We run our website the way we wished the whole internet worked: we provide high quality original content with no ads. We are funded solely by your direct support. Please consider supporting this project.
How do you respond to Isaiah 14:24, 27?
The Lord of hosts has sworn:
As I have designed,
so shall it be;
and as I have planned,
so shall it come to pass…
For the Lord of hosts has planned,
and who will annul it?
his hand is stretched out,
and who will turn it back?
The fact that Scripture frequently speaks of God’s will being thwarted and his Spirit being grieved should prevent us from interpreting this passage as a universally applicable, absolute law. The fact that Scripture provides teaching and illustrations of the Lord modifying his “designs” in response to what humans do—even after he’s publicly declared what they are (e.g. Jer. 18:1-10)—should caution us against this interpretation as well.
The point of this passage is not to instruct us about the way God operates at all times and in all places. The context makes it clear that it is simply teaching that when God irrevocably decides to bring judgment upon a nation (in this case, Assyria, vs. 22, 25), no one can stop him. A careful reading of similar passages that speak of God fulfilling his “purposes” and “plans” reveals that they too invariably “have in view a particular event or a limited series of events” (e.g. Isa 25:1; 46:10; Mic 4:12; Jer 23:20).* They do not warrant the conclusion that God determines all things.
Note
*See D. Clines, “Predestination in the Old Testament,” in Grace Unlimited, ed. C. Pinnock (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1975), 116.
Category: Q&A
Tags: Q&A, Responding to Calvinism
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will, Responding to Objections
Verse: Isaiah 14
Related Reading
Is the open view the only view that is compatible with the Incarnation?
Question: You have said that the Open view of God is the only view that squares with the Incarnation and the only view that truly exalts God’s greatness. On what basis do you say this? Answer: The revelation of God in the Incarnation is the ultimate expression of God’s willingness and ability to change that…
Isn’t God “changing his mind” an anthropomorphism?
Question: Traditionalists argue that passages that refer to God “changing his mind” are anthropomorphic, depicting God in human terms. Open Theists take these passages literally, however. But if you’re going to take these passages literally, it seems you should, for consistency’s sake, also interpret passages about God “coming down” from heaven literally (e.g. Gen. 11:5;…
How can you put your trust in a God who’s not in control of everything?
Question: I read your book Is God to Blame? and found it to be very compelling. It’s rocking my world. But I’m also finding I’m now having trouble trusting God like I used to. I used to believe that God ordained or at least foreknew all that was going to happen. Now I’m questioning this,…
Is There Room for Doubt in Faith?
Many Christians today assume that faith is the antithesis of doubt. In this view, a person’s faith is thought to be strong to the extent that they don’t question their beliefs or struggle with God in whom they believe. As widespread as this view is, I believe it is unbiblical and profoundly unhelpful. My experience…
How do you respond to Genesis 16:12?
The Lord describes Ishmael as “…a wild ass of a man, with his hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him.” According to most Old Testament scholars the Lord is describing Ishmael’s descendants as much as he is describing Ishmael himself. The Lord foresaw that the nation which would descend from Ishmael (cf. 21:18) would…
How do you respond to Malachi 3:6?
“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished.” Some cite this verse as evidence that God need never be flexible in his plans and change his mind. But this claim contradicts all the explicit declarations in Scripture which state that God does frequently modify his plans and…