What is status of 'the future'?

Got an email from a theology classmate about yesterday's blog. In light of his input I wanted to explain my beliefs a bit more.

Yesterday in Bible study we read the final chapter of 2 Kings. In it, the epic journey of God's People lies in ruins. The descendents of the slaves freed from Pharaoh's cruel hands entered the Promised Land with a covenant promse from God. "If you obey, I will prosper you; if you disobey and act like the former occupants (Caananites, etc.) then I will treat you as I treated them and wipe you off the face of the map."

2 Kings ends with a small remnant of Jews headed back to Egypt. The journey has come full circle. The Kingdom of Israel is no more. The Davidic monarchy is in exile, under the thumb of the Babylonian king, never to rule again. The rich land is now in the possession of another Empire. The promise has been kept, a promise of destruction for sin.

The book of Jeremiah, ironically, contains much more detail and information. Chapters 24 and 25 (of 2 Kings) are found, in toto, in the book of Jeremiah. They seemed to have been lifted and copied there. Or perhaps, whoever penned the book of Jeremiah also penned 2 Kings? [I assume it was a group process, but I am not ancient scholar so its best I not embarass myself!] At any rate, in Jeremiah, God makes an offer. The remnant is invited to remain in the land, to live there faithfully, under the rule of the Babylonian King. If the people do so, says Jeremiah, they will be blessed. However, the decision to go to Egypt will be doom. That decision will result in destruction, even annihilation. The people will be no more.

Consistent with the ongoing narrative (Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings) the people declare that whatever God says they will do. The reader is weary hearing this empty pledge again and again. God also has grown weary! No sooner do the people make the declaration of obedience then they reject the words of Jeremiah and decide to go off to Egypt; never to be heard from again in the Biblical literature.

God offers the people a choice. Their choice will create (or better, co-create with GOD) a future. In Deuteronomy God says, "I offer you Life of Death, choose Life." Some claim that God has not really made such an offer. He knows what the people will do, He knows what will happen, in some real sense, they tell us, God is the author of their decision. In such a view, the narrative is, at some level, a sham. God's words are devoid of meaning in any normal sense. His offer is not an offer at all, because in the end His choice is to lead the people to destruction. [and I am very aware that there are verses throughout the OT which fits this model] However, I think that God is not playing games. I believe the offer is real. I believe that the people of Judah stand at a crossroads. I believe that two opportunities lie before them, two genuine options. I believe that the choice can be made for either.

I also believe that God has granted humans 'dominion' in His creation. He has made a world where His own divine perogatives are somehow diminished and withdrawn. God is not present, from the begining of Genesis, all the time. He comes and goes. He has created an empty space, a place where humans can live and choose. That is how love is possible, after all (and I have written on this in the past). Puppets cannot love, even if the puppet master makes them say and do things which sound and look like love. Because God is not controlling (by His own choice) every detail of every event (He could if He wanted to but chooses not to for the greater good of His creation); therefore, we live in a world where every detail of the future is not cast in stone. God still has a plan, a final destination, in mind. God is still at work, most often in a clandestine manner, barely discernable for those who seek Him, totally hidden from those who do not. So God is present and active, but He is also absent and removed. After all how could he intervene if He is already controllling everything?

The key point, as I see it (and I am no great intellect so this may be something I should not even dare to address) is that the future is yet to be written. The choices made and the events which take place inform the future possibilities. The future is fluid but God is ever shaping it into the desired outcomes (i.e., Salvation, Justice, Peace, etc.) which He seeks. Some day He plans to bring it to a close.

Our freedom can work in league with our Heavenly Father, or we can choose to oppose Him. In the end, we are held accountable for our decisions and our behaviors. Within the confines of time, there is a sense in which 'we will just have to see what happens.' Yet, we can still be confident that God will find a way to achieve His intended goals. It is not necessary for Him to micromanage every detail in order to make that happen. The cost of human freedom is manifest in the cross. Literally, loving us is killing God! Yet, He has the power to overcome sin and death (resurrection) so Life conquers Death. That is why we can have hope.