“How Beautiful are the Feet”
Romans 10:14-21 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who [a]preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.” 19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: “I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.” 20 But Isaiah is very bold and says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me;I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me. 21 But to Israel he says: “All day long I have stretched out My hands To a disobedient and contrary people.”
History- this letter was written to persecuted Roman believers. They were under the severe oppression and persecution of the Roman government. At this time, there were multiple gods and temples for worship. The government did not care which god you worshipped, so they did not much care which god the Christians worshipped. However, Christians are appointed to call Jesus “Lord”. Under the Roman empire, only Caesar was permitted to be called “lord”, as this was a sign of ownership and authority. Many Christians were required to attend the pagan temple once a year and proclaim, “Caesar is Lord”, or else they could lose their job, family, or even their very lives. We do not think much about this now- but it was a real threat under the Roman empire to proclaim that Caesar is lord.
What does this mean?
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? The apostle having observed, that whoever, Jew or Gentile, believe in the Lord and confess “Jesus is Lord”, shall be saved; and that the same Lord was ready and willing to dispense His grace, without any difference to them; that hearing they might believe, and so call upon the name of the Lord, and be saved. Paul tells us there can be no true calling upon God without faith, no faith without hearing, no hearing without preaching, and no preaching without a divine mission.
There is no hearing of Christ, and salvation by Him, without the preaching of the Word of God; the most normal way of hearing from God is by the ministry of the Word. Paul shows not only the necessity and usefulness of preaching, but also points out the subject matter of it, which is Christ, and him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Acts 4:10-12 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
1 Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a [a]stumbling block and to the [b]Greeks foolishness,
Paul says the message matters. They that preach ought to preach to the glory of God, otherwise men may hear the preacher, and not hear Christ.
Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah: "Isaiah said, Who hath believed our report?”
Isaiah 53:1-5 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground.He has no [a]form or [b]comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no [c]beauty that we should desire Him.
