Chapter # 11 Paragraph # 7 Study # 2
December 8, 2009
Lincolnton, N.C.
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1769 Translation:
33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
1901 ASV Translation:
33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!
34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
35 or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
36 For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen.
- I. Paul's "Conclusion" of His Explanation of the Integrity of God.
- A. Romans 9-11 is an argument for faith in the integrity of God.
- B. Paul's outburst in 11:33-36 is an expression of his awareness of the complexity of the Large Plan of God and of his awareness that men need to be very circumspect in the matter of bringing any charges of infidelity against God (either passively [simply not believing Him] or actively [making charges against Him] -- this is Paul's phrase in 10:21, " ... an unpersuaded and gainsaying people").
- 1. The wisdom and knowledge of God are both "rich" and "profound". Paul's words are, "O the depth (profundity) of the riches of wisdom and knowledge [as they are in] God." These words are basic Theology 101: any God Who is omniscient and wise is obviously going to be beyond the grasp of any creature, no matter how intellectually endowed.
- 2. The decisions (judgments) of God are impossible to "plumb" and His "roads" are indiscernible. Even if God had laid out the "Large Plan" at the beginning, men would not have understood Him and, since He did not so do, men have no foundation for challenging the way His "roads" take. The way to understand God's "judgments" and "roads" is after the fact. It's easier to be a Monday morning quarterback than it is to anticipate the hidden plans of the coach of the other team. But one thing stands: whatever it is that God meant by what He said can be "believed" with no qualms. However, this needs to be understood: whatever it is that God meant must be understood or it cannot be "believed". Hence, only by "revelation" of the vast mystery can "faith" occur.
- a. The "thing" that is "unsearchable" is called "the judgment" of God. This word is not scarce in Romans, being found six times in enlightening contexts. In 2:2 Paul uses it to address the "problem" of a person using his critical faculties to criticize another for faulty behavior while simultaneously allowing himself to do the same things without feeling any guilt. Paul says that the "judgment" of God is according to truth against such persons. This has to do with two factors: first, there is the "decision" that God makes as He observes the blatant hypocrisy; and, second, there is the "execution" of a reaction on His part as He responds to such hypocrisy. Thus, the "judgment" of God involves both His evaluation of the situation and His response. That this is his meaning is shown by Paul's return to the same term in the next verse (2:3) and the question of whether one can "escape". One only needs to "escape" some action taken against him/her. Thus, the "judgment" is active. In a similar setting, 3:8 uses the word again as a threatening consequence because of terribly flawed behavior. However, 5:16 uses the word with a focus upon the "decision" element of the process and uses an intensified form of the same word to refer to the actual execution of the response to the decision made. Thus, when the word is used, one must be aware that the decision of God is in view along with His response. Then, in 13:2 the word is used to refer to the outcome of a person's action who "resists the ordinance of God". An interesting fact about Paul's use of this word in Romans outside of our present context in chapter eleven is this: it never has a "positive" sense. It is always used in contexts where failed morality is addressed by a "truthful" God. This sets us up to have to answer this question: why did Paul address the "judgments of God" in our text as "unsearchable"? Was he speaking merely of God's decisions, or was he addressing the more particular issue of God's decisions to respond to ungodliness? The fact that he never used the word "positively" in any of his other texts in Romans leads us to think that he had the particular issue of the chapter eleven context in mind: God's "decisions" in regard to branches that were unfruitful and His action of pruning them out of the tree. Thus, the action is again considered "negative" in that it was not to the advantage of those against whom He moved. There is this, however: those negative actions against Israel resulted in positive actions toward the Gentiles in that He gave them the hearing of the word of faith. Thus, what was "negative" for one set of people was "positive" for another. And this is the reason Paul says the "judgments" are unsearchable. Since the Cross, no one can search out what God's decisions and actions will be because they are no longer compelled by "Justice". The introduction of "Grace" into the mix makes human attempts to discern what God might "do" as He observes the ungodly behavior of men an impossibility. Who would have guessed that "while we were yet sinners" Christ would have died for us? Grace confuses the picture from man's point of view. He does not know what to expect from God any longer. He may act in "justice" and condemnatory action, but He just as well may act in "grace" and merciful action. Who can tell? And, since none can tell, it makes any accusation against God a particularly foolish thing.
- b. The "thing" that is "past finding out" is called "the road" of God (translated "way"). The use of the typical term for a road, or highway, is interesting because it lends itself to our notion of needing a "map" in order to find our way along the road. Since God's "map" is hidden, no man knows where the road upon which he treads will end. Again, this is a caution to man in his natural arrogance. He should restrain his criticisms of the Road-Maker because he does not have sufficient knowledge to speak with any kind of accuracy.
- 3. The "mind" of the Lord is infinite so that no creature can "know" it.
- 4. The "wisdom" of the Lord is so "beyond" man that no creature can serve Him as a counselor.
- 5. Since God is the Source of all, none can "give" Him something that requires a compensation by Him. All that comes from Him is His.
- 6. Out of Him, through Him, and for Him are all things. He is, after all, God.