In Praise of God's Plan

I. God’s Plan Reveals His Unfathomable Depth

A. His Riches

B. His Wisdom

C. His Knowledge

II. God’s Plan Proves His Incomprehensibility

God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that we cannot know anything about God, but rather that we cannot know God completely. For all ages and all created beings, there will always be some aspect of his person or character that we do not yet completely understand; that we indeed may not even know that there is something to be understood. Zophar, one of Job’s three friends, put the idea more poetically

Job 11:7–9 NKJV

“Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea.

A God that you could fully understand would be not much bigger than you are. How could such a God be wise enough to create your own mind; strong enough to guarantee his success; and good enough to always do the right thing?

Paul describes the incomprehensibility of God in three ways.

A. His Judgments cannot be Discovered

The word translated “unsearchable” ἀνεξεραύνητα means impossible to discover the end of, and therefore incomprehensible. Its used in the NT only here.

God’s judgments are easy to figure out when he tells you what they are. But how that will interact with later things is not so simple. God told Levi that he would disinherit this descendants in the promised land.

Genesis 49:7 NKJV

Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.

That sounds pretty bad, and it is. But during the Golden Calf incident, the sons of Levi were among the few that stood with Moses and God. The timing was crucial, for the people had sinned greatly - their very survival was in question. Quick, decisive action was needed, and the sons of Levi did that. They were given the difficult task of killing those among their friends who were idolators. 3000 people died, but the sons of Levi actually saved the entire nation by this action. Therefore

Exodus 32:29 NIV

Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”

So the Levites only got various towns scattered throughout Israel, and a little pastureland around the town. But instead of land

Numbers 18:20–21 NKJV

Then the Lord said to Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel. “Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting.

Now in case you were wondering, this is quite a bit better than land, for they got a percentage of the produce from the entire nation. That meant that Levites often ended up fairly well-to-do. One of the most well known Levites of the first Century was Barnabas. He was wealthy enough to give property to the church, and his gift was one of the reasons Ananias and Sapphira did what they did

Acts 4:36–37 NKJV

And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Now who could have seen this coming from the beginning? No one, of course.

B. His Counsel cannot be Exceeded

Isaiah 40:13–14 NKJV

Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding?

1 Corinthians 2:14–16 NKJV

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

C. His Gifts cannot be Matched

Job 41:11 NKJV

Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.

III. God’s Plan Shows his Ultimate Centrality

A. He is the Source of All Things

B. He is the Sustainer of All Things

C. He is the Goal of All Things