In chapter 32 of the Book of Exodus, when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai after receiving the Ten Commandments, he found that the people had fallen into sin. They had made for themselves a golden calf and were worshipping that instead of worshiping the Lord. The Lord then told Moses that he was ready to destroy the nation of Israel.
“I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation” (Exodus 32:9-10).
The death sentence on Israel was certainly just. They had continually rejected God’s truth and turned to idol worship. Rather than honor the Lord for their deliverance from Egypt, they attributed their freedom to idols. Consequently, the Lord told Moses that he would destroy Israel and start all over with Moses.
However, Moses pleaded to God to not destroy the people.
Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened (Exodus 32:14).
Did the prayer of Moses change God’s mind? It would certainly seem so. But perhaps we ought to look more deeply. Did God truly change his mind — or did the prayer of Moses simply change the outcome? Several points need to be made.
Human Actions and Emotions Attributed to God
“Anthropomorphism” is a term that refers to how we humans tend to attribute our own human actions and emotions to God. What we see in the story above is that God indeed did change his mind at the request of Moses.
Because that is how we would have behaved, how we would have changed our minds, we attribute that same sense to God. Yet we sometimes forget — he is God, and we are not.
The thing is, we find in the Book of Exodus the role of Moses was as the mediator between God and the people. In the story above, there is another opportunity for Moses to fill that role. More than ever before perhaps, they needed him to intercede for them — and they didn’t even know it. While a holy God must judge the people for their sins, the judgment could become less severe.
Could it be significant that the Lord asked Moses to leave? Let’s face it, Moses’ presence would not have somehow hindered God from carrying out his will. Or could it be that God was giving Moses a warning — a heads-up — of what he was about to do?
Could it be that the Lord was giving Moses the opportunity to act as Israel’s intercessor, as was his calling? Certainly, if Moses had left, God could have and would have carried out his judgment. But Moses stayed — giving him the opportunity to intercede on their behalf.
The free will that God has given us was clearly present as well for Moses. An all-knowing God would have already known that if Moses were to intercede, judgment on Israel would be at least postponed.
A Different Perspective
From when David was a young boy, the Lord had identified him as “a man after his own heart…” (1 Samuel 13:14). It is quite likely the Lord did so because of David’s loyalty and worship of God, despite periods of great sin.
One characteristic feature of David’s biography is that he frequently sought the Lord’s counsel and direction. Whenever David faced a trial, especially with his enemies, he always asked to know God’s will.
And each time he inquired, the Lord graciously gave him a clear and definite answer. Since all the Bible stories “were written for our learning” (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11), they are full of instruction. These are no different.
In one such time, the Lord instructed David to go and save the small village of Keilah from the Philistines, which he did, even against the wishes of his men. Once the village was rescued, David had heard that King Saul — who was out for David’s head on a stick — was on his way to the village.
Thus, David inquired of the Lord, “David said, ‘Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant. And the Lord said, “He will” (1Samuel 23:10-11).
“Again, David asked, ‘Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?’ And the Lord said, “They will.” So, David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there (1 Samuel 23:12-13).
Wait a minute — David asked, “Will Saul come to the village, and will the villagers turn me over to him?” God answers “Yes! They will.” And yet, that turned out to not have occurred.
So, what happened? Did God err? Obviously not. Did he change his mind? It might seem so. Or did he simply tell David what was to be if David did not act? Clearly the latter. Had David stayed in Keilah, the Lord’s words to him would have proven true. But through his prayer, God gave David the opportunity to act differently.
Does Prayer Change God’s Mind?
We have, each one of us, experienced the pure joy of answered prayers. We have also experienced those times when it seemed like our prayers had fallen on deaf ears. However, one of the most telling stories in Scripture of unanswered prayer is Jesus himself, in the garden of Gethsemane.
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done” (Mathew 26:39,42).
God’s only begotten Son humbling himself in prayer — a prayer that went unanswered. We can only imagine God’s breaking heart. Yet, God knew the outcome. God knew the outcome before the prayer was spoken. God knew what was best — for his Son and for all of us.
If God was ever to “change his mind,” it would have been for his own son, wouldn’t it?
What Good Does Prayer Do?
Does prayer change God’s mind? Personally, based on what I read in the Bible, the answer to that is no, it does not. But what do I know, I’m just a regular guy on the very same journey as every person reading this. But a better question is — what difference does it make?
One might ask if prayer doesn’t change God’s mind and (too often, it seems) the answer is “no” — what good does prayer do exactly? There are a lot of answers to that question, and I am certain I do not know most of them. I can only speak from my own experience, and perhaps that of others I speak to and read about.
Prayer is important, even if God’s mind is not changed. Prayer can, and does, change outcomes. More importantly, prayer can, and does, change our response to those outcomes, even if those outcomes are not as we would have chosen or prayed for.
Prayer is important because it leads us into a closer relationship with God. It draws us, and ties us, and binds us, and in a way, nothing else can. Prayer doesn’t always mean that we are the ones doing the talking.
Even, perhaps especially, when we sit quietly before the Lord, we learn to listen better and hear his voice speaking over us. We learn to trust him, to trust that he knows what is best, for us and for others.
And we learn to trust his will in our lives — whatever that will might be.
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