This was a short essay that I wrote for WSB 304: Romans. My professor, Marty Culy, said it was an edifying devotion. Therefore, I hope this would also edify the readers out there.
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The passage that I have
chosen to share with you is Romans 11:33-36. From this passage, I will explain
to you what it means and how it applies to us currently by performing careful exegesis.
Paul is about to conclude his entire argument, from Romans 1 – 11, on the
history of salvation for the Jews and Gentiles. The way he concludes that
section is doxology – praise and worship. Let’s take one step at a time and see
why he would utter a doxology, and consider the overall context of the passage,
specifically Romans 9 - 11.
In Romans 9 – 11, this
part of the section in the book of Romans speaks about God’s promise of
salvation for the Gentiles and Israel. Paul explains God’s sovereign choice of
election in Romans 9. Paul had “great sorrow and unceasing anguish in [his]
heart” (Romans 9:2) for his unbelieving Jewish brothers because they failed to
believe in the message of salvation - Gospel - and failed to recognize Jesus as
the Messiah. No doubt, the Jews were very passionate and zealous for God
because Paul understood what it meant to be an unsaved Jew who relied on the
law in order to gain a righteous standing before God. However, they failed to
place their faith in Jesus because they were “being ignorant of the
righteousness of God” and “they did not submit to God’s righteousness” (Romans
10:3). Moreover, Paul continues to explain that the message of salvation is for
“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord” (Romans 10:13). Yet, as Paul
quotes Psalm 19:4, the Israelite have heard the message of salvation because
“their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the
world” (Romans 10:18). At the same time, because they failed to understand the
gospel, God used the Gentile nation to stir up jealous in the Jews. The
Gentiles, who did not have special revelation to God’s Word, experienced
salvation by placing their faith in Jesus. God is still, however, reaching out
to Jews (Romans 10:21). Furthermore, Romans 11 speaks about God’s graciousness
toward the Jews in how there’s a remnant of Israel and how Gentiles were
grafted into the branch in which the Jews got cut off from. Paul warns the
Gentiles, however, that they do “not become proud, but fear” the Lord (Romans
11:20) because of His righteousness and judgement that’s shown in Romans 1 – 3.
Just before
the given passage, God shows His grace and mercy to the disobedient Jews and
Gentiles. Knowing all these, Paul explicitly worships God for how deep He is.
“The riches and wisdom and knowledge of God” goes beyond everything that could
ever be comprehended in this life and the life after because they are “unsearchable”
and “inscrutable”. As Christians, when we see the holiness of God through the
reading of Scripture, may our response be worship. How often, after Bible study, do we leave
the church without expressing our gratitude and worship to the God that’s due
His name? Even Paul himself, after explaining the gospel, explaining the hope
for the believers in believing the gospel, and explaining God’s promise of
salvation to Jews and Gentiles, would humbly express himself in worship. No matter how many times we read the
Scripture, we will always learn something about God because there’s no limit to
understanding His greatness. Paul then quotes from two Old Testament verses
that teach about human beings can’t measure up to God’s standard. In Isaiah
40:13, apart from special revelation from the Holy Scripture, nobody has known
the mind of the Lord to even be His counselor. Or yet in Job 41:11, nobody has
ultimately given anything to God because everything on earth belongs to God.
All things belong to God, and He deserves all the glory. His work of salvation,
and the explanation of the gospel in Romans, ultimately is to bring Him glory
and praise forever ever. Therefore, every time after God speaks to us through Scripture,
may we continue to worship Him by offering our bodies as living sacrifice
(Romans 12:1).
