Welcome back to the guest Pastor John podcast of Longtime Pastor and author John Piper.

And a long time listener to this podcast, Romela, wants confirmation on something that

she's beginning to sense in scripture and from listening to what we've been saying

on this podcast.

Over the years of Romela asks this, Pastor John, is it true that nothing ever takes God

by surprise? Yes, that's true. God is never surprised. To be surprised, you have to be uncertain

about what's coming. You have to be ignorant. God is never ignorant about the future or about

anything. He is never uncertain about what is coming. And we can know this for at least two

reasons. One is that the Bible shows that knowing the future, even the future of human

decisions, is part of what it means to be God. And the other is that the Bible shows that God's

foreknowledge is not the knowledge of something different from his will and plan, but that he

knows the future because he plans the future. So let's let's look at those one at a time and

passages to support them. Isaiah 41, 22, God calls the idols. He calls them to give an account

and he challenges them to show that they are gods. How does he do it like this?

Announce to us what is coming. Declare the things that are going to come afterward

that we may know that you are gods. What does that mean? In other words, gods in God's mind,

the capacity to predict the future belongs to God as God. It was part of his deity to be able to

declare things that come afterwards. He makes the same point in Isaiah 42, 8. He connects the power

to foreknow and divine glory. I am the Lord. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another.

Know my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things have come to pass.

Now I declare new things before they spring forth. I proclaim them to you. So you see the connection.

I am Yahweh and this is part of my divine glory. Before they spring forth, I proclaim them to you.

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