{"id":48548,"date":"2022-01-04T17:06:57","date_gmt":"2022-01-04T14:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=48548"},"modified":"2025-05-30T23:04:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T20:04:02","slug":"why-does-god-sometimes-act-like-he-doesnt-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2022\/01\/04\/why-does-god-sometimes-act-like-he-doesnt-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Does God Sometimes Act Like He Doesn\u2019t Know?"},"content":{"rendered":"

At first glance, it can seem strange that an <\/span>omniscient (all-knowing)<\/strong> God would ask questions or appear to investigate matters. Take, for example, the story of Cain and Abel. After Cain kills his brother, God asks:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen the Lord said to Cain, \u2018Where is Abel your brother?\u2019 He said, \u2018I do not know; am I my brother\u2019s keeper?\u2019\u201d
\n\u2014 Genesis 4:9<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We naturally wonder\u2014why would God ask this if He already knew what had happened?<\/p>\n

This is not a case of ignorance, but of divine condescension<\/strong>\u2014God choosing to interact with humans in ways they can understand. This is what theologians call anthropopathism<\/em>\u2014when God expresses Himself with human emotions or reasoning for our sake.<\/p>\n

Rather than immediately accusing Cain, God gives him the opportunity to confess and reflect. This is consistent with God\u2019s graceful character<\/strong> and His desire for repentance rather than condemnation (2 Peter 3:9).<\/p>\n

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God’s Humility in Dialogue<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Throughout Scripture, we find that God often allows room for human interaction\u2014even persuasion.<\/strong> A striking example is in God’s conversation with Moses after Israel’s rebellion:<\/p>\n

\u201cNow therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them\u2026 But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, \u2018O Lord\u2026 turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people.\u2019\u2026 And the Lord relented from the disaster\u2026\u201d
\n\u2014 Exodus 32:10\u201314 (excerpted)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Did God need Moses\u2019 advice? No. But He allowed Moses to intercede<\/strong> as a picture of Christ\u2019s future role as our intercessor<\/em> (Hebrews 7:25). This also reveals God’s willingness to engage relationally with humanity.<\/p>\n

This behavior demonstrates what theologians call relational theism<\/strong>\u2014the idea that God’s sovereignty includes real, responsive interaction with His creation.<\/p>\n

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God Investigates \u2014 Not Because He Doesn\u2019t Know, But to Show Justice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Another example is when God decided to investigate Sodom and Gomorrah before destroying them:<\/p>\n

\u201cThen the Lord said, \u2018Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great\u2026 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.\u2019\u201d
\n\u2014 Genesis 18:20\u201321<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

God is not ignorant here. Rather, He is showing that His judgment is measured, righteous, and justifiable<\/strong>. He models due process<\/strong>\u2014an important theme in biblical justice<\/strong>. This transparency in divine action encourages our trust in His fairness.<\/p>\n

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The Ultimate Humbling: God in Flesh<\/strong><\/h3>\n

God\u2019s humility is most powerfully displayed in the Incarnation<\/strong>\u2014God becoming human in the person of Jesus Christ:<\/p>\n

\u201cHave this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself\u2026 being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.\u201d
\n\u2014 Philippians 2:5\u20138<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is the mystery of kenosis<\/strong>\u2014Christ \u201cemptying Himself,\u201d not by losing divinity, but by laying aside His privileges. He chose to suffer, learn, weep, and even die<\/strong>. Why? So we could never say, \u201cGod doesn\u2019t understand my pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

The author of Hebrews affirms this:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.\u201d
\n\u2014 Hebrews 4:15<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jesus experienced poverty (Matthew 8:20)<\/strong>, rejection (John 1:11)<\/strong>, temptation (Matthew 4:1\u201311)<\/strong>, betrayal<\/strong>, and death<\/strong>\u2014so that He could be our perfect Savior and sympathetic Lord.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWeakness\u201d That Saves the World<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To the world, this kind of humility may seem foolish, even weak. But Scripture flips that thinking:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.\u201d
\n\u2014 1 Corinthians 1:25<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

God\u2019s willingness to appear \u201cweak\u201d is exactly what made our redemption<\/strong> possible. His death brought life. His \u201cdefeat\u201d at the cross secured our victory over sin and death.<\/p>\n

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What Does This Teach Us?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

God’s humility isn\u2019t just a theological concept\u2014it\u2019s an example<\/strong> for us. We are called to imitate the same attitude:<\/p>\n

\u201cDo nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves\u2026 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus\u2026\u201d
\n\u2014 Philippians 2:3, 5<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We are not just saved by<\/em> humility\u2014we are called to<\/em> humility.<\/p>\n

\u201cClothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for \u2018God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.\u2019\u201d
\n\u2014 1 Peter 5:5<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

God\u2019s \u201cquestions,\u201d His \u201cinvestigations,\u201d and His willingness to engage with us in seemingly human ways\u2014all reveal His loving and humble heart. He\u2019s not distant or removed. He stepped into our story, became one of us, and bore the worst of human suffering to rescue us.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s learn from His example: true strength lies in humility<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Come, Lord Jesus!<\/strong>
\n(Revelation 22:20<\/em>)<\/p>\n