May 10
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor? Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?’ For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen,” Romans 11:33-36.
We might call this a hymn of praise through which the apostle Paul gives all glory to God! Both the wisdom and knowledge of God are so deep in riches that no human being can fully fathom or comprehend them.
In His wisdom and knowledge and by His almighty power, God created all things. To create means to make out of nothing. In the beginning, God said, “‘Let there be,’ and there was!” Genesis 1:3. The apostle Peter wrote, “By the Word of God the heavens were of old,” 2 Peter 3:5. In his Epistle to the Colossians, Paul wrote, “By Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible . . . All things were created through Him and for Him,” Colossians 1:16. In the Book of Revelation, John wrote, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created,” Revelation 4:11.
The psalmist summarized God’s work of creation with the words, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork . . . There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard,” Psalm 19:1, 3. Throughout the whole world, the voice of creation speaks in every language and gives all glory to God as the almighty Creator. Anyone who denies the creation by the almighty God is ignorant, “Of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”
Having spoken of the depth of the riches of God’s wisdom and knowledge, the apostle adds, “How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out.” With our limited knowledge and wisdom, we cannot comprehend everything God does.
A good commentary on Paul’s words to the Romans is in his First Epistle to the Corinthians: “The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men,” 1 Corinthians 1:25. Paul asks three searching questions: “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor? Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?” Where is the person who knows the mind of the all-knowing God? Where is the person who has counseled and given advice to God? Where is the person who has given anything to God which makes God obligated to repay him? To each of the questions, the obvious answer is, “No one! Nowhere!”
Everything that God has done through creation, everything that He has done for our salvation, everything that He has done to bring us to believe and trust in Jesus as our Savior, who suffered, died, and rose again to redeem us, everything testifies that, “Of Him and through Him and to Him are all things!” Give God the glory!
“Father of glory, to Thy name
Immortal praise we give;
Who dost an act of grace proclaim,
And bid us rebels live.
Immortal honor to the Son,
Who makes Thine anger cease;
Our lives He ransomed with His own,
And died to make our peace.
To Thine almighty Spirit be
Immortal glory giv’n,
Whose teachings bring us near to Thee,
And train us up for heav’n.” Amen.