Is God’s greatness just as unsearchable as the number of His years?
Question:
I have a question for you. I am researching a passage and I would like your input.
"Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out" (Job 36:26).
Is Job's friend, Elihu, telling us here that God's greatness is just as unsearchable as the number of His years? Could this passage be used in defense for God's infinity? Could I expound on this and say that according to Psalms 145:1-3 that since God is unsearchable, we will be praising him forever due to his infinite greatness?
I would like to use the two passages above to confirm this truth I feel: It fills me with awe knowing that I could no more exhaust my God's greatness than I could count the hours and minutes of eternity.
Answer:
I just read that verse in Job last night as a part of my lesson. Yes, Elihu is stating that God is beyond our full comprehension. We sometimes can talk about the characteristics of God in broad strokes, just like we can talk about infinity as a concept, but really grasping what it means is beyond our capacity.
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts"" (Isaiah 55:8-10).
Paul expressed it in this way:
"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! "For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?" "Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?" For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:33-36).
I love your last line. It is a great rephrasing of what Elihu stated.
