Rom. 9:30-10:4 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone.” 33 As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 10:1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Explanation:
God laid down the rules in Abraham's and Moses' days: “righteousness” (that is, a right relationship with God) must be pursued by faith, not just obedience to rules. Judaism has always been a religion in which main divisions are marked by differing praxis rather than belief. There are virtually no Jewish books on theology, while there are scores on correct praxis. One is Reformed (liberal), Conservative, or Orthodox, depending on how you implement the rules of living: in particular the dietary laws and ritual observances.
The good side of this focus on practice, of course, is that it honors the Bible's teaching that we show our love to God by obeying him. Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
But an obedience that does not include believing what God says has never counted as “righteousness” in God's eyes. And a failure to believe his most important words, that Jesus is the Savior whose death and resurrection are the fulfillment of God's saving work, leaves a person without any claim to righteousness.
Here is where Paul cites the very zeal of his people to please God as another basis for his own anguish and prayers for them. How frustrating to see such sincere energy and passion going for the wrong cause!
Application:
During my college days, when I was a new believer, I saw so many students who didn't care at all about God. And I saw others who were very religious. It never ceased to amaze me that often it was the former who were apparently 'easier' to reach with the gospel. They had no illusions about their own righteousness. It was the guys who were working hard to be what they considered righteous who were the hardest to reach. How do you convince a guy who doesn't carouse with women, get drunk, do drugs, cheat on exams, and who attends church or synagogue every week and prays every night—that he needs a Savior, who is Jesus?
I'm not saying that there aren't exceptions. Nor am I saying that there aren't good ways to approach and reason with the second type. I'm merely illustrating in today's life the truth that Paul applied in this chapter to the Jews of his day. The more passionately persons pursue a righteousness of their own devising, the harder it is to convince them that this is not God's righteousness.
That is why we need the work of the Holy Spirit to illumine their eyes, and that is why we need to persevere in prayer for such people.
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