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What is the significance of Jeremiah 36:1-6
The Lord has Jeremiah write his prophecy on a scroll, telling him, “Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn from their wicked ways; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin” (Jer. 36:3). Jeremiah then tells his scribe to take the scroll and read it to the people, telling him, “Perhaps they will bring their petition before the LORD, and will all turn from their wicked ways..” (vs. 7). It turns out the people didn’t listen to the prophecy (vs. 24-25). “Therefore,” the passage says, the Lord judged them (vs. 30-31).
If the future is eternally settled and God knows it as such, how can God in good faith tell Jeremiah that something might happen that he knows will not happen? Doesn’t the fact that God motivated Jeremiah by telling him the people might repent mean that it was possible they would repent (and also possible they would not)? And this implies that the future is composed, in part, of possibilities and that God, being omniscient, knows it as such.
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism
Verse: Jeremiah 36
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