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NASB | Exodus 32:14 So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Exodus 32:14 So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He had said He would do to His people. |
Subject: Can Pareyr change God's plan? |
Bible Note: Cyclist: I understand your spirit, and I share with you in your praises to God our King. I am not one to take offense easily. Having read my posts, you know that I tend to throw myself into situations which require a thick skin. We are brothers in Christ seeking the truth together. In seeking the truth together, however, we must reconcile the texts you mentioned with ones like these: "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" --Numbers 23:19 So we have some verses which say He "repents" and others which say that it isn't in His nature to need to do so. You have brought up an important issue because it points to a controversy going in in many parts of the evangelical church right now. A group of theologians who classify themselves as "Open Theists" basically conclude that God does not know the future because it has not happened yet. This heresy holds that God is as smart as possible, a really good guesser at times, but that God can be wrong and hence, changes His mind based on "new circumstances" that come to light. Now I am not suggesting at all that you fall into this camp, but I think that everyone should be aware that there are well-known seminary professors spewing these falsehoods, as well as evangelical pastors preaching this unbiblical view from the pulpit. Now back to the matter at hand: does God repent or doesn't he? In order to resolve this paradox, I think it is important to look at the attributes of God. For example, if Moses had not "reminded" God of His covenant promises not only to them but as far back as Abraham (at least), would God really have destroyed Israel and thus have become a liar? Was God really change His mind about making Saul king, when as a member of the tribe of Benjamin, his offspring could never have fulfilled the previously made prophecies concerning the Messiah being a Judahite and the line of Judah itself being the ruling line (Genesis 49:10)? As we look at things like this, the evidence begins to stack up against God needing the input of His people to get His job done. Rather than filling up my quota of 5000 words, as I am apt to do, I would like to point you to something Dr. John Piper wrote on the issue. Let me know what you think! http://www.desiringgod.org/Online_Library/OnlineArticles/FreshWords/1998/11nov98.htm --Joe! |