Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
Canst thou by searching find out God is asked not to be answered but to show that no finite mind can fully discover or comprehend the Almighty unto perfection in His existence, nature, power, wisdom, character, greatness and works. His eternity, His plans and judgments and ways, and the incarnation and work of Christ remain hidden beyond the reach of the keenest intellect, and to press behind the veil where He hides His glory would bring death. He is not found out by scientific methods, human reasoning, speculation or definition, but only as the Holy Spirit reveals Him. What men need to know is revealed in His Word and in the life and character of His Son, in His law and in His works, giving sufficient evidence to discern His love and mercy, power and majesty. Therefore wisdom is found not by penetrating the mysteries of His being but by humbly receiving what He has revealed, bowing in reverent submission and trusting His omnipotent hand and loving heart beyond what can be known.
Wording and Imagery
The verse poses searching questions about finding out God and finding out the Almighty unto perfection, and those questions are not set forth to be answered but to call attention to deep mysteries and to teach that human wisdom is limited. They inquire whether human investigation can discover God fully, and the implied answer is that He lies beyond what searching can find out. His nature and wisdom exceed what finite minds can discover or fully comprehend, so that people may keep searching and ever learning and yet there will always remain an infinity beyond their understanding. He is therefore to be acknowledged not only through what He reveals but also through what remains beyond human comprehension.
The questions continue into the following verses with images of what is as high as heaven and deeper than the depths and the grave, and of the measure of the earth and the sea, to show how far divine greatness exceeds human reach and measure. As high as heaven and deeper than the depths, His greatness cannot be measured by human searching, wisdom, or science. Finite minds cannot fully grasp His nature, fullness, character, and works, which remain like what is higher than heaven and deeper than the grave and the underworld. In particular the infinite greatness and the depth of His love cannot be fully discovered or measured. The mysteries thus presented are themselves a proof of divine inspiration.
Questions of this kind raised in the word of God demonstrate that even the most learned people and the most profound scholars cannot answer every question raised there. They cannot completely understand even matters found in ordinary daily life. Ordinary things encountered daily exceed human understanding, while finite minds cannot fully search out or comprehend God.
God Beyond Comprehension
No finite mind can by searching fully discover or comprehend God, finding out the Almighty unto perfection in His existence, nature, power, wisdom, character, greatness, and works. This limit holds for the keenest and most educated mind, for the mightiest intellects of earth, for the strongest as well as the weakest, and for human searching and reasoning even at their highest, concerning the mystery of the Invisible One. Though men are ever searching and ever learning, there still remains an infinity beyond, for His greatness is as high as heaven and deeper than the depths and cannot be measured. In particular His existence and eternity are beyond discovery by searching, a mystery hard to understand. He existed from everlasting before He purposed to create the world, and is everlasting to everlasting.
His plans, purposes, judgments, ways, thoughts, and motives remain hidden and beyond full understanding, and His judgments are unsearchable and His ways past finding out. This includes the plan of redemption and all that He intends through work He assigns, which no person fully understands even when specially honored and guided by God. Mortals cannot penetrate the mystery surrounding His presence and power, and must not presumptuously try to lift the curtain behind which He veils His majesty. This concealment is an act of mercy, for His glory and power remain hidden and to penetrate the secrecy of His presence would bring death. He reveals only as much of His purposes as is for good for men to know, and what He chooses to reveal is what men can understand.
The same limit applies to understanding Christ, for the incarnation of God's Son is a mystery exceeding even the wisest human efforts to describe. The eternal Christ humbled Himself to come in human flesh, concealing His glory, and His infinitely perfect character, divine-human nature, and work of redemption and atonement for sin fall short of every human account. Scripture testifies of Him and sets Him before men and is to be searched, yet human accounts cannot equal the reality, and the knowledge found in God and the mysteries of redemption remain inexhaustible. Human knowledge of material and spiritual things is partial and imperfect, and the Creator and His works are beyond comprehension. What men have seen of His infinite glory, knowledge, and wisdom is only a glimpse, though continued searching can uncover deeper divine knowledge which through correct faith becomes human knowledge.
Limits of Human Searching
No searching, reasoning, conjecture, scientific method, or highest reach of intellect can by its own strength discover or fully comprehend God, and however far the highest mind pursues the question it cannot solve it, for the Holy Spirit must reveal Him. What human beings need and can know of Him is made known in His Word and in the life, teaching, and character of His Son, and beyond what He has revealed His ways and works remain beyond understanding. One who stretches human reasoning to exalt himself and explain God should instead come humbly before Him confessing finiteness and sinfulness.
His nature, prerogatives, and character are not matters for speculation, interpretation, discussion, or presumptuous definition, and finite men must not claim to interpret Jehovah's nature. His greatness exceeds the limits of human knowledge, so reverent silence is fitting before the all-knowing God. Though men are ignorant of Him as children, they can love and obey Him and heed what He has revealed.
This limit warns against theories that make God an essence pervading everything and against claiming to find Him in leaves, trees, and flowers, for such speculation does not reveal Him. Wisdom, intellect, and power are not God Himself, for He is their source, and He is to be known as revealed in His works and character. Such views dishonor His greatness and majesty, diminish Him, bring Him down, and reduce Him to nothingness, and confident rival interpretations that advance them only diminish Him further.
Even the most learned philosophers, lawmakers, and priests in Christ's day could not understand God's character or discern spiritual things, and repeated examination of ancient writings about the gods did not help them solve the problem. Likewise the greatest minds, if not guided by the word of God, become bewildered when attempting to search out mysteries by philosophy and natural laws and to explain God and Bible history by natural laws. In that bewilderment they accept mere theories as scientific facts, test God's word by science, regard Bible history as unreliable, doubt the records of the Old and New Testaments and the existence of God, and err from the faith. Attempts to find God through speculation, especially by pursuing what He has withheld and attempting to explain mysteries that will never be revealed through the eternal ages, do not fulfill His will; the proper study is the truth God has made available, which leads to salvation.
What God Has Revealed
What men need to know and can know of God is revealed in His Word and in the life, teaching, and character of His Son, while beyond what He has revealed His ways and works remain beyond human understanding. Human searching, reasoning, conjecture, and scientific methods cannot fully discover God or solve the question of His nature, and no matter how far the highest intellect pursues it the effort cannot succeed by its own strength. By following Christ and learning from His life and teaching, people can know all they need to know of God.
God is revealed through Jesus, who came from heaven to represent the Father and make Him known. Seeing Christ is seeing the Father, so truly does He reveal God. Knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ is the way to eternal life. Christ's character on earth revealed divinity, and the gospel He gave is to be studied so that men may know the true and living God as the object of faith, love, and worship.
His character is a perfect standard beyond full human comprehension, yet He makes it possible for men to become like Him in character and reflect His image. Knowing God therefore means becoming Christlike. Living a pure life through faith in Christ brings a clearer and higher knowledge of God, while one whose character is not Christlike cannot represent Him accurately. What men have seen is only a glimpse, but continued searching can uncover deeper divine knowledge, and what is thus uncovered through correct faith becomes human knowledge.
Men are to know God as He reveals Himself in His works and revealed character, and this is not a task of discovering Him in the fullness of His being by searching. Wisdom, intellect, and power are not God Himself; He is their source. Especially in His law He is known, for the Ten Commandments express His character as the source of goodness, truth, and righteousness. Knowing Him means living in harmony with that character through obedience to every expression of it, so that character becomes like His.
Finite minds cannot fully comprehend God or the Almighty to perfection, for His greatness is as beyond reach as what is higher than heaven and deeper than the grave, and this limit holds for the strongest and most educated as well as the weakest and least educated. This limit does not require doubt, for God gives sufficient evidence for faith while leaving room for doubt. Men can understand enough of His dealings, purposes, and motives to discern His love and mercy and to see boundless mercy joined with infinite power. If they would search and understand what He has made known of Himself and His purposes, they would obtain a view of the glory, majesty, and power of Jehovah and realize their own littleness, grasping as much as their capacity allows and being content with what has been revealed for themselves and their children, trusting His power and love and the omnipotent hand and loving heart beyond what they can know, since He reveals as much of His purposes as is for good to know.
Humble Trust and Obedience
The question presses human beings toward humility before God instead of presuming to define Him by searching, reasoning, or conjecture, since He cannot be discovered or fully comprehended in that way. One who stretches reasoning to exalt himself and explain God should instead come before Him humbly, confessing finiteness and sinfulness. To know more of one's own condition in God's sight, and to know God more deeply as revealing human imperfection and ignorance, leads to fear and trembling before Him.
Since the Father in heaven orders everything in wisdom and righteousness, veiling His majesty and His presence and power in mystery that mortals cannot penetrate, people are not to be dissatisfied and distrustful but to bow in reverent submission to His righteous rule. This concealment is mercy, for He reveals as much of His purposes as is for good to know, and what people need and can know is made available to them. Beyond that they must trust the omnipotent hand and loving heart, trusting His power and love and righteous rule where they cannot fully trace Him out. Though ignorant of God as children, they can love and obey Him and heed what He has revealed, understanding enough of His dealings and motives to discern boundless mercy and love joined with infinite power, grasping as much of His purposes as capacity allows. If they would search and understand what has been made known, they would obtain a view of the glory, majesty, and power of Jehovah, realize their own littleness, and be content with what has been revealed for themselves and their children, rather than presumptuously trying to lift the curtain or pursuing by partial and imperfect human knowledge what will never be revealed.
Wisdom is found by humbly receiving the revelation God has given and living in accordance with His will, not by trying to penetrate the mysteries of His being, for finite people should not speculate about His nature but meet it with reverent silence. Attempts to find God through speculation, especially by pursuing what He has withheld, do not fulfill His will; the proper study is the truth He has made available, which leads to salvation. The questions show how far beyond human reach God is, reaching as high as heaven and beyond human measure, and the mysteries of the Bible found there are themselves a proof of its divine inspiration.
Canst thou by searching find out God is asked not to be answered but to show that no finite mind can fully discover or comprehend the Almighty unto perfection in His existence, nature, power, wisdom, character, greatness and works. His eternity, His plans and judgments and ways, and the incarnation and work of Christ remain hidden beyond the reach of the keenest intellect, and to press behind the veil where He hides His glory would bring death. He is not found out by scientific methods, human reasoning, speculation or definition, but only as the Holy Spirit reveals Him. What men need to know is revealed in His Word and in the life and character of His Son, in His law and in His works, giving sufficient evidence to discern His love and mercy, power and majesty. Therefore wisdom is found not by penetrating the mysteries of His being but by humbly receiving what He has revealed, bowing in reverent submission and trusting His omnipotent hand and loving heart beyond what can be known.
Wording and Imagery
The verse poses searching questions about finding out God and finding out the Almighty unto perfection, and those questions are not set forth to be answered but to call attention to deep mysteries and to teach that human wisdom is limited. They inquire whether human investigation can discover God fully, and the implied answer is that He lies beyond what searching can find out. His nature and wisdom exceed what finite minds can discover or fully comprehend, so that people may keep searching and ever learning and yet there will always remain an infinity beyond their understanding. He is therefore to be acknowledged not only through what He reveals but also through what remains beyond human comprehension.
The questions continue into the following verses with images of what is as high as heaven and deeper than the depths and the grave, and of the measure of the earth and the sea, to show how far divine greatness exceeds human reach and measure. As high as heaven and deeper than the depths, His greatness cannot be measured by human searching, wisdom, or science. Finite minds cannot fully grasp His nature, fullness, character, and works, which remain like what is higher than heaven and deeper than the grave and the underworld. In particular the infinite greatness and the depth of His love cannot be fully discovered or measured. The mysteries thus presented are themselves a proof of divine inspiration.
Questions of this kind raised in the word of God demonstrate that even the most learned people and the most profound scholars cannot answer every question raised there. They cannot completely understand even matters found in ordinary daily life. Ordinary things encountered daily exceed human understanding, while finite minds cannot fully search out or comprehend God.
God Beyond Comprehension
No finite mind can by searching fully discover or comprehend God, finding out the Almighty unto perfection in His existence, nature, power, wisdom, character, greatness, and works. This limit holds for the keenest and most educated mind, for the mightiest intellects of earth, for the strongest as well as the weakest, and for human searching and reasoning even at their highest, concerning the mystery of the Invisible One. Though men are ever searching and ever learning, there still remains an infinity beyond, for His greatness is as high as heaven and deeper than the depths and cannot be measured. In particular His existence and eternity are beyond discovery by searching, a mystery hard to understand. He existed from everlasting before He purposed to create the world, and is everlasting to everlasting.
His plans, purposes, judgments, ways, thoughts, and motives remain hidden and beyond full understanding, and His judgments are unsearchable and His ways past finding out. This includes the plan of redemption and all that He intends through work He assigns, which no person fully understands even when specially honored and guided by God. Mortals cannot penetrate the mystery surrounding His presence and power, and must not presumptuously try to lift the curtain behind which He veils His majesty. This concealment is an act of mercy, for His glory and power remain hidden and to penetrate the secrecy of His presence would bring death. He reveals only as much of His purposes as is for good for men to know, and what He chooses to reveal is what men can understand.
The same limit applies to understanding Christ, for the incarnation of God's Son is a mystery exceeding even the wisest human efforts to describe. The eternal Christ humbled Himself to come in human flesh, concealing His glory, and His infinitely perfect character, divine-human nature, and work of redemption and atonement for sin fall short of every human account. Scripture testifies of Him and sets Him before men and is to be searched, yet human accounts cannot equal the reality, and the knowledge found in God and the mysteries of redemption remain inexhaustible. Human knowledge of material and spiritual things is partial and imperfect, and the Creator and His works are beyond comprehension. What men have seen of His infinite glory, knowledge, and wisdom is only a glimpse, though continued searching can uncover deeper divine knowledge which through correct faith becomes human knowledge.
Limits of Human Searching
No searching, reasoning, conjecture, scientific method, or highest reach of intellect can by its own strength discover or fully comprehend God, and however far the highest mind pursues the question it cannot solve it, for the Holy Spirit must reveal Him. What human beings need and can know of Him is made known in His Word and in the life, teaching, and character of His Son, and beyond what He has revealed His ways and works remain beyond understanding. One who stretches human reasoning to exalt himself and explain God should instead come humbly before Him confessing finiteness and sinfulness.
His nature, prerogatives, and character are not matters for speculation, interpretation, discussion, or presumptuous definition, and finite men must not claim to interpret Jehovah's nature. His greatness exceeds the limits of human knowledge, so reverent silence is fitting before the all-knowing God. Though men are ignorant of Him as children, they can love and obey Him and heed what He has revealed.
This limit warns against theories that make God an essence pervading everything and against claiming to find Him in leaves, trees, and flowers, for such speculation does not reveal Him. Wisdom, intellect, and power are not God Himself, for He is their source, and He is to be known as revealed in His works and character. Such views dishonor His greatness and majesty, diminish Him, bring Him down, and reduce Him to nothingness, and confident rival interpretations that advance them only diminish Him further.
Even the most learned philosophers, lawmakers, and priests in Christ's day could not understand God's character or discern spiritual things, and repeated examination of ancient writings about the gods did not help them solve the problem. Likewise the greatest minds, if not guided by the word of God, become bewildered when attempting to search out mysteries by philosophy and natural laws and to explain God and Bible history by natural laws. In that bewilderment they accept mere theories as scientific facts, test God's word by science, regard Bible history as unreliable, doubt the records of the Old and New Testaments and the existence of God, and err from the faith. Attempts to find God through speculation, especially by pursuing what He has withheld and attempting to explain mysteries that will never be revealed through the eternal ages, do not fulfill His will; the proper study is the truth God has made available, which leads to salvation.
What God Has Revealed
What men need to know and can know of God is revealed in His Word and in the life, teaching, and character of His Son, while beyond what He has revealed His ways and works remain beyond human understanding. Human searching, reasoning, conjecture, and scientific methods cannot fully discover God or solve the question of His nature, and no matter how far the highest intellect pursues it the effort cannot succeed by its own strength. By following Christ and learning from His life and teaching, people can know all they need to know of God.
God is revealed through Jesus, who came from heaven to represent the Father and make Him known. Seeing Christ is seeing the Father, so truly does He reveal God. Knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ is the way to eternal life. Christ's character on earth revealed divinity, and the gospel He gave is to be studied so that men may know the true and living God as the object of faith, love, and worship.
His character is a perfect standard beyond full human comprehension, yet He makes it possible for men to become like Him in character and reflect His image. Knowing God therefore means becoming Christlike. Living a pure life through faith in Christ brings a clearer and higher knowledge of God, while one whose character is not Christlike cannot represent Him accurately. What men have seen is only a glimpse, but continued searching can uncover deeper divine knowledge, and what is thus uncovered through correct faith becomes human knowledge.
Men are to know God as He reveals Himself in His works and revealed character, and this is not a task of discovering Him in the fullness of His being by searching. Wisdom, intellect, and power are not God Himself; He is their source. Especially in His law He is known, for the Ten Commandments express His character as the source of goodness, truth, and righteousness. Knowing Him means living in harmony with that character through obedience to every expression of it, so that character becomes like His.
Finite minds cannot fully comprehend God or the Almighty to perfection, for His greatness is as beyond reach as what is higher than heaven and deeper than the grave, and this limit holds for the strongest and most educated as well as the weakest and least educated. This limit does not require doubt, for God gives sufficient evidence for faith while leaving room for doubt. Men can understand enough of His dealings, purposes, and motives to discern His love and mercy and to see boundless mercy joined with infinite power. If they would search and understand what He has made known of Himself and His purposes, they would obtain a view of the glory, majesty, and power of Jehovah and realize their own littleness, grasping as much as their capacity allows and being content with what has been revealed for themselves and their children, trusting His power and love and the omnipotent hand and loving heart beyond what they can know, since He reveals as much of His purposes as is for good to know.
Humble Trust and Obedience
The question presses human beings toward humility before God instead of presuming to define Him by searching, reasoning, or conjecture, since He cannot be discovered or fully comprehended in that way. One who stretches reasoning to exalt himself and explain God should instead come before Him humbly, confessing finiteness and sinfulness. To know more of one's own condition in God's sight, and to know God more deeply as revealing human imperfection and ignorance, leads to fear and trembling before Him.
Since the Father in heaven orders everything in wisdom and righteousness, veiling His majesty and His presence and power in mystery that mortals cannot penetrate, people are not to be dissatisfied and distrustful but to bow in reverent submission to His righteous rule. This concealment is mercy, for He reveals as much of His purposes as is for good to know, and what people need and can know is made available to them. Beyond that they must trust the omnipotent hand and loving heart, trusting His power and love and righteous rule where they cannot fully trace Him out. Though ignorant of God as children, they can love and obey Him and heed what He has revealed, understanding enough of His dealings and motives to discern boundless mercy and love joined with infinite power, grasping as much of His purposes as capacity allows. If they would search and understand what has been made known, they would obtain a view of the glory, majesty, and power of Jehovah, realize their own littleness, and be content with what has been revealed for themselves and their children, rather than presumptuously trying to lift the curtain or pursuing by partial and imperfect human knowledge what will never be revealed.
Wisdom is found by humbly receiving the revelation God has given and living in accordance with His will, not by trying to penetrate the mysteries of His being, for finite people should not speculate about His nature but meet it with reverent silence. Attempts to find God through speculation, especially by pursuing what He has withheld, do not fulfill His will; the proper study is the truth He has made available, which leads to salvation. The questions show how far beyond human reach God is, reaching as high as heaven and beyond human measure, and the mysteries of the Bible found there are themselves a proof of its divine inspiration.