BY BRUCE GREEN
OPINION —
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?”
“Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?”
For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)
How do you conclude a deep and delicate discussion that traces the trajectory of God’s redemptive purposes across humanity? The only way you can—with a doxology!
Doxology is a compound word (doxa/glory and logia/saying). Under the old covenant, God told the priests to bless the Israelites with words that functioned as a doxology (Numbers 6:22-27). He wanted to send them away with powerful words: “So they will put My name on the Israelites and I will bless them” (v. 27).
Everyone needs a doxology. The word “goodbye” came into our vocabulary as a compressed version of “God be with ye” — in recognition of our need to share powerful words when departing. Of course, it doesn’t hold that meaning anymore. Now on important occasions we’re more likely to say, “I love you” and there’s a lot that’s right and good about that, but in keeping with the secularization of our culture, there is no divine element and that’s sad. Maybe we could say something like, “The Lord be with you.”
Paul’s doxology is contextualized by his subject matter. He’s been discussing God’s overarching purposes for humanity that have unfolded over the centuries, so he begins with “the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (v. 33). Like the size of the universe (macro) or the intricacies of the human body (micro), God’s work is inscrutable and incomparable, as his use of Isaiah 40:13 suggests.
Nor is God in debt to anyone. This a reference to Job 41:11 where God adds, “Everything under heaven belongs to Me.” E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. All this reinforces the grace and mercy elements Paul has been stressing throughout chapters 9-11 (see 11:4-6, 32) and over which Israel had stumbled.
“For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things.” He fittingly ends with God’s sovereignty and transcendence. This is more than good news—it’s glorious news because of God’s character. No one’s pleased when a bully comes to power. But God’s not a tyrannical dictator, He’s a benevolent Lord, so Paul says, “To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”
And with that he’s said everything!
Find more of Bruce’s writings at his website: a-taste-of-grace-with-bruce-green.com