‘How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? And how will they preach, unless they are sent? Even as it is written, “How beautiful (or ‘timely') are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!” '
All, both Jew and Greek, are being offered salvation through faith (Romans 10:10-13). But the question now arises as to how this message of salvation through the Messiah is to go out into the world. How is it to reach them? For in order for men to believe, they must first hear. And for that to happen there must preachers. And for there to be preachers there must be those who are sent. There was, however, no problem with regard to this for the Scriptures had made clear that there would be those who were sent, that is, those who would bring to men the glad tidings of good things. That this refers to a ‘hearing' by both Jews and Gentile is apparent from the link with ‘whoever calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved', and with the fact that there is no distinction between Jew and Greek with respect to it (Romans 10:14-15).
‘How shall they preach except they be sent (apostalowsin).' Paul no doubt has primarily in mind the sending out by Christ of the Apostles (those who have been sent forth), including himself and his lieutenants. These are the ones through whom the true message of the Messiah has been proclaimed. But it also, of course, includes all who take out the Apostolic message.
The Scripture in question is Isaiah 52:7 which refers to men coming on the mountains on which Zion (Jerusalem) was built, subsequent to Israel's subjection by Egypt and Assyria (Isaiah 52:4), in order that men might know God's Name. They would proclaim to Zion the good news that their God reigns. The impression given here is of the time of final restoration, when men would go out from Jerusalem ‘bearing the vessels of YHWH' (Isaiah 52:11), in other words, in terms of those days, taking out the message and means of true worship to the world. (There are no real grounds in Isaiah for linking all this with the return from Babylon. That is a scholarly theory which has no real foundation in the text once the text is examined closely without presupposition. See our commentary on Isaiah. We have in fact no way of knowing how Paul interpreted it, but the New Testament undoubtedly sees Isaiah's message as applying to the church - e.g. Acts 13:47). Now, says Paul, that time has come. God has raised up His Messianic messengers for the purpose of taking out His message to the world just as He promised, as was prophesied in Scripture.