all had been told. Absolutely, they have heard! Paul quotes David's psalm, in which creation was declared to speak forth God's workmanship to one and all. In doing so, he in no way intimates that David was speaking of the Gospel, but, in the same way as you or I would, he uses the well turned phrase to express his own thoughts. 'Line' may refer to the string of an instrument, in which case, the sound produced by that string goes forth. The Gospel, like the plucked string, has gone forth to be heard in all the land. The Gospel had, indeed, been heard far and wide throughout all the lands. By the time of this letter, some 30 years after Christ's death, the Gospel had indeed been preached throughout the known lands, to the point that it was highly unlikely to come across anybody who had not heard about it. (Ac 26:26 - The king knows about these things I speak of, for I am certain that none of this has escaped his notice. After all, this has not been done in a corner. Col 1:23 - Continue in firm and steadfast faith, not moved from the hope of the Gospel, which was proclaimed in all creation. Col 1:6 - That message has come to you, just as it is constantly bearing fruit throughout the world. In you also, it has born fruit since first you heard and understood the grace of God in truth.) Indeed, the statement of the quoted psalm would suffice to counter the argument, since the evidence of creation left man without excuse for denying God, but the Gospel had indeed been preached far and wide.
10:19: From their own Scriptures, the Jews knew that the time would come when the Gentiles heard the Gospel, when Israel would be rejected. One means was provided for salvation for both Jew and Gentile. If they would not believe the means provided in Jesus Christ they must be rejected. In their defense, they have claimed not to have heard of this means. But Paul brings Scripture to bear, showing that they had indeed heard, and that from the very start. Over and over, the Jews provoked God by worshiping idols. God, here in Dt 32:31, tells them that He will in turn provoke them by taking to Himself a people not regarded as people. (2Sa 22:26-27 - With the kind You show Yourself kind, with the blameless You show Yourself blameless. With the pure You show Yourself pure, and with the perverted You show Yourself astute. Ps 18:26 - With the pure You show Yourself pure, with the crooked, You show Yourself astute.) Here, it is clearly shown that the Gentiles will be brought into God's favor, and the cause for this is lain on the obstinate rebellion of the Jews. Whether or not Moses looked to the time of Christ's coming in this statement, the principle laid down remains valid. To the Jew, all other nations were unworthy of being called a people. Foolishness is certainly a lack of understanding, but it is also the nature of the wicked and idolatrous. (Ps 14:1a - The fool says in his heart that there is no God. Pr 1:7 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. Fools despise wisdom and instruction.) By favoring such a people, God moved to excite the Jews to anger. He is within His rights to favor whom He will. When His favors are abused by those He gives them to, He often removes that favor, and gives it to another. The effect of this removal is often to anger the one from whom favor is removed. "There is no doctrine that proud man hates so cordially as he does the doctrine of divine sovereignty."
10:20: As dangerous to one's well being as the declaring of this doctrine might be, Isaiah had long since made the same declaration in words most clear. God had been found by those who had been caught up in worshiping idols. However, it is not to be thought that any come to God who do not actively seek Him. (Heb 11:6 - Without faith, we cannot please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who seek Him. 1Ch 28:8-9 - In the sight of all Israel, and in the hearing of God, observe and seek out all the commands of the LORD so that you may possess the land and pass it to your sons forever. Solomon, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and willingly. For the LORD searches the heart and understands the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will allow you to find Him, but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. Mt 6:33 - Seek His kingdom and righteousness, and all else shall be added to you. Mt 7:7, Lk 11:9 - Ask, and it shall be given; seek, and you will find. Knock, and it shall be opened to you.) The doctrine of the Gentile calling was clearly stated by Isaiah.
10:21: He also warned of the rejection of the Jews, because of their rebelliousness. This was no momentary lapse on their part, but a long established character trait. Through it all, God had earnestly sought to bring them into His favor (Pr 1:24 - I called, and you refused. I stretched out my hand, but you ignored it.) Their constant rebellion was bound to end in rejection. This had been told them in their own Scriptures. What Paul was declaring was nothing new, and once more, he arrives at the point that Jew and Gentile are on a level playing field before God when it comes to justification. Salvation has been made available to all. Without the Gospel, the pagan nations are endangered, and will not change for the better. In all the places that the Gospel has come, its power has been shown effective to purify and give proper order to human institutions. It is as suited to provide this to the most wild of populations as it has shown itself to be for our own. Christ's command to preach to all nations stands unchanged. If that command is to be fulfilled, preachers must be sent, preachers devoted to the task. In preparing such preachers, the Church does a glorious and noble work. There will be great cause for rejoicing when the command has been literally fulfilled, and every man has heard the message of the Gospel. As God rejected Israel, so He will reject all who abuse His mercy. We do well to remember this, that we not fall into provoking national sins that lead to God's withdrawal.

Wycliffe (2/5/02)

10:16: Proclamation does not ensure obedience. Isaiah is presented as recognizing that same fact.
10:17: Yet, it remains true that faith comes from hearing the message of Christ preached, as He has ordered.
10:18: Two possible excuses for the Jews are raised and answered. The first is a question of whether they have heard. Perhaps they were not listening. But Paul uses Psalm 19:4 in answer, indicating that the news of the Gospel has been heard throughout the earth.
10:19: Perhaps then, they did not understand what they heard. No, the words of Moses are too plain to be misunderstood. They had heard the message of Christ, and from Moses they knew God would deal with nations beyond Israel.
10:20: Isaiah is also brought in to testify to this knowledge in Israel. In context, Isaiah was speaking of disobedient Israel, but Paul brings him into the present, referring to the Gentiles, as he had done before with Hosea.
10:21: Whereas God is now allowing Himself to be found by the Gentiles, He has been forever reaching out to the Jews, hoping to draw them to Himself, but they have been obstinate in their refusal to come.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (2/5/02)

10:16: Scripture itself prepares us for the fact that the Gospel will be rejected by so many. Isaiah writes as though almost none will believe, which Paul softens to 'not all believe.'
10:17: Here we have Scriptural support for the office of preacher. It is a necessary ingredient for faith.
10:18: Is there anywhere a Jew who could plead ignorance of God's intent for the Gospel? No. Whether Ps 19:4 is quoted with the intent of showing it to speak of the Gospel, or only as a phrasing fit to the subject is a matter of debate. Yet, it seems that the use of the natural creation to speak of the glory of God which so transcends that created glory is common and natural to the authors of Scripture. (Mal 4:2 - For you who fear My name, the Sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. You will go out skipping like calves freed from their stall. Lk 1:78-79 - God's tender mercy will be visited upon us in the Sunrise from on high to shine upon those who remain in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.)
10:19: Surely Israel knew of God's intent to bring in the Gentiles. Even Moses spoke of it (Dt 32:21). On account of His actions toward those nations, the Jewish nation would be made jealous. This was to be the result of their idolatry. If they would go after gods with no understanding, He would go after a people with no understanding.
10:20: Isaiah is even clearer (Isa 65:1-2). God was found by them that did not seek Him until He had come seeking them, and made Himself manifest to them. Whom He had never before invited, He now invited, and they came.
10:21: This was followed by a clear warning to the Jews. This same invitation, God had held out to them for centuries, yet they continued to resist His invitation, and wander their own paths. They were warned. The greatest earnestness in religion will avail nothing if it rejects the truth of salvation. (1Ti 1:13 - I was once a blasphemer, a persecuting aggressor of God's own, yet I was shown mercy because my acts came from ignorance.) All such rejection of the truth comes of one's insistence on their own concept of righteousness. So long as this continues, submission to God's plan is impossible. When that salvation seems impossible for us to attain to, the words of Paul should serve to encourage us: The word of salvation is near, in our very mouth and heart. Whoever will confess Him LORD will have the water of life freely. Those who perish in spite of the preaching of the Word will doubtless spend eternity remembering with chagrin the simplicity and reasonableness of God's offer. The need to preach to the lost should pierce the heart of every Christian. (Mk 16:15 - Jesus told them to go into all the world, and preach the gospel Mt 9:37-38 - He told them that the harvest was great, yet few workers came to work the harvest. Therefore, He told them to pray to the Lord of the harvest that He might send more workers to reap the harvest. Isa 6:8 - Whom shall I send? Here am I, send me!) No one can claim an irrevocable right to the covenant promises. The preserving of that covenant requires our fidelity to its terms. God often comes to those who seem least likely to find Him, while remaining apart from those who think themselves closest to Him. (Mt 8:11-12 - Many will come from great distances to be at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in heaven, but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out. Mt 19:30 - Many who are first will be last, and the last first.) He has long held open His offer of love to the most disobedient and argumentative. This will be even longer remembered by those who perish in spite of His offer.

New Thoughts (2/6/02-2/7/02)

One thought has been bothering me throughout studying this passage: Paul wrote, with all honesty, that the word had penetrated all the known world in his day. Thirty years from Christ's death, and throughout the Roman Empire, and beyond, the news of the Gospel had gone forth. Yet, here we are, almost two thousand years later, still waiting for somebody to finish spreading the news to the world we now know. Granted, the known world was a smaller place in Paul's day. On the other hand, the tools available to spread God's word, the ways in which we can make hearing possible, are well beyond what Paul's day knew.

Or are they? Is it perhaps part of the problem that we've learned to depend on our own tools, and forgotten God's toolset? The apostles had one tool at their disposal that was far beyond anything man has done. They had the Holy Spirit giving the gift of tongues, that they might be understood by all they met, regardless of language barriers. Today we still have that gift, but it seems to have become almost a matter of entertainment to us. I have yet to see anybody using the gift of tongues to make themselves understood to one who doesn't know their language. I often see folks using the gift to show others that they are a Spirit-filled Christian.

Last time through this passage, I wrote that wisdom comes in not allowing His gifts to distract us from Him. I fear in many ways, we lack wisdom. We get so wrapped up in hearing the prophet speak, in the tongues and translations, that we no longer hear the clear message of the Gospel. We're so anxious to see miracles of healing and deliverance that we miss what God is doing right now in our midst. We don't want the word anymore, we want the goose bumps. We don't want to study to show ourselves approved, we want to have an experience. Are we allowing our ears to be tickled?

Colossians 1:6 tells us that the message of God is constantly bearing fruit throughout the world. Why? Is it because people are experiencing something exciting. Yes. They are experiencing the truth of God. Whether it comes with signs and wonders, or whether it comes with the plain speaking that has characterized revivals of the past, it is the truth of God that brings fruit. Whether the message comes through the gift of tongues, or through one of their own, the message remains true. It's not a matter of parties in God's house, it's a matter of laboring in God's fields.

Look again at the combination of Scriptures that the JFB commentary brings out. (Mk 16:15 - Jesus told them to go into all the world, and preach the gospel Mt 9:37-38 - He told them that the harvest was great, yet few workers came to work the harvest. Therefore, He told them to pray to the Lord of the harvest that He might send more workers to reap the harvest. Isa 6:8 - Whom shall I send? Here am I, send me!) Jesus, the One we call Lord, the One we claim is our sovereign Master, said to go into the world and preach. It was a command. As servants, why aren't we obeying? Instead, the majority of our preachers are staying in the church, preaching to the choir. They're no longer equipping, they're spoon-feeding those who should long since have graduated.

We are commanded to pray, to pray that many more would put their hands to the work of the harvest. We all know perfectly well that there is a vast crowd of humanity out there still in need of salvation. We walk among them every day. Do we care? Do we care that they remain lost and dead? What will it take for us to join with Isaiah, and say, "Send me!" I'm as guilty as the next, here. I miss any number of opportunities to serve my God as I ought. Oh, how it hurts to look back and see my failures yet again. The need to preach should pierce our hearts, yet in this we find our hearts remain hard.

We don't want to preach. We want to hear. We don't want to do. We just want to know how. This is me. Sadly, I know just how true it is. I'm willing to talk God's word to the believers. I love to discuss fine points of theology with others who've considered the issues a bit. I love to stand in the gates with the elders, contemplating God's word together. But when it comes to bringing God to the ungodly, well… perhaps I could just fund some of those that are more willing? Perhaps I can preserve my pride, and pay somebody else to go?

Matthew Henry writes, "Those that are resolved to please God must not be afraid to displease any man." Might I suggest that the first man we must learn to displease is ourselves. When we do finally get up the nerve to talk to others of our faith, all too often we're just waiting to offend them. God told us, after all, that His message would be offensive to most who heard it. The Jews would be scandalized by its thoughts, the Greeks would see it as nothing but foolishness. The sinner is never pleased to see his sins exposed. But we don't wait for God to offend them. We're entirely too willing to help Him out in that regard, and we go forth being as offensive as we know how, and excuse ourselves because, well, He said it would be this way.

No. It's ourselves we must learn how to displease first and foremost. Until we learn to displease ourselves, we'll never be willing to please God. What He wants from us is not that which comes naturally to us. It is most unnatural. He wants us to care about others. He wants us to be unconcerned as to our own reputation, except as it reflects on His. Israel had largely rejected the job God had for them, so He largely rejected them. It is no different for us today. If we will not accept what comes with belonging to God, if we will not serve our Master, then He will not keep us. He will reject us, if we insist on abusing the mercy He has shown us.

Lord, You expose me to myself again. I know I fail miserably in this regard. You have prepared me most wonderfully. You have given me understanding beyond my greatest expectations. You have given me to know Your Word, to understand the deep things of faith. Yet, I still am so fearful of using those skills You have given me to reach out. I have yet to expand Your kingdom. I have yet to produce fruit, to bring in a portion of Your harvest. What will it take, my God? What will it take for this heart of mine to let go of pride and serve in wholeness? How can I refuse to heed Your command? To say it's a job for another. Oh God! Here I am! Use me! Send me! Overcome this weakness in me, and let Your words be found in my mouth! Such as I am, let me be a good and faithful servant in Your courts, doing Your will wholeheartedly and without question or hesitation. Empower me oh, Holy Spirit, to will and to do all that You desire.