Please click on the attachment to view Glen Shellrude, “The Freedom of God in Mercy and Judgment: A Libertarian Reading of Romans 9:6-29”, Evangelical Quarterly 81.4 (2009), 306–318.

Here is the author's abstract:

Romans 9:6-26 is commonly interpreted to mean that Jewish unbelief and Gentile
responsiveness to the Gospel was something ordained or predestined by
God. This article identifies elements in the whole context of 9 – 11 which call this
approach in question. It then proposes that Paul’s intent is to rebut the claim
that God was under obligation to ensure that Israel recognize the time of fulfillment.
Paul argues that God: 1. is free to define his people on the basis of who
responds to his gracious initiative; 2. is free to respond to Israel’s unbelief with
a judgment of hardening rather than turning up the heat of irresistible grace; 3.
is free to use the occasion of a hardened Israel for a broader proclamation of the

Very often Calvinists will cite Proverbs 21:1 as a proof text for God’s exhaustive control over the will and decisions of men. Their use of the passage is not intended to demonstrate that God may at times override the will as Arminians would have little difficulty affirming, but that God is always in control of the will in such a way that we cannot will or do anything that God Himself has not caused us to do. If man has any independent control of his will then God is not “sovereign” according to the standard Calvinist understanding of sovereignty (exhaustive determinism). While there may be some Calvinists who do not hold to such a definition of sovereignty, it is the traditional Calvinist position held by John Calvin and most of his theological followers. The subject matter of this post is concerned only with Calvinists who hold to exhaustive determinism and see Prov. 21:1 as a text that confirms this doctrine as Biblical.

The passage reads:

This article continues McCall's critique of a popular Calvinistic view of God's sovereignty as represented by John Piper, which can be applied to the standard view of Calvinism, i.e., exhaustive determinism, which includes God's unconditional decree of all sin and evil. John Piper responded (link) to McCall's first article (link), and this article is McCall's reply.

Please click on the attachment to view Thomas McCall, "We Believe in God's Sovereign Goodness: A Rejoinder to John Piper", Trinity Journal 29/2 (Fall 2008) 235-246.

Here is an exchange that took place in our private discussion group (edited a bit):

One SEA member said:

I read the following during my daily reading time today.

FIRST: David was being pursued by Saul. So, David asked the Lord that,
if he goes down to Keilah, will Saul also come down there, and will
they deliver David into Saul's hand? The Lord answered yes.

So, what did David do? "So David and his men, who numbered about six
hundred, set out and left Keilah; they moved around from one place to
another" (1 Sam. 23:10-13).

So what we find here is that God knew WHAT WOULD happen IF David went
to Keilah - he would meet Saul there, for God foreknew that Saul would
be there, and that those in Keilah would hand him over to Saul. BUT
THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. David left the area of Keilah. God knew WHAT
WOULD happen, even that which DID NOT happen. God foreknows future
contingencies, and is not directing every event by a strict necessity
or predetermined decree.