The prediction was clear. Rather, the Lord himself tells us in the plainest terms possible that he intended one thing and then changed his mind and did something else. Unlike the people of Israel, the pagan idolaters of Nineveh immediately started to repent and put on sackcloth in order to humble themselves before God. By Faith Alone– We believe that Jesus saves us through faith in Him alone. 2 Kings 10:1-6—King Hezekiah was told through an inspired prophet that he would not recover from sickness. … This means that God works in real time and purposely responds to the prayers of His people and then appears to change His mind when people pray. Everything is … He seems pretty confident that when he and I debate the Open Future this fall that he’ll smear me. The king's reason for the fast was the hope that the Lord would forestall the punishment they deserved (Jonah 3:9). The king and his officers repent, so the Lord changes his plan. This example shows that we should pray even when a case seems hopeless since God can certainly change what he … There are, of course, other examples of decisions being reversed. 1 Kings 21:21-29—The Lord says that he will bring disaster because of Ahab’s sins. God did not change His mind; rather, His message to Nineveh was a warning meant to provoke repentance, and His warning was successful. The problem, I believe, is that many…, The Open View of the future recognizes the vast influence of all the angelic and human wills God created, which, in turn, influences the various outcomes and circumstances in life. There’s another instance in the Bible where God changed His mind. 2 Chron 12:5-8—The Lord was going to allow the Israelites to be conquered because of King Reheboam’s rebellion. Twice the Scriptures say, “The Lord relented concerning this …”. Therefore life is arbitrary because of the way the decisions made by an unfathomably vast multitude of free agents intersect with each other. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. His prayer was heard and Isaiah returned to him with news that he would be healed and granted another fifteen years of life! But after Hezekiah pleaded with God, the Lord told him “I will add fifteen years to your life.” Ex 32:14—Because of Moses’ intercessory prayer, “the Lord changed his mind about the disaster he planned to bring on this people.” Ex 33:1-3, 14—In the light of Moses’ pleading, the Lord reversed his plan not to go with the Israelites into the promised land. Jer 26:2-3—The Lord tells Jeremiah to prophesy to Israel that they should repent, saying, “I may change my mind about the disaster that I intend to bring on [Israel] because of their evil doings.”. This is one of the points of the text -- that God hears our prayers and responds to them. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. If God can change His mind, is He really omniscient? This shows that even a notoriously wicked king can get God to change his mind. Classical theologians usually argue that texts that attribute change to God describe how he appears to us; they do not depict God as he really is. God then allows Ezekiel to act it out with cow dung. He decided not to destroy the city (Jonah 3:10). Not changing because events have caught Him off guard, but because now this aspect of His character is more fitting to express than it was earlier. They proclaimed a fast that even the king endorsed with a royal decree.