Israel, the nations and the Messiah

³⁰ What then shall we say? That the nations, who were not aspiring towards covenant membership, have obtained covenant membership, but it is a covenant membership based on faith. ³¹ Israel meanwhile, though eager for the law which defined the covenant, did not attain to the law. ³² Why not? Because they did not pursue it on the basis of faith, but as though it was on the basis of works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,