There is always hope in Jesus! God has commanded light to shine out of darkness into the hearts of His uniquely called people. He has not given up on them and will never grow weary.  

As spiritually dark as it is in Israel, God has prepared a remnant to shine light into the darkness! We will examine five key statements, quoted from the Old Testament and repeated in Romans 10:14-21, as our basis of study today. Those five statements help us understand how to shine the Light. So, pull up a comfy chair and let those passages take us where they will! 

How is one to call upon Him in whom they do not believe? How shall they believe if they have not heard? How shall they hear if no one preaches, and how shall a preacher go unless they are sent? Those are the questions of verses 14-15 (quoted from Isaiah 52:7). But our first key statement is in the second half of verse 15: 

 “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, 
Who bring glad tidings of good things!” 

Our “beautiful feet” will walk the streets of Jerusalem and the land. We have glad tidings of good things…we have met the Jewish Messiah! Will the gospel of peace be shared? Oh, how I hope so!  

No, we will not stand on street corners firing messages of hell and brimstone at our Jewish and Arab friends, but our lives most certainly should reflect the Light of Jesus that shines through us. Every step we take, every person we encounter is ordained by the giver of Light, and it is our responsibility to reflect it! What is done with the glimmer of Light is God’s business, but we must be faithful to let our Light so shine before men, that they may see our good works and glorify the Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Our Light must be obvious. 

Our first Biblical application: prepare your heart and your mind to live in a manner worthy of your calling (Ephesians 4:1-4), and prepare to live it large! 

Now, the second key statement in Romans 10:18 (referenced in many other places, such as Psalm 19:4, Matthew 24:14, Mark 16:15, Romans 1:8, Colossians 1:6, 23, 1 Thessalonians 1:8):  

“Their sound has gone out to all the earth, 
And their words to the ends of the world.” 

The message is clear here: God has been faithful to send the message far and wide, to the ends of the world, because His desire is for it to be made known.  

Our second Biblical application: prepare to spread the word. It is not only sharing the Gospel, but sharing the love of Jesus as you meet people. The world longs to witness Christians actually talking like Christians and living life like Christians. Let’s be the sound that goes throughout Israel! 

Key statement #3 appears in Romans 10:19 (taken from Deuteronomy 32:21): 

“I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, 
I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.” 

We will learn much more about this in our next lesson, but here is our third Biblical application: Jewish people will be provoked to jealousy by those from other nations. It is our Biblical responsibility to live our lives so that the Jewish people want what we have: the Jewish Messiah! Is your life prepared to do that? 

The fourth key statement is precious to those of us who “did not seek Him,” but He was manifested to us. The verse is Romans 10:20 (originally found in Isaiah 65:1 and Romans 9:30): 

“I was found by those who did not seek Me; 
I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.” 

By and large, the Jewish people do not seek the Messiah. Many of us did not either, yet a faithful God made Himself known to us in a way that drew us to Him. That same God is alive and well in Israel today, and He is just as faithful as He has always been! 

Our fourth Biblical application: prepare a very brief response to a question or opportunity that might arise regarding your faith in Jesus the Messiah. It might simply be, “God was faithful to provide for me in a difficult situation, and because of that I gave my life to Jesus.” Then, ask the Lord to give you an opportunity to share it with someone in Israel! It is not the Roman Road of evangelism, but you might have the opportunity to share the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15). Be ready to share it! 

Our fifth and final key statement is Romans 10:21 (which comes from Isaiah 65:2):   

“All day long I have stretched out My hands 
To a disobedient and contrary people.” 

We will see evidence of disobedience in things like ancient pagan altars and other remnants of the Israelites’ disobedience in the past. Sadly, while very friendly and welcoming people, Israelis remain mostly disobedient and contrary when it comes to faith in their Messiah. But again, God has not and will not give up on them. He remains faithful despite their unfaithfulness, and we will discover greater depths of that truth in tomorrow’s lesson. 

Meanwhile, our fifth Biblical application: pray for ministries such as One for Israel (through whom we coordinate our tours). OFI is uniquely called and positioned to do what foreign “missionaries” cannot do. They are literally the tip of the spear in evangelism to Jewish and Arab people throughout the Middle East. 

Jews, particularly, are not well receptive of Christian missionaries arriving from other countries to tell them about Jesus being the Messiah. To most, it is offensive and none of us will likely come remotely close to such a conversation with a Jewish person. That is why one single, simple statement is important. No need to preach, but simply be prepared to share what Jesus did for you. That cannot be disputed and is not offensive, yet it reflects the Light of Jesus. 

A bit more about One for Israel. OFI is based in Israel and made up of native Israeli Jews and Arabs who have met the Messiah. They are able to carve inroads we can never carve because of our “Gentileness” and lack of understanding of their Jewishness! Trust issues linger as well. Trust can be built over longer periods of time, but not during a short trip to Israel.  

For that reason, we will meet some of those who minister through One for Israel, and we will spend time with Messianic, Arab, and Palestinian pastors OFI has trained through their Israel College of the Bible. We will gain insight most never gain on a trip to Israel, and we will be able to effectively pray for them and perhaps even support their ministries if it interests you. 

Join us tomorrow for a look at Romans 11…the meat of Jewish-Christian relations. See you then!