1Sam 23 - Did God know?

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1Sam 23:9 Now David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; so he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here."
1Sam 23:10 Then David said, "O LORD God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account.
1Sam 23:11 "Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant." And the LORD said, "He will come down."
1Sam 23:12 Then David said, "Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will surrender you."
1Sam 23:13 Then David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the pursuit.
1Sam 23:14 David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.

David knows Saul is chasing him and wants to kill him. Saul heard that David was in Keilah. It seems that if saul finds out the people of Kielah are hiding David, Saul will destroy the city.

So David asks God... will Saul come? ..and if he does, will the people of Kielah give me over to Saul?
God answers "yes" to both questions... but yet, neither of those things happened.

 

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Let’s break it down:

What David Asked​

David asked two questions:

1. Will Saul come down to Keilah?
2. Will the men of Keilah surrender me to Saul?

God answered yes to both.

What Actually Happened​

• David left Keilah before Saul arrived.
• Therefore, Saul did not come, and the men of Keilah did not surrender David.

So what’s going on?​

This is a classic example of a counterfactual conditional—God revealed what would happenif David stayed in Keilah. But David, upon hearing the warning, changed his course of action, and the prophecy did not come to pass.

This passage is often cited in discussions of:

• Open Theism: which holds that God knows all possibilities and responds dynamically to human choices.
• Middle Knowledge (Molinism): which posits that God knows what free creatures would do in any given circumstance.
• Classical Theism: which might interpret this as God using foreknowledge to guide David without implying any change in God's nature.

Key Takeaway​

God’s answers weren’t false—they were true conditionals. If David had stayed, Saul would have come, and the people of Keilah would have betrayed him. But David’s decision to leave changed the outcome.

This shows a dynamic interaction between divine knowledge and human freedom. It’s a powerful example of how God’s foreknowledge can serve as a warning and guidance, not just a fixed prediction.

 

[B-A-C]

Gen 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Gen 6:6 The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.


Why would God create the earth, and mankind, if He was going to destroy almost all of it?

1. God's Desire for Relationship​

God created humanity out of love and for relationship. Even though He knew sin would enter the world, the value of genuine love and freely chosen relationship outweighed the cost of rebellion.

• Genesis 1–2 shows a good creation.
• Genesis 6 shows that sin corrupted it.
• But even after the flood, God recommits to humanity through Noah and later through covenants with Abraham, Moses, and ultimately through Christ.

The flood wasn’t the end—it was a reset, preserving a remnant to continue the story of redemption.

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2. Free Will and Real Consequences​

God gave humans free will, which means they could choose good or evil. The flood shows that God takes human choices seriously and that evil has real consequences.

• God’s grief in Genesis 6:6 shows He is not indifferent.
• The destruction wasn’t arbitrary—it was a response to pervasive violence and corruption (Gen 6:11–13).

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3. Judgment and Mercy Intertwined​

Even in judgment, God shows mercy:

• He warns Noah and gives time to build the ark.
• He saves a remnant—Noah and his family.
• He makes a covenant never to destroy the earth by flood again (Gen 9:11–17).

This pattern repeats throughout Scripture: judgment followed by mercy, destruction followed by renewal.

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4. A Story of Redemption​

Some see the flood as part of a larger redemptive arc:

• Creation → Fall → Judgment → Redemption → Restoration.
• The flood is not the end of the story—it points forward to a greater salvation.

Just as Noah’s ark saved a few from judgment, later Jesus becomes the “ark” of salvation for all who believe.

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5. Theological Interpretations​

Different theological frameworks offer different answers:

• Classical Theism: God knew all things eternally and permitted evil for a greater good.
• Open Theism: God knew all possibilities and responded dynamically to human choices.
• Molinism: God knew what free creatures would do in any circumstance and chose a world where His purposes would be fulfilled.