The Mistaken Zeal of the Israelite

Having dealt with Israel’s mistake, that they pursued a law of righteousness by works and missed the grace of God, Paul pointed out, as seen in the previous blog, that the Gentiles obtained righteousness by faith, by the grace of God. 

As he writes chapter 10, Paul is still feeling the anguish that his brethren, the Jews should have missed the grace of God thus. In his heart, he wishes and prays that Israelite will be saved. Paul talks in love for his fellowmen here. As a Jew himself, he knew that the Jews had zeal for the Lord. Paul himself was blameless as a Pharisee, as he states in Philippians 3:8-9, but it happened to be a mistaken or misdirected zeal.

The Jews had undergone extreme privation for the sake of their God, Yahweh. The Fourth Book of Maccabees describes how Eleazar, the priest was tortured and killed by Antiochus Epiphanes, the Syrian king, who conquered Jerusalem around 167 BC and wanted to exterminate Judaism, for refusing to eat a piece of pork, for it would have desecrated his religious commitments. They willingly died and endured torture for the sake of Moses’ law.

Only thing, as pointed out by Paul, such a zeal was not based on knowledge or understanding of the ways of God. They were not aware that righteousness came from God and sought to establish their own righteousness, through their customs and traditions, built around the law. In so doing, they trusted their human effort to be righteous before God, and disobeyed God’s provision for righteousness, which lay in faith in Christ.

Christ is the end of the law. To everyone who believes in Christ, there will be given a righteousness, so that the believer can stand before God and be counted as righteous. A person need not work hard to win God’s favor by following rules and regulations, rituals and ceremonials. All that he had to do is to have faith in Christ, who has fulfilled the purpose and goal of law.

In Matthew 5:17 Jesus said, “I have not come to abolish (the Law) but to fulfill them.” By what he did on the cross, he could fully satisfy God’s requirement of justice. All that is left for us to do is to accept that grace and love and mercy that God freely offers through His Son, Jesus Christ. We are declared righteous by God, when we accept Christ as our Savor. When we do that, we get clothed by Christ’s righteousness.

In Philippians 3:9, Paul reiterates his stand, that “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” It is by faith in Christ that we stand justified before God.

In the next few verses, 5 to 11, Paul contrasts faith and work. He quotes Leviticus 18:5, which says, “Keep my decrees and law, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.” To satisfy the requirements of God, one had to obey the law meticulously, not sinning even once. If the law was broken even in one point, judgment of God will fall on the offender.

As obeying the law in this manner was impossible, an elaborate sacrificial system was prescribed by the Lord to cover the lapses. In Leviticus 17:11 God laid down that “For the life of a creature is on the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the alter; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.”

Now that Jesus has died for us on the cross in atonement of all our sins, there is no further need for either the sacrificial system or the law that prescribed it. Jesus has fulfilled the requirements of the law.

On the other hand, faith and the righteousness that comes through faith, operates in a different manner. Paul is quoting Deuteronomy to show that Christ is not an inaccessible heavenly and distant figure, who cannot be reached. He is very close to us, and almost within us.

Deuteronomy 30:12,13,14 were addressed by Moses in his farewell speech to the Israelite, impressing upon them that the law that he has given them is not all that difficult to follow. “It is not up in heaven, so that you may ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim to us so we may obey it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so that you may obey it.”

Paul modifies these verses slightly and applies them to the faith that is required for a person to be declared righteous. He points out, there is no need to say in our hearts, who will ascend into heaven and bring Christ, the Savior, down from the heavens. Neither need we ask, who will descend into the deep, to bring Christ up from the dead.

Paul says, “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” In the next verse Paul explains what he means by this. The word that is required for us to say in faith is, “Jesus is Lord.” That word, that proclamation and acceptance is very close to us; all that we need to do is to confess it with our mouths and believe it in our hearts. And bingo, we will be saved! It is as easy as that!

Salvation is not too difficult, it is neither in inaccessible heights or in the depths, but it is just a matter of faith, believing that the Risen Jesus Christ is the Lord, and confess it with our mouths and believe it in our hearts. However, a man must not only believe this truth in his heart but also confess it with his lips.

The title Lord is applied to the Risen Christ, which shows his divine status and that he is God. Paganism, even in Paul’s times had many gods, but for a Christian and a believer, there is only one Lord, that is Jesus Christ, as explained by Paul elsewhere in 1 Corinthians 8:5-6. It also shows that our Lord is risen and is living and not a dead god.

Paul quotes now Isaiah 28:16, to say “Anyone who trust in him will never be put to shame.” When a Christian believes in his heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and confesses it, he will never be forsaken by God. God will keep His side of the bargain and not fail to provide righteousness to such a believer. That person will be justified by faith.

In verses 12, and 13 Paul stress his oft repeated doctrine that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for the same Lord is the Lord of all and richly blesses all those who call on Him. He quotes Joel 2:32 to say, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

This is the universality of the offer of salvation in Christianity. It is to all. Everyone who calls on Jesus Christ in faith will be saved.

Do we confess this faith and do we proclaim this to our neighbors?

Like Paul’s heart bled for his countrymen, our hearts, do they bleed for our own countrymen, our unbelieving family members and friends from other faiths?

Do we share with them our faith that will make them righteous in the eyes of God?

Let us start by praying for them, that God will soften their hearts so that the seeds of gospel could be sown there.

Amen, all glory and praise be unto Him alone.