“And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”” -Romans 10:15
Here Paul ends his rhetorical ascent with appears to be a plug for his own commission as a minister of the gospel, backed by the testimony of Scripture. He asserts that, clearly no one could not call on someone they hadn’t believed in; and they couldn’t believe in someone they never heard of; and these cannot hear unless someone preaches to them; and there will be no one to preach to them if they are not sent.
Paul was sent—commissioned by Christ (Romans 1:4-5)—to preach the gospel as were all of the true apostles and missionaries of his day. To emphasize the importance of this office, he cites Isaiah once again. Isaiah had prophesied the end of the Babylonian captivity and the return of the Jews to Zion. Quoting the part of the prophecy where Isaiah had praised the beauty of the heralds of good tidings.
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”” -Isaiah 52:7
But Paul is not emphasizing the importance of his commission for personal reasons. He’s not plugging his office as Homer did when he inserted Demodocus, the blind bard, into his epic, having Odysseus praise his office and suggest high honors for poets. No, Paul is comparing the preaching of the Old Testament heralds with the preaching of the NT heralds. Both are proclaiming the best of news with respect to each party’s circumstance. Both should be held in the highest esteem because of the beautiful work they are commissioned to execute. And both still experience Jews who defiantly, and at great cost to themselves, reject the preachers’ good news that, Your God reigns!
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