Is God omniscient?

tonychanyt · Jun 23, 2024

By dictionary definition, omniscient means "knowing everything". By this definition, is God omniscient?

Yes, Isaiah 46:

10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’

Psalm 139:

4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

1 Kings 8:

39 then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),

1 John 3:

20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

The above are some strong indications that God knows everything.

Does God know something right before it happens or did God know everything that was going to happen even before the creation?

I'd say the latter.

More interesting still, God knows even possible future in 1 Samuel 23:

9 When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.” 10 David said, “Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. 11 Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant.”
And the Lord said, “He will.”
12Again David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?”
And the Lord said, “They will.”

But it was not going to happen because David would not stay and let it happen:

13 So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.

In the NT, Jesus asserted in Matthew 11:

23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

God knows everything that happens and the outcomes of things that didn't happen.

See also How does God perform thinking?

Deborah1$ · Sep 5, 2024

Stuff that's always puzzled me:
Question 1: If God knows everything (and I believe He does), why did He create Adam and Eve KNOWING BEFOREHAND they would fall and He would have to provide a Savior for mankind? Please don't talk about man having "choice." I'm interested in any thoughts on God's possible reasoning for going ahead with what I've always considered a bad plan.
Question 2: If God is ultimately all there is, ever was and always will be, and God is pure love and EVERYTHING stems from God =mankind, angels, creatures, etc. If God (love) filled the universe before creation, where did evil come from?
I welcome any and all thoughts. I have spent days at times since I was a child just thinking on these things and asking God to give me enlightenment. I know no one on this board really "knows," but I'd love to hear various thoughts on the subject because I can't possibly be the only person who has ever thought about such things. Doesn't make God any less powerful, awesome or almighty - just means I'm still curious after all these years and after all I've read.

tonychanyt · Sep 5, 2024

Beulah1$ said:
If God knows everything (and I believe He does), why did He create Adam and Eve KNOWING BEFOREHAND they would fall and He would have to provide a Savior for mankind?

Good question. See This life is a testing place for everyone and follow up there

Beulah1$ said:
If God (love) filled the universe before creation, where did evil come from?

Another good question. See The developmental character of satan and follow up there

Deborah1$ · Sep 5, 2024

Thanks for responding. There are some very interesting thoughts on this subject which I'm going to meditate on.

Deborah1$ · Sep 8, 2024

I like to bring puzzling questions to you and the fact that you patiently attempt to explain Biblical situations. Was the ephod and urim and thumin tools of divination? Also, the ephod had crystals or gemstones on it, I believe. Today crystals are associated with New Age. Please give me your thoughts. Thanks.

Deborah1$ · Sep 8, 2024

Please let me know if I should start another thread for you to answer this next puzzling question: Who exactly is Yahweh, since a number of civilizations claim him as their god, and from what I've been reading, he is not exclusive to Israel. I quote: "Although the Bible, and specifically the Book of Exodus, presents Yahweh as the god of the Israelites, there are many passages which make clear that this deity was also worshipped by other peoples in Canaan. Amzallag notes that the Edomites, Kenites, Moabites, and Midianites all worshipped Yahweh to one degree or another and that there is evidence the Edomites who operated the mines at Timnah converted an earlier Egyptian temple of Hathor to the worship of Yahweh. Again, please let me know if this is the wrong thread to ask this on.... don't want to disobey the rules of the forum. Thanks and appreciate your foresight and willingness to share your knowledge.

tonychanyt · Sep 8, 2024

Beulah1$ said:
Was the ephod and urim and thumin tools of divination?

See Were the ephod and urim and thummim tools of divination? and follow up there

tonychanyt · Sep 8, 2024

Beulah1$ said:
Please let me know if I should start another thread for you to answer this next puzzling question:

No need.

Beulah1$ said:
Who exactly is Yahweh, since a number of civilizations claim him as their god,

Reference?

Give the source/citation.
Provide the URL link to the source if available.
Indent the quoted text.
Bold the relevant keywords that are important to the point that you are making.
Be concise and to the point.

Deborah1$ · Sep 9, 2024

tonychanyt said:
No need.

Reference?

Give the source/citation.

Provide the URL link to the source if available.1.

Indent the quoted text.

Bold the relevant keywords that are important to the point that you are making.

Be concise and to the point.

1. My source/citation is Haaretz.com (an Israli publication and University of Chicago Press Journals and the internet
2. URLS:
* When God wasn't so great: What Yahweh’s first appearance tells about early Judaism.
* was Jahweh only Israel's God? - Google Search
* https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/721377#:~:text=2; 18; Judg.,later as their only, god.

Thanks.

tonychanyt · Sep 9, 2024

Beulah1$ said:
1. My source/citation is Haaretz.com (an Israli publication and University of Chicago Press Journals and the internet
2. URLS:
* When God wasn't so great: What Yahweh’s first appearance tells about early Judaism.
* was Jahweh only Israel's God? - Google Search
* https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/721377#:~:text=2; 18; Judg.,later as their only, god.

Thanks.

None of them says that YHWH was a Canaanite god.

Deborah1$ · Sep 9, 2024

tonychanyt said:
None of them says that YHWH was a Canaanite god.

A number of articles I've read say he was more than Israel's god - not just the Canaanites, but the god of different societies. Nevertheless, since I'm not well versed on this at all, I'm not going to pursue it and assume one way or the other. I'll just keep reading up on it. Thanks.

tonychanyt · Sep 9, 2024

Beulah1$ said:
A number of articles I've read say he was more than Israel's god - not just the Canaanites, but the god of different societies.

I have also encountered them, but that's their claim. I have yet to see a proof of that claim. Let me know if you have seen a proof. I am also interested

Deborah1$ · Sep 9, 2024

tonychanyt said:
I have also encountered them, but that's their claim. I have yet to see a proof of that claim. Let me know if you have seen a proof. I am also interested

Will do! There are a million and one mysteries surrounding God, and I always want to know where I'm standing in my faith. Thanks, again. Appreciate you!

lanceleo · Sep 13, 2024

Question, if God is omniscient why did he not make Eve at the same time as Adam? Eve was an afterthought after realizing that it's not good for Adam to be alone.

Genesis 2:18
King James Version
18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

Deborah1$ · Sep 14, 2024

I totally believe He is omniscient, even though there are a number of verses that could very easily cause one to question God's omniscience. I then wonder if the writer could have written it differently to convey the thought in a better light. But then that calls into question the Holy Spirit's role because the Bible says all scripture is God-breathed by the Holy Spirit. But your question is a darn good one and one I had questioned years ago when I first started reading the Word.

tonychanyt · Sep 14, 2024

Beulah1$ said:
there are a number of verses that could very easily cause one to question God's omniscience.

E.g.?

Deborah1$ · Sep 14, 2024

tonychanyt said:
E.g.?

The first one that springs to mind is God seeking out Adam in the garden and asking where he is. (My pastor had a great answer for that and I believe his answer). However, as always, I'd love you to respond because you're much more knowledgeable about the Bible than I. I will list some other areas, as they come to mind. P.S. what is that little orange symbol that you put by your name? What does it mean?

Deborah1$ · Sep 14, 2024

Beulah1$ said:
The first one that springs to mind is God seeking out Adam in the garden and asking where he is. (My pastor had a great answer for that and I believe his answer). However, as always, I'd love you to respond because you're much more knowledgeable about the Bible than I. I will list some other areas, as they come to mind. P.S. what is that little orange symbol that you put by your name? What does it mean?

Here's another: Jeremiah 3:6-8: During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. 7 I THOUGHT THAT AFTER SHE HAD DONE ALL THIS, SHE WOULD RETURN TO ME, BUT SHE DID NOT, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. 8 I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery.
Wouldn't God already know what Israel would do?

tonychanyt · Sep 14, 2024

Beulah1$ said:
The first one that springs to mind is God seeking out Adam in the garden and asking where he is.

That's called anthropomorphism. God behaved like a man so that man could interact with him under this human convention/framework.

Beulah1$ said:
what is that little orange symbol that you put by your name? What does it mean?

I don't know. Can you display it?

Deborah1$ · Sep 14, 2024

Beulah1$ said:
Here's another: Jeremiah 3:6-8: During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. 7 I THOUGHT THAT AFTER SHE HAD DONE ALL THIS, SHE WOULD RETURN TO ME, BUT SHE DID NOT, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. 8 I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery.
Wouldn't God already know what Israel would do?

Here's another: Jeremiah 26:3: “PERHAPS THEY WILL LISTEN and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done.”
Wouldn't God already know? Why Perhaps?

Is God omniscient?

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