God Has Not Rejected His People

By Jamin Roller

My kids have a devotional book called Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing. The pages speak of God’s love, humanity’s intrinsic value, the beautiful story we belong to, and many other wonderful realities worth singing about. As the title of the book says, there are certain truths that, if we see them rightly, will stir our hearts to worship.

The chapter we just read is a source of much debate. There is a myriad of interpretations connected to each idea. Men and women much smarter than me have devoted pages upon pages arguing for the best way to understand the relationship between the new covenant Jesus brings, the people of Israel, and what will happen in the future. All of that is important and worth our time. But I noticed something in our reading for today that I haven’t paid much attention to before. Did you notice how it ends?   

Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways!
—Romans 11: 33

This is the first verse of a 4-verse hymn that concludes the chapter. It means that all Paul has said in the preceding verses leads him to a moment of praise. He has written down thoughts to make his heart sing. 

He writes about a remnant preserved for God by grace (v.5).
He writes about the riches brought to the Gentiles (v.12).
He writes about the kindness of God towards those who now believe (v.22).
He writes about God’s mysterious plan at work in the present (25).
He writes about a future rescue (vv.26–27). 

For all the important questions this passage raises and for all the different answers offered throughout the years, what can’t be argued against is that these verses tell us about the character of a God worthy of our worship. The song at the end of the chapter praises God for His depth of wisdom and unsearchable judgments. In other words, there is a mystery to the work of God that calls for praise. While God has made Himself known and knowable, it does not mean that we, as creation, can ever master the mind of our creator. That thought should not lead us to frustration; it should lead to humble worship. Paul ends by reminding us in verse 36 that God is the origin and end of all things. All exist to terminate in glory to Him. 

Do those thoughts make your heart sing? Consider praying and asking God to help you assume a posture of worship. Re-read the chapter and offer the last four verses as a prayer of praise to our God, whose ways are beyond our control but who has made His grace and love ours in Jesus.