The Nugget:
Romans 11:33 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!
My Comment:
At the conclusion of a most important discussion about the place of Israel in Bible prophecy (a discussion that extends from Romans chapter 9 through Romans chapter 11, a subject almost all interpreters do not understand, and a passage which nearly all interpreters get wrong!), the Apostle Paul concludes with a most remarkable adoration of God in a statement which at Romans 11:33 bears directly on the fact that God is incomprehensible, the tenth of over forty Attributes of God in my list.
Having some knowledge and understanding of these attributes of God is very important. God has revealed Himself to us and to all mankind in One Book, the Bible. Very clearly, therefore, the Bible is the most important Book in the world, a Book God wants all of us to get better acquainted with. It is only through what God has revealed about Himself in the Bible that lets us get to know Him in truth and reality.
Paul declares, “How unsearchable are his judgments.” This ought to make us all sit up and take notice. Do we really think we know better than God just how He ought to go about running His own creation? If God is perfect (and He is, you may be sure), then for God to have to change His plan to suit what you or I might personally think He ought to do would make Him imperfect if He did so! Abraham was certainly right when he said, “Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25).
Paul then declares that God’s ways are “past finding out” (Romans 11:33). You cannot figure God out entirely on your own apart from the Divine Revelation He has given of Himself in the Bible. You can only get to know God truly and personally through the message of the Bible.
God has so arranged that we can only truly get to know Him through coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ. To get to know Christ, you need to read the New Testament. If you read the New Testament and pray for God’s guidance and help in understanding its message, you will get to know Christ. That is why I constantly encourage everyone to read the New Testament continuously and repeatedly. It contains the message that brings spiritual life, and the spiritual food that makes possible personal spiritual growth.
For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:
(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 1293 for Romans 11:33.
(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 1313 or in Logos 5 or 6 Bible software for Romans 11:33.
(3) Consult the cross references given in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 113 of the NT or on line at www.blueletterbible.org for Romans 11:33.
(3) Most people today do not have access to those three print resources, so I have posted cross references for this passage as I have developed them even more completely for your study as given below:
Romans 11:33. the depth. FS176, +Nu 24:5. T#275. Ro 8:39. +1 Ch 29:11 (T#214). Jb 17:8. 21:5. 23:14. 28:14. *Ps 36:6. 77:19. 92:5. 97:2. *Ps 107:8, etc. Pr 18:3. 25:2, 3. Ec 3:11. Is 12:1-6. 25:1-9. 1 Cor 2:10. Ep 3:18. riches. FS22D5I, +Pr 8:18. ver. Ro 11:12. *+Ro 2:4. *Ro 9:23. *Ro 10:12. Ps 104:24. *Ep 1:7. *Ep 2:4, 7. 3:8, 10, 16. **Phil 4:19. +*Col 1:27. *Col 2:2, 3. Titus 3:6. wisdom. T#222. Ro 16:27. Jb 5:13. Ps 104:24. 139:6. Pr 3:19. 8:12. Is 28:29. +Je 10:12 (T#142). Je 51:15. Da 2:20, 21. 1 Cor 1:21, 25. 2:6, 7. Ep 1:8. *Ep 3:9, 10. *Col 2:2, 3. 1 Tim 1:17. *Jude 1:25. and knowledge. Gr. gnōsis (S#1108g). Ro 2:20. 15:14. Ps 139:6. 147:5. Je 32:25. Lk 1:77. *Lk 11:52. 1 Cor 1:5. 8:1, 7, 10, 11. 12:8. 13:2. 14:6. 2 Cor 2:14. 4:6. 6:6. 8:7. *2 Cor 10:5. 11:6. Ep 3:19. Phil 3:8. Col 2:3. 1 Tim 6:20 (science). 1 P 3:7. 2 P 1:5, 6. +*2 P 3:18. how unsearchable. or, inscrutable. +**Ge 18:25n. Dt 29:29. Jb 5:9. 9:10. 10:13. *+Jb 11:7-10. 26:14. 33:13. 34:24mg. Jb 37:5, 19, 23. Ps 36:6. 40:5. 73:16. 77:19. 92:5. 97:2. 106:2. 131:1. 139:6. 145:3. 147:5. Pr 25:2. Ec 3:11. *Is 40:28. *+Da 4:3, 35. +*Mt 28:19n. Ep 3:8g. Re 15:8. are his judgments. Gr. krima (S#2917g). ver. Ro 11:32. Ro 2:2g, Ro 2:3g. Ro 3:8g. Ro 5:16g. Ro 13:2g. Jg 20:25. 2 K 23:29. 1 Ch 16:12. *Jb 4:17. 9:4. Ec 5:8. Is 46:10. Mt 7:2g. Mt 11:26. 23:14g (damnation). Mk 12:40g. Lk 20:47g. Lk 23:40g (condemnation). Lk 24:20g. Jn 9:39g. Ac 24:25g. 1 Cor 6:7g (law). 1 Cor 11:29g, 1 Cor 11:34g. Ga 5:10g. 1 Tim 3:6g. *1 Tim 5:12g. *He 6:2g. *James 3:1g. *1 P 4:17g. 2 P 2:3g (judgment). +Jude 1:4g. Re 17:1g. Re 18:20g (avenged). *Re 20:4g. his ways. *Dt 29:29. 1 Ch 17:4. Est 2:22. 6:1. Jb 11:7. 28:7, 23. Is 28:29. Ac 2:23. 13:10. Ep 3:19. *He 3:10. past finding out. or, untraceable. Ep 3:8g. FS98. Homoeopropheron; or, Alliteration F/S 175. The repetition of the same letter or syllable at the commencement of successive words. Here, “unsearchable” and “finding out” (anexeruneeta, anexichniastoi) (for other instances of this figure see 1 Th 1:2; 5:23; He 1:1). Pr 25:2. 30:3. Ec 7:24. *Ec 8:17. *Ec 11:5. Is 19:12. 40:28. 45:15. Ezk 1:16. 10:10. 1 Cor 2:11.