Puppets On a String?

Are we predestined by Yahweh for success or failure, and there is nothing we can do about it? Is everything that happens to us, His will? Is He causing us to do the things we do? Or don’t do? No, I do not think so. Briefly here is why I do not believe in predestination:

Eccl 9:11  I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Eccl 9:12  For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

He put us here and gave us the ability to choose good or evil. Most have chosen evil so far. We must choose the good in order to be saved. It is true that He opens the eyes (minds and hearts) of some while blinding others to His Truths for the present time. Apparently He knows who is more likely to accept His Truths and obey.

I also do not believe that Yahweh always knows what we will do in a certain situation (He could if He chose to, but he does not always want to, apparently).

He let Adam name the animals, Gen. 2:19, “…to see what he would call them.”

Exo 3:4, when Yah saw that Moses turned aside to see the bush,…”

1 Sam. 15:35, Yah was sorry that He had made Saul king.

Psa 14:2, Yah looked down from heaven to see if anyone was seeking Him.

Exo. 16:4, He tested the Israelites with manna, to see if they would walk in His law, or no.

Deut. 8:2, Further testing to see what was in their hearts.

This is a short, short essay to determine from Scripture if Yahweh always knows what we will do, or if He is controlling us. I believe the answer to both is No, He does not, and No, He is not. We have free moral agency, and can choose to obey or not to obey. We are not “puppets on a string!” We cannot blame Yahweh for our bad choices. ~