Theological Theses · §2035 · Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu

Keilah: God knew the betrayal from his decree to save David by flight, without an explicit conditional decree

For example, God knew that Saul would come to the city of Keilah and that its people would hand David over to Saul if David stayed there. He knew it because he had decreed to rescue David from Saul's hands not by a miracle or by some extraordinary change of heart in Saul or in the people of Keilah, but by David's withdrawal and flight.

It follows that David would have been handed over to Saul if he had stayed with the people of Keilah. Yet we do not posit in God an explicit decree of the form 'I will that the people of Keilah hand David over if he stays with them.'

Latin

XL. Exempli causa, noverat Deus Saulem venturum in urbem Kehilam, & Kehilanos Davidem Sauli tradituros, si David ea in urbe maneret: quia decreverat Davidem ex manibus Saulis eripere, non per miraculum aliquod, aut extraordinariam quandam animi mutationem sive in Saule, sive in Kehilanis, sed per Davidis recessum & fugam; Unde sequitur Davidem in manus Saulis fuisse tradendum si mansisset apud Kehilanos: quanquam explicitum ejusmodi decretum in Deo non ponamus, Volo ut Ceilani Davidem tradant si maneat apud ipsos.

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