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Bible Study Review: Romans 11:33-36

Taught by Pastor Pam Bowers-Smith

33 O, the depth of the riches both of wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements, 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.

Romans 11:33-36, The Message Bible

This profound statement kind of summed it up.  These verses should cause everybody to shut their mouths and let God be God in our lives. Let the Lord be the Lord over our lives. 

When you consider who He is, what He is operating with, the things He knows, and we don’t. We’re considering a wisdom that far exceeds what we imagine.  God has worked this thing out for both Jew and Gentile so they would all be saved if that was their desire.  God has made salvation available to all bringing them together as one in Christ Jesus so there is no longer Jew and Gentile or male and female, although we are still learning THAT.  When God looks at us He doesn’t see those things.   Paul is giving God all the praise while revealing God in the matter at the same time.  God is still working on their behalf.

“O, the depth of his riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God…”  God always knows what’s going on. He can be trusted.  He knows what the plan is, how He feels about us even when we’re in a funky place. There is nothing we can do to change how God feels about us.  He is not exhausted from working with us.  God is never weary. He never utters the words, “I don’t know what to do.”  The truth of the matter is unless God reveals things about Himself/His plans we could never know.

Paul is learning these profound truths about God as he journeys; as he moves in obedience in the will of God for his life; surrendering his life to the Lord.  Every time the Lord reveals something new about Himself, His works, His plan/will – it’s a wonderful thing.  They are truths that help to settle us down in our lives with God.  Promises don’t settle us down.  They give hope for a little while….but if it takes too long our hope dwindles.  God’s thoughts are not just concerning yesterdays but all the way through our future and beyond. 

“O, the wealth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge…”; it exceeds, outreaches, overcomes our yesterdays and secures our future.  Some of us can’t see beyond yesterday and for some of us it is still controlling our behavior in our present.  Case and point –  While Samuel is crying over Saul, God has moved on and provided a king among Jessie’s sons -namely, David.  Saul was the king the people asked for;  David was the king God chose.  We would stay stuck forever if not for the plan and purposes of God.

Verse 34 in the Message Bible says: “Is there anyone around who can explain God?  Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do?”   We want to give God counsel, particulars, force His hand, gang-prayer God, to make Him do, when what He desires has already been established and laid out.

God says in Job 40:2: “Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him?  he that reproveth God, let him answer it.” God is saying to Job, give me an answer, tell me what to do, where this comes from, if you’re so smart.  “Gird up your loins like a man, I’ll question you and you can inform me.”  Job takes the position to hush his mouth, that he has spoken of things he has no knowledge of.   In times past our concerns haven’t been learning or teaching but focusing in on the promises and learning verses of scripture.  What good are they when we don’t know who it is we look to or how do we even approach God in the right way when we don’t know who we are dealing or what He’s capable of?   We want healing, deliverance, to be set free, the opening eyes of the blind, the fixing of things broken in our lives, but the stuff that anchors us or makes us say, I got nothing to say Lord but I trust You Lord (in earnest); I know You’ve got this! In Paul’s words, “who is wise enough to tell Him what to do”?

You’re worrying about your situation when God is trying to do something for your faith. Who’s smart enough to tell him what to do when you don’t know what he’s up to? 

God not only brought the Jews out but all the way through.  Through needs provision, planning. We don’t want through.  We want out sooner than later.  What have you done so great for God that he owes you, feels obligated to ask our advice? God has given us all the free will in the world but God can’t have free will in our lives? 

Jesus said, “am I not permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me”?  We claim to belong to God but He can’t do what He wants with what belongs to Him. God owes us nothing.  All that He has done He has done out of the goodness of His heart.

Paul wraps it up with verse 36:  “For of Him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory for ever. Amen.”

If only we could let go of the past, yield to God in our present with the understanding He has already established our future with things you have never imagined or could imagine because we don’t think like that. I will gladly follow Jesus. We don’t know what He’s up to even when it’s right in front of us. Let’s purpose to trust every day, going all the way with the Lord.