Why did Israel have an incomplete knowledge of God? It is because Israel was ignorant of God’s righteousness. They failed to understand God’s true nature, His love. God sent His Son to save us by providing a perfect righteousness for him. Israelites failed to understand the need for perfect righteousness in order to be acceptable to God. They were ignorant of God’s method of justification, ignorant as to how a person really becomes acceptable to God. “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart” (Eph 4:18). “But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand His plan, that He has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor” (Mica 4:12). Israel went about establishing its own way of righteousness. They sought to make themselves acceptable to God through rituals, laws and works. Therefore, they drew up every rule and regulation they could to make themselves religiously good and worked to follow the rules and regulations. They sought to build their own way and route to God. “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they do not show good sense” ( 2Cor 10:12). Israel refused to submit themselves to the righteousness of God, because they refused to accept Jesus Christ who is God’s righteousness. In seeking God and His righteousness, zeal and sincerity is not sufficient. To reach a right destination with the zeal and sincerity in seeking, one must have complete knowledge and one must know the right path. “Who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth? For, there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus himself human” (1Tim 2:4-5).

“For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (Rom 10:4). Jesus Christ is the one who puts an end to man having to seek righteousness through the law. Man no longer has to live under the enslaving power of sin, under its guilt and shame and punishment. Through the righteousness of Jesus people can know that they are accepted as righteous before God. St. Peter also says, “Blest be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us a new birth into a living hope  through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, and undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1Pet 1:3-4). God loves every person and the whole world. His love is not limited to any one nation or people or type of person. “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on Him. For, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom 10:12-13). There is no distinction between men in God’s eyes. God does not save one man in a certain way and another man in some other way. God does not show partiality. In God’s eyes, all are His creatures, all are sinful, and all are loved by Him and are saved only through the righteousness provided by His Son. We read in the Acts of the Apostles, “Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him’” (Acts 10:34-35). In the verse Rom 10:13, Paul quotes Joel 2:32, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”. And Paul says, “But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim Him? And how are they to proclaim Him unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Rom 10:14-15). A person can not call on the name of the Lord unless he has heard about the Lord. Therefore, the Gospel has to be carried to the whole world. The world can not believe without a preacher. How can a person hear that Jesus died for him if preacher or some Christian does not tell him? To hear a message requires a messenger. All of us are called to be messengers through our words and deeds. Our actions speak louder than the words. A preacher cannot preach unless he is sent. Jesus says, “You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask Him in my name” (John 15:16). “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:19-20). We also have to pray for the workers. “Then he said to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest” (Mt 9:37-38). In Rom. 10:15 Paul quotes Is. 53:1, “Who has believed our message?” The message was to stir faith. There are three steps involved in faith: first, faith is not head knowledge, not just a mental conviction. It is not just believing the fact that Jesus is the Saviour of the world. Second, saving faith is believing in Jesus, who and what he is, that he is the Saviour and Lord of life. It is a man’s giving and turning his life over to Jesus. Thirdly, saving faith is commitment - the commitment of a person’s total being and life to Jesus Christ. A person hears the truth and agrees that it is true and does something about it. The truth becomes a part of his very being, a part of his behaviour and life. All are called to bear fruit as Jesus says in the parable of the sower, “But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundred fold, in another sixty, and in another thirty” (Mt 13:23). St. Paul’s words in the letter to the Thessalonians are also very meaningful here, “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you receive the Word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as what it really is, God’s Word which is also at work in you believers” (1Thes 2:13).

Finally, the question is why did Israel not obey the gospel? It is not because they did not hear the Word of God, not because they did not know the truth, but because they were a disobedient and obstinate people. But God’s gracious invitation remains the same, “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me” (Rev 3:20). “Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness” (Ps 95:8). “One who is often reproved, yet remains stubborn, will suddenly be broken beyond healing” (Prov 29:1).