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The Bible is Full of Contradictions…God’s Omniscience

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Is God Omniscient?

‘O LORD, you have searched me and know me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.’ Psalm 139:1-4

‘For I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done…’ Isaiah 469,10

‘I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.’ Jer.17:10

‘No creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.’ Heb.4:13

An omniscient God is a God who knows everything. From the Latin omnis meaning ‘all’ and scientia meaning knowledge. He knows the thoughts of the hearts of human beings, a word before it is spoken, an action before it is taken. He knows ‘the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things not yet done.’

Yet the Bible shows God apparently waiting to find out some things. In the story of Abraham God seems to be testing Abraham’s right fear of the LORD. Seeing Abraham’s obedience, God says:

‘Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.’ Gen.22:12

Did God not know Abraham’s heart before?

In warning Israel of false prophets, God declares:

‘You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.’ Deut.13:3

Did the omniscient God not know the hearts of his people?

The first thing to understand is that these instances, and others like them, occur in the context of the relationship between God and man. God’s language is accommodated to the human perspective, man’s point of view. There is a lesson to be learned here and in the testing we discover our own character. God knows our hearts, but do we know our hearts? James tells us, ‘faith without works is dead.’ Js.2:20. Do I have saving faith in the grace of God in Christ? I must look at how that faith works out in my life, work out my faith with fear and trembling, as Paul tells us. Philip.2:12,13

In the Deuteronomy text God is not sending false prophets, he is allowing them. In the process of growing in the things of God, we learn from our experiences. False prophets will come, they will test our discernment, and they will tempt us with dreams, signs, and wonders.

Am I tempted by the thrills of this circus, or am I determined in my faithfulness to God, appreciative of his walking beside me, and giving me wisdom and warning? If tomorrow I end up in the circus tent, God already knows it today; do I know it? This is a conversation, not an investigation

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