These texts do not clearly specify that God did not know the data in question apart from observation. This must be inferred from incomplete data. In each case, other alternatives arise:
- In Genesis 3:9, God is not unaware of Adam’s presence (a fact which even an open theist, with his understanding that God possesses all past and present knowledge, should concede). Instead, this is a pedagogical technique designed to draw out a confession from Adam and Eve.
- Genesis 11:5 and 18:20–21 again speak of present knowledge, but in this case other explanations seem to commend themselves, namely, (1) that God was coming down in judgment, collecting evidence to that end, using (2) anthropomorphic language for the understanding of his hearers.
- Genesis 22:12 and Deuteronomy 13:3 also call for a judicial explanation. Nowhere in these passages do we find a statement that God was ignorant of the faith of those tested prior to the test, only that the test successfully demonstrated their faith (or lack of faith). This demonstration, then, becomes the basis for God’s response of blessing/judgment.
- Passages that suggest that God “remembers” and “forgets” (e.g., Ps 13:1) should not be taken as cognitive deficiency; rather, they speak to God either extending or withholding covenant blessings.
Stand Firm! 