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God's Thoughts And Ways In Scripture

The biblical declaration that God's thoughts are not humanity's thoughts, nor are His ways humanity's ways, is a foundational concept for understanding divine transcendence and human limitations. This idea is most explicitly stated in Isaiah 55:8-9, where the prophet proclaims, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares Yahweh. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" [7, 9, 10]. This passage emphasizes an immeasurable qualitative difference between the divine and the human.

The distinction between divine and human thought encompasses several aspects. God's thoughts are infinite and boundless, in contrast to human thoughts, which are finite and limited [9]. While human thoughts often originate from evil, God's thoughts are inherently good and righteous [9]. The vastness of this difference is likened to the immeasurable distance between the heavens and the earth, signifying the unsearchable nature of God's designs and counsels [7, 8]. Adam Clarke, in his commentary on Romans 11:34, questions how humans can confidently speak of God's eternal decrees as if they were privy to the divine council, given the inscrutability of God's mind [8].

God's "ways" refer to His actions, methods, and moral governance. These ways are also profoundly distinct from human ways. The divine ways are characterized by their heavenliness, eternity, unsearchableness, excellency, and preciousness [7]. They stand in stark contrast to the "aimless labyrinthine ways" and despairing thoughts of humanity [10]. Despite this vast difference, Scripture also indicates that God establishes human paths. For instance, Psalm 37:23 states, "A man’s goings are established by Yahweh. He delights in his way" [2]. Similarly, Proverbs 5:21 notes that "the ways of man are before the eyes of Yahweh. He examines all his paths" [1]. This suggests divine oversight and involvement in human life, even as God's own ways remain distinct and superior. John Gill, commenting on Job 34:20, explains that God's omniscience extends to all human ways, encompassing internal thoughts, designs, and external actions [14].

The concept of God's thoughts and ways also touches upon the nature of divine revelation. The Scriptures themselves are presented as given by the inspiration of God and the Holy Spirit, serving as the Word of God and the Word of truth [5]. While God reveals His will through these means, the full scope of His mind remains beyond human comprehension. The "judgments of God" can refer to the secret decisions of His will, as well as the revelations of His will found in Scripture [6].

Patristic writers also engaged with the nature of divine thought. Tertullian, for example, discusses how thoughts arise within humans, citing David's testimony in the Psalms [11]. However, he also acknowledges that opposing powers can influence human thoughts [11]. Augustine, in On the Holy Trinity, distinguishes between the divine Word and a "thought of God," arguing that the divine Word is not something that can be "revolved" or change form, unlike human thoughts [12]. This emphasizes the immutable and perfect nature of God's internal being, which is not subject to the processes of human cognition.

The inaccessibility of God's complete thoughts and ways underscores the need for humility in theological inquiry. Charles Hodge, in his Systematic Theology, emphasizes that the organic unity of the Scriptures points to a single divine mind as their author, implying that one cannot believe part of Scripture without believing the whole [13]. He also outlines the economical roles within the Trinity, where the Father plans, the Son accomplishes, and the Spirit applies the work of redemption, demonstrating a divine order and purpose that transcends human understanding [15]. The happiness of saints, according to Torrey's Topical Textbook, is found not in comprehending God's infinite thoughts, but in fearing God, trusting Him, obeying Him, and hoping in Him [3]. This suggests that while God's ways are higher, humanity's proper response is one of faith and submission to the revealed will of God.

The distinction between divine and human thought also has implications for understanding divine communication. While God communicates with humanity, the mode and content of this communication are adapted to human capacity. Smith's Bible Dictionary notes that while the Spirit of God influences both waking and sleeping thoughts, dreams are considered a lower form of revelation than prophetic visions, where human understanding plays a more active role [4]. Under the Christian dispensation, dreams are not typically referred to as vehicles of divine revelation, further emphasizing a shift towards more direct and understandable forms of divine communication through Scripture and the Holy Spirit [4].

Sources

  1. Proverbs “For the ways of man are before the eyes of Yahweh. He examines all his paths. -- Proverbs 5:21”
  2. Psalms “A man’s goings are established by Yahweh. He delights in his way. -- Psalms 37:23”
  3. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Happiness of Saints In This Life — Is in God -- Ps 73:25,26. Only found in the ways of wisdom -- Pr 3:17,18. Described by Christ in the beatitudes -- Mt 5:3-12. Is derived from Fear of God. -- Ps 128:1,2; Pr 28:14. Trust in God. -- Pr 16:20; Php 4:6,7. The words of Christ. -- Joh 17:13. Obedience to God. -- Ps 40:8; Joh 13:17. Salvation. -- De 33:29; Isa 12:2,3. Hope in the Lord. -- Ps 146:5. Hope of glory. -- Ro 5:2. God being their Lord. -- Ps 144:15. God being their help. -- Ps 146:5. Praising God. -- Ps 135:3. Their mutual love. -- Ps 133:1. Divine chastening. --”
  4. Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Dreams — The Scripture declares that the influence of the Spirit of God upon the soul extends to its sleeping as well as its waking thoughts. But, in accordance with the principle enunciated by St. Paul in (1 Corinthians 14:15) dreams, in which the understanding is asleep, are placed below the visions of prophecy, in which the understanding plays its part. Under the Christian dispensation, while we read frequently of trances and vision, dreams are never referred to as vehicles of divine revelation. In exact accordance with this principle are the actual records of the ”
  5. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Scriptures, The — Given by inspiration of God -- 2Ti 3:16. Given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit -- Ac 1:16; Heb 3:7; 2Pe 1:21. Christ sanctioned, by appealing to them -- Mt 4:4; Mr 12:10; Joh 7:42. Christ taught out of -- Lu 24:27. Are called the Word. -- Jas 1:21-23; 1Pe 2:2. Word of God. -- Lu 11:28; Heb 4:12. Word of Christ. -- Col 3:16. Word of truth. -- Jas 1:18. Holy Scriptures. -- Ro 1:2; 2Ti 3:15. Scripture of truth. -- Da 10:21. Book. -- Ps 40:7; Re 22:19. Book of the Lord. -- Isa 34:16. Book of the law. -- Ne 8:3; Ga 3:10. Law of the Lord. -- Ps 1:2; Isa”
  6. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Judgments of God — (1.) The secret decisions of God's will (Ps. 110:5; 36:6). (2.) The revelations of his will (Ex. 21:1; Deut. 6:20; Ps. 119:7-175). (3.) The infliction of punishment on the wicked (Ex. 6:6; 12:12; Ezek. 25:11; Rev. 16:7), such as is mentioned in Gen. 7; 19:24, 25; Judg. 1:6, 7; Acts 5:1-10, etc.”
  7. Isaiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Isaiah 55:9: For as the heavens, are higher than the earth,.... Than which there cannot be conceived a greater distance: so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts; which may denote the heavenliness of the ways and thoughts of God, the eternity and unsearchableness of them, and their excellency and preciousness; as well as the very great distance between his ways and thoughts and men's which this is designed to illustrate.”
  8. Romans (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Romans 11:34: For who hath known the mind of the Lord? - Who can pretend to penetrate the counsels of God, or fathom the reasons of his conduct? His designs and his counsels are like himself, infinite; and, consequently, inscrutable. It is strange that, with such a scripture as this before their eyes, men should sit down and coolly and positively write about counsels and decrees of God formed from all eternity, of which they speak with as much confidence and decision as if they had formed a part of the council of the Most High, and had been with him in the beginning of his ways!”
  9. Isaiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Isaiah 55:8: For my thoughts are not your thoughts,.... In some things there may be a likeness between the thoughts of God and the thoughts of men, as to the nature of them: thoughts are natural and essential to them both; they are within them, are internal acts, and unknown to others, till made known; but then the thoughts of men are finite and limited, whereas the thoughts of the Lord are infinite and boundless; men's thoughts have a beginning, but the Lord's have none; though not so much the nature as the quality of them is here intended: the thoughts of men are evil, even the ”
  10. Isaiah (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Isaiah 55:8: The appeal, to leave their own way and their own thoughts, and yield themselves to God the Redeemer, and to His word, is now urged on the ground of the heaven-wide difference between the ways and thoughts of this God and the despairing thoughts of men (Isa 40:27; Isa 49:24), and their aimless labyrinthine ways. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah: no, heaven is high above the earth; so high are my ways above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts." The kı̄ (imo) introduces the undeniable statement of a fa”
  11. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 4: Tertullian IV, Minucius Felix, Commodian, Origen — CHAP. II.--ON' THE OPPOSING POWERS. (part 8): or by the holy angels. Now such a statement will perhaps appear incredible,[8] unless it be confirmed by the testimony of holy Scripture, That, then, thoughts arise within ourselves, David testifies in the Psalms, saying, "The thought of a man will make confession to Thee, and the rest of the thought shall observe to Thee a festival day."[9] That this, however, is also brought about by the opposing powers, is shown by Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes in the following manner: "If the s”
  12. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — CHAP. 16.--OUR WORD IS NEVER TO BE EQUALLED TO THE DIVINE WORD, NOT EVEN WHEN WE SHALL BE LIKE GOD. (part 1): Wherefore that Word of God is in such wise so called, as not to be called a thought of God, lest we believe that there is anything in God which can be revolved, so that it at one time receives and at another recovers a form, so as to be a word, and again can lose that form and be revolved in some sense formlessly. Certainly that excellent master of speech knew well the force of words, and had looked into the nature of thought, who said in ”
  13. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, section 41: inspiration. That was regarded as involved in the divine origin of the Scriptures. If they are a revelation from God, they must be received and obeyed; but they cannot be thus received without attributing to them divine authority, and they can not have such authority without being infallible in all they teach. The organic unity of the Scriptures proves them to be the product of one mind. They are not only so united that we cannot believe one part without believing the whole; we cannot believe the New Testament without believing the Old; w”
  14. Job (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Job 34:20: For his eyes are upon the ways of man,.... Which denotes the omniscience of God, which reaches to every man, to every individual, and to all men in general; and to their ways, to every step taken by them, to the whole of their lives and conversations, and every action of them; to all their internal and external ways and goings; perhaps the former may be meant in this, and the latter in the following clause. This may denote all their inward thoughts, the workings of their mind, the imaginations of their heart; all their secret purposes, designs, and schemes; and all the ”
  15. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 137: § 1. Scriptural Usage of the Word . The Scriptures clearly teach that the several persons of the adorable Trinity sustain an economical relation to the work of man’s redemption. To the Father is referred the plan itself, the selection of its objects, and the mission of the Son to carry the gracious purpose into effect. To the Son, the accomplishment of all that is requisite to render the salvation of sinful men consistent with the perfections and law of God, and to secure the final redemption of those given to Him by the Father. The spec”
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