Our home bible study group is working through the book of Isaiah.It should only take us another three years to finish the final 26 chapters but I'm optimistic. One question that was not raised (and one that I thought would be for sure) surrounded itself with the concept of God changing His mind. So- I pose the question; Does God, who is described as omniscient (all-knowing) change his mind?
2 comments:
We get our understanding that God does not change his mind from Numbers 23 when Balaam - speaking for God - told Balak (King of Moab at the time) this word of the LORD;
"God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?"
Numbers 23:19
There are other texts that say the same thing (Malachi 3:6 & 1 Samuel 15:29 - the whole of 1 Samuel 15 is actually an interesting look at how God 'thinks' if I can say that).
So, to understand this then, God would not be God if he changed his mind like human beings do. How then do we understand God's response to our prayers where he seemingly changes his mind? How do we understand that the LORD said that Hezekiah wasn't going to make it through his sickness and then Hezekiah turns to God in prayer - pleaing with him, humbling himself - and God grants him 15 more years?
The key is your use of the word omniscient. Because God is all knowing and knows what we will do tomorrow, he will respond to that situation in the way He has planned within His character. In our study this past Friday, we talked about how God doesn't do things the same way twice. In the same way God can show grief over our behaviour, graciousness in response to our pleas, and joy in response to our faithful obedience. He's not changing his mind in the sense that we do. He is responding within his character.
It's like when Jonah didn't want to go preach the coming of God's wrath to Nineveh because he knew God's character - "You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster." Jonah 4:2 What did Jonah preach? He preached the message that God gave him; "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" What did God do? "God relented the disaster that he had said he would do to them and he did not do it" Jonah 3:10
Did that make sense?
I like it, Maria. A great response to a tough question.
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