Romans 10.18-Paul Cites Psalm 19.4 To Support His Assertion That Israel Has Heard The Gospel
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday June 4, 2009
Romans: Romans 10:18-Paul Cites Psalm 19:4 To Support His Assertion That Israel Has Heard The Gospel
Lesson # 347
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 10:1.
This evening we will note Romans 10:18 and in this passage Paul poses a rhetorical question that expects a strong affirmation, which asserts that Israel did in fact hear the gospel about Christ and to support this assertion he cites Psalm 19:4.
Romans 10:1, “Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.”
Romans 10:2, “For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.”
Romans 10:3, “For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”
Romans 10:4, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
Romans 10:5, “For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness.”
Romans 10:6, “But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: ‘DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ (that is, to bring Christ down).”
Romans 10:7, “Or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”
Romans 10:8, “But what does it say? ‘THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, in your mouth and in your heart’ -- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching.”
Romans 10:9, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:10, “For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Romans 10:11, “For the Scripture says, ‘WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.’”
Romans 10:12, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him.”
Romans 10:13, “For ‘WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’”
Romans 10:14, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”
Romans 10:15, “How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!’”
Romans 10:16, “However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, ‘LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?’”
Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
Romans 10:18, “But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; ‘THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.’”
In Romans 10:18, Paul anticipates the possible objection that maybe not all Israel heard the gospel message of Jesus Christ in the first place and that is the reason why they have not believed.
The rhetorical question “They have never heard, have they?” and the strong affirmation “Indeed they have” emphasizes that the nation of Israel did in fact hear the gospel message proclaimed to them from the time of Jesus Christ’s resurrection up to the time Paul wrote this epistle.
Paul is quoting exactly the majority MSS tradition of the Septuagint, which accurately renders the MT.
Psalm 19:4, “Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (NIV)
In Psalm 19:4, the Hebrew term that is translated “line” by the New American Standard Updated Version and “voice” by the NIV is the noun qaw (wq*), which usually means, “measuring line.”
However, in Psalm 19:4, the word is used of the heavens referring to their sphere of influence, marked out, as it were, by a measuring cord, hence, their “words” or “voice” goes as far as their realm.
The Septuagint translators employed the noun phthongos, “voice” to render this Hebrew term, which Paul quotes word for word in Psalm 19:4.
Now, this Psalm praises God’s revelation in nature, thus Paul could not possibly be using the text in Romans 10:18 according to its original meaning.
However, he is using Psalm 19:4 by way of analogy meaning that just as God’s revelation of Himself through nature or creation has been proclaimed throughout the earth, so in the same way, God’s revelation of Himself in the gospel of Jesus Christ has been proclaimed throughout the entire earth.
Romans 10:18, “But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; ‘THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.’”
“THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH” does not refer to every place on planet earth since Paul wrote in Romans 15:24 and 28 of his desire to go to evangelize Spain, which implies there were people there who had not heard the gospel.
We must remember the context in which Paul is writing in that he is addressing the nation of Israel’s failure to exercise faith in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, the statement “THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH” indicates the gospel was proclaimed throughout the various nations throughout all the earth in which the Jews had settled.
The interpretation that “EARTH” refers to the nations throughout the earth in which the Jews had settled is supported by the Gospels and the book of Acts.
For example, the Gospels clearly reveal that all Jerusalem had heard of the birth of the Lord Jesus and yet none made the short journey to see and worship Him whereas the Gentile magi traveled a great distance to see Jesus (see Matthew 2:1-6).
Also, the report of Jesus’ teaching and miracles spread far and wide, throughout all Israel.
Jesus sent the twelve and then later seventy of His disciples to every village of Israel, commanding these disciples to inform Israel that the King and His kingdom was at hand (see Luke 9:2; 10:1).
Our Lord also publicly presented Himself in Jerusalem during the various Jewish feasts, which would be celebrated in the city of David by Jews who had gathered from all over the world (see John 5:1; 7:2, 14; 10:22-23).
He presented Himself as the Messiah in Jerusalem at the final Passover at His triumphal entry (Matthew 21).
Furthermore, after His death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus was proclaimed to be the Messiah to the Jews who had gathered in Jerusalem from around the world (Acts 2:5-11ff.).
When persecution drove the church from Jerusalem, believers traveled abroad publicly proclaiming the gospel, preaching primarily to the Jews but also to the Gentiles (see Acts 8:1; 11:19-20).
Therefore, it is clear that the Jews who lived throughout the various nations on earth and had heard the gospel whether through Jesus, the apostles or His disciples during one of the feasts had heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and in fact shared it when they traveled home if they were believers and even if they weren’t.
Romans 10:18, “But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; ‘THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.’”
“AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD” is an “epexegetical” or “explanatory” clause that explains the previous statement that the voice of those Christians has gone out into all the earth and indicates that the gospel had been proclaimed to the Jews throughout the inhabited world.
Therefore, in Romans 10:18, Paul, anticipating the possible objection that maybe not all Israel heard the gospel message of Jesus Christ in the first place and that is the reason why they have not believed, emphatically refutes such an idea and to support this assertion he cites Psalm 19:4.
Therefore, the Jews did not have an excuse for rejecting their Messiah, Jesus Christ.
In Romans 9:6, 27-29 and 10:16, Paul has made clear that not all Israel believed and now here in Romans 10:18 to make clear that Israel has no excuses, he teaches that they have all had the chance to believe in Jesus Christ since they have all heard the gospel concerning Him.