“33 Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? 35 And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid? 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.
In verses 33-36, Paul writes out a paragraph of praise. The teachings Paul is expounding upon in the previous verses are hard to grasp; raising questions like: “Why does God allow sin in the world?” “Why does God harden some and display mercy towards others?” “Why is God merciful to anyone at all when we are so undeserving?” “How is it that God is glorified in all this?”
Paul explains these questions well, but this is his ultimate conclusion: We may not get to know everything or see the whole picture; however, we must be faithful to serve God through obedience and faith based on what He has revealed to us, not wonder at why He hasn’t shown us more. Verse 33 really captures this: “Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways!” (v. 33) God’s knowledge is so far beyond our own comprehension, it is not possible for us to know exactly how God and His glory operate. Paul uses the Old Testament, from Isaiah and Job, to illustrate this point further: “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid?” (v. 34-35)
“Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or who gave him counsel? Who did he consult? Who gave him understanding and taught him the paths of justice? Who taught him knowledge and showed him the way of understanding?” — Isaiah 40:13-14
To Job, God says:
“Who confronted me, that I should repay him? Everything under heaven belongs to me.” — Job 41:11
Paul’s final conclusion: All things past, present, and future belong to God, including us and our lives. Whether we are among God’s elect, saved by grace through faith in Jesus, or whether we are those hardened of heart, who reject God and His mercy, we ought to praise God and give Him glory in exactly the way that He requires because He made everything! Everyone and everything is His creation. God owes nothing to us. We owe everything to God.