“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!”
(Romans 11:33)
The entirety of Scripture details the covenant plan of God in relation to His universe. Everything He has done, does now, and will do fit seamlessly and magnificently together to perform the ultimate purpose of His plan.
However, if we extract an event or a time period in biblical history to observe singularly, outside of its larger context, the events of that time may seem to contradict earlier Scripture. Probably the best example of this is the Jews’ initial rejection of Christ.
The whole of the Old Testament goes to show that Israel is God’s chosen people and that He would send the Messiah to rescue them from bondage and establish His kingdom. And yet, when God did send Messiah to them, the nation of Israel rejected Him as their King. And they ultimately killed Him for His claims to be God. This may be the ultimate example of how mysterious and incomprehensible God’s ways are from our finite vantage point.
Were the Jews really God’s people? Absolutely. Was Christ their true Messiah? Most assuredly. But God wasn’t interested in saving Jews only. His plan included the salvation of the Gentiles as well. To fulfill His grand, magnificent plan, God blinded the eyes of the Jewish nation to the truth that Christ was their true Messiah… so they would reject Him and kill Him. That was exactly what God ordained from eternity past.
The more we study Scripture and learn of God’s ways, the more we realize – like Paul did here in Romans 11:33 – that God’s ways are past finding out! This verse follows a passage in which Paul spends a great deal of time teaching what God had done. “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters… Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, [and then] all Israel will be saved,” (Rom. 11:25-26).
This one truth was a necessary element of God’s will to save all those who call on His name through the blood of the slain Lamb of God! This is how both Jew and Greek could come to know this Christ as Lord and Savior!
Seeing these wonders, when Paul is finished expounding on these truths he consequently breaks out in praise with this beautiful doxology (Rom. 11:33-36):
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”
For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever!
God’s riches cannot be measured. His wisdom far transcends human comprehension. His knowledge cannot be contained in any human system of thought. His judgments are unfathomable, and His ways beyond mysterious.
And all these astounding aspects of God are deep in the sense that they are unreachable to us. There will always be depths – mysteries of God – that we do not now know and can never know. We can never exhaust our God.
Thomas Wilson in his famous Christian Dictionary of theology said, “The deep and unsearchable counsels of God, (Rom. 11:33), His ways are past finding out. His works of mercy and judgement, His blessings or punishments are all unsearchable (Ps. 145:17). The Lord is righteous in all His ways; this is the way of God’s providence. His word in the promises and precepts of Scripture are there to teach sinners His way, the way we are able to go to Him for salvation and comfort.”
So many things God does in the world are unsearchable and not revealed to us. They are not for us to know (Acts 1:7), understand, or question (Judges 13:18; Isa. 40:28). Rather, our responsibility is to trust Him and His ways. God is good, and His ways are perfect (Deut. 32:4; Dan. 4:37). So while we make our requests known to Him, the bottom line of our prayers should always be “Your will be done.” For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever!
- Lord, how can I search the depths of Your attributes? It is impossible. I’m thankful for Jesus Christ who declares You to me, so that I can adore Your unsearchableness through Him. Help me see that no matter how diligent I may study You and Your truth, I cannot fully understand You because You are unsearchable, and past finding out.
- Lord, You are full of mysteries and secrets which I cannot understand. Your unsearchable ways are higher than the heavens, deeper than the sea, more vast than the expanse of space (Prov. 25:3; Job 38:16).
- As I strive to know You more and more, I have to be content with what I can discover about You in Your Word and through Christ. You are the great God, and Your greatness is affirmed by the depth of Your works and ways (Ps. 145:3), Your judgments (Rom. 11:33) and of the very riches of Your Son (Eph. 3:8).
- Lord, help me understand that what cannot be known because of its surpassing greatness or inquired into because of our limitations, should rather be adored and admired.
Further References for Romans 11:33
Job 11:7; Eph. 3:10; Col. 2:3; Job 5:9; Isa. 40:28
