You Can Choose Your Future
WHILE divination was considered “a major intellectual achievement throughout the ancient world,” it was “an art derided by the Hebrew prophets,” notes archaeologist Joan Oates. Why?
Despite being surrounded by nations with a fatalistic view of life, the ancient Israelites rejected the idea of a blind force shaping their lives. In the instructions given to the nation, God had said to them: “There should not be found in you . . . anyone who employs divination, a practicer of magic or anyone who looks for omens or a sorcerer, or . . . a professional foreteller of events.”—Deuteronomy 18:10, 11.
Without the idea of fate or the use of fortune-tellers, the Israelites could have confidence about the future. Explaining the reason for this, the French Catholic encyclopedia Théo states that the nation believed that “man and the world were not the prey of some blind force. God had a purpose for man.” What was this purpose?
Destiny and Free Will
God promised the Israelites peace and prosperity if they were obedient to his laws. (Leviticus 26:3-6) In addition, they looked to a Messiah who would establish righteous conditions on the earth. (Isaiah, chapter 11) However, the fact that God promised these things did not mean that individuals could just sit back and let things happen. On the contrary, they were told: “All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power.”—Ecclesiastes 9:10.
Central to this was the idea of free will. The Israelites were free to serve God and shape their future. God promised them: “It must occur that if you will without fail obey my commandments that I am commanding you today so as to love Jehovah your God and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul, I also shall certainly give rain for your land at its appointed time, autumn rain and spring rain, and you will indeed gather your grain and your sweet wine and your oil.” (Deuteronomy 11:13, 14) God’s blessings came to Israel when they were obedient.
Just before they entered the land that he had promised them, God presented the nation of Israel with a choice: “See, I do put before you today life and good, and death and bad.” (Deuteronomy 30:15) Each person’s future was dependent on his own actions and decisions. Serving God meant life and blessings, whereas refusal to do so meant hardship. But what about today?
Cause and Effect
We are bound by a number of natural laws that have been put in place for our good. One of these is the law of cause and effect, or, as the Bible expresses it, “Whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) Once we recognize this principle, it is possible to consider the probability of certain future events.
If we drive recklessly at high speed, we are more likely to have an accident than if we drive cautiously. If we smoke, it is more likely that we will develop cancer than if we don’t smoke. Granted, events like the terrorist attacks mentioned in the opening article of this series seem unlikely to happen to us, and calculating their probability would be pointless. However, resorting to the idea of fate will get us nowhere. It does not illuminate the present or the future. Belief in a falsehood provides no real reassurance for the future. Neither does seeing God’s hand in every event.
What Will Your Future Be?
Our future has not been written down in advance but is shaped by the present. Even though life is a gift from God, the Bible clearly indicates that we have a key role to play in deciding our present and our future. The fact that we have the choice either to make God happy or, on the contrary, to make him sad shows that God has given us a measure of control over our lives.—Genesis 6:6; Psalm 78:40; Proverbs 27:11.
Additionally, the Holy Scriptures repeatedly emphasize that our future is linked to our endurance and our life course, which would have little meaning if things were already predestined. (Matthew 24:13; Luke 10:25-28) If, then, we choose to be obedient and faithful to God, what future can we expect?
The Bible reveals that mankind has a very bright future. The earth will be transformed into a paradise where peace and security will reign. (Psalm 37:9-11; 46:8, 9) That future is certain because the almighty Creator will fulfill his promises. (Isaiah 55:11) But our being blessed with life in Paradise does not depend on fate; it is to be enjoyed as a result of our obediently doing God’s will at this time. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8; Revelation 7:14, 15) God has given us free will and encourages us: “Choose life in order that you may keep alive.” (Deuteronomy 30:19) What will your choice be? Rather than being left to fate, your future is in your hands.
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God has purposed a marvelous future for obedient mankind