God is omniscient. God is also immutable. As I understand and define that word, it means God doesn't change, which as I see it, is different than God changing His mind. Is God static? The Bible uses anthropomorphic language (human characteristics, attributes and/or forms) in different ways. Sometimes it's used to describe God and as I see it, we are incapable of completely understanding all there is to know about God.
I really appreciate the zeal we see coming from some on this forum. Zeal is a good thing yet it's not everything and even with pure motives zeal can create blind spots.
Does God change his mind? Do we completely understand all there is to know about God? All we have is what He's said and how we understand it. Because cults abound we need to be careful how we answer.
God is omniscient, but was Jonah a false prophet? Did God change His mind? Did God repent? Again, the Bible uses anthropomorphic language. Jonah 3:10. Jeremiah 18:7-10. Do we completely understand all there is to know about God?
The Bible was written as a testament and an instruction manual.
I spend a lot of time writing (or at least I should; FR is a great rational for writers' block). I get paid to understand plot and structure.
I know the end of my stories from the beginning. But as I write, I feel the emotions of the moment of each character. I "sympathize" with their plights. But never for a second do I not know what they're going to do and why. They are mine.
It may be a slight analogy, but it works for me.
God knows every word I type before I type it. While I feel I could hit any key on the keyboard, His will is behind every syllable. It is all of me; from Him.
And as I posted once before, God doesn't do rewrites.
"Cults" emerge from denying God's sovereignty, not upholding it.
We have to remember that the bible was not written for the benefit of God. He knows Himself and his nature.
The bible is the way God shows himself to men.. He uses language that men use so we can in some way understand and identify with the experiences of men .
Go had always planned to have mercy on Niniva..The wonder of the story is the way God pursues man to cause him to be obedient and to preform His will