I do find it interesting that when this subject matter comes up folks always run to the position of “Its a mystery!” or “we just can’t know” (I find this is more so of folks of a Reformed background than any other). For me this is a cop out. When the bible is matter of fact on this issue. It seems to me the real problem here is not that the Bible or God is so “mysterious” that we can’t figure this out, but when people are faced with what the bible really has to say about this issue it challenges people’s systematic theology and presuppositions. Truth be told this subject is the underpinning for many peoples systematic theology and if this falls, so too does the house upon which it is built. With diligent study and intellectual honesty, people like Boyd, Pinnock and many others have shown us that this mystery can solved- if we simply pick up our bibles and read them without some preformed concepts or presupposition.

For me the bible is straight forward when looked upon as a whole and that is God is not fixed and rigid, but He is dynamic and free and He can and does change his mind and that there is spiritual warfare to boot. As the above verses clearly show, God does change his mind. Yes, God doesn’t always answer our prayers, but its not because he is somehow “fixed and rigid” or has predetermined the outcome, but has to do more with God’s ability to see the big picture and infinite wisdom. All I am saying is the scriptures for me are pretty clear as provided above.

BTW – Glad to see you’ve actually read Boyd! Another one I would add to that list is Michael Saia’s “Does God Know the Future?” For me it answers and addresses many more questions that Boyd does not.

It would be nice if you had some arguments that Greg Boyd hasn’t already outlined for you as well. Everything you listed is outlined in chapter 2 of “The God of the Possible.”

- God’s regret Regarding Pre-flood humanity (Gen 6:6)?

- God’s regret that he ever made Saul King (1 Sam 15:10-11,35) – Note that even Samuel prayed all night trying to change God’s mind. Does it appear Samuel was embracing this theological concept that God was frozen and unable to change his mind? Yet even after praying God did not change his mind. Was it because God “Couldn’t” or that he “Wouldn’t”? There is a big difference between the two.

- Isa 5 where God explains he expected Israel to do one thing and yet they did another. God confronts the unexpected – yet how could this be so if God is fixed and unable to change his mind?

- Jer 19:5, 7:31; 32:35 – where God says “it never entered His mind that Israel would morally behave the way they did”? This shows us that God has a mind and that he never thought Israel would be so foolish and vile.

- 2 Kings 20:1-6 King Hezekiah – whereby upon Hezekiah’s appeal God changed his mind to allow the King to live another 15 years! Was God just lying to Hezekiah when he told him he was really going to die, but in the end really knew he wasn’t going to allow him to die or did Hezekiah’s plea’s (prayer?) appeal to the tender warmheartedness of the Father’s heart?

- Another great verse that maybe gives us some great insight to what occurs when we pray is in Daniel 10. Here in v12-13 the angel Michael explains to Daniel that he was delayed in answering Daniels prayers – why? Was it because God would not change his mind or something else? It becomes clear to the reader that Micheal was delayed because he was battling the “King of Persia”. It is to be noted that this was not an earthy King, but a spiritual one. In other words, the angels where engaging in spiritual warfare.

- 2 Peter3:9 – Peter writes about “hastening the Lord’s return”. How does one harmonize this verse that God is fixed and never changes his mind? Could it be that God is paitent in his return so that others may come to be saved???

- Ex 32:33, Rev 3:5, 22:18 – speaks about people being “blotted out of the Book of Life”. Again is this another example of God “changing his mind”?

The verse you mentioned Anne is to be viewed with sound hermeneutics and one can come to the conclusion that this verse is not saying God never changes his mind, but that God never changes his character. We as students of the Word, must harmonize verses that seem to contradict one another as they seem to do here. A little study of the Greek or Hebrew will often give light as to what is truly being said here.

Note: For this who wish to say these verses I mentioned are anthropomorphic, then we need to consider this. If these verses are not true expressions of who God is, but merely God using terms we can understand him by, then we need to ask ourselves this. Why is God using terms to describe himself, yet he isn’t really at all like the descriptive terms he is using? Isn’t this much like lying to someone???? If God wants to describe himself as having the ability to change his mind to the people of Israel – yet all along he really doesn’t have the ability – then what’s the point? God is telling people something about himself that isn;t really true??? Points to ponder.

i guess we’ll never know if He changes His mind. we all just see it as His will anyway, right. maybe it was in His will to change His mind. Hes God, He can pretty much do whatever He wants.

and now, i have thoroughly confused myself.

What you brought up Anne is what makes this whole discussion a difficult one from a Biblical standpoint. There is no question, the Bible talks about God changing and not changing. I think the key is to take a look at the whole of what the Bible says about God and to rely on that when thinking about verses like the ones you have listed.

Of course, the key to all this for me doesn’t work for everyone else.

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. (Numbers 23:19a, NIV).

My view (and it is undoubtedly a hard subject) is that we are told God changed his mind in Exodus 32:14 and Jeremiah 26:19, and possibly other places too. They just spring to mind.

I’ve seen lots of discussion that if God’s mind can be changed, He can’t know all things. My issue with that is we’re trying to constrict God…creator of all things…into the confines of something he created : time, the human mind, science ‘laws’…etc

If ever we needed evidence of God’s sovereignty, it’s got to be in this subject.