Post by Mike Miller on Sept 23, 2008 16:18:54 GMT -5
A friend sent me an e-mail with the question of whether God changes His mind. She was in a Bible study on Jonah, and they discussed Jonah 3:4 & 10, where it says that God "relented of the disaster that He had said He would do to them, and He did not do it." So, does God change His mind? Does He plan to do one thing, and then because of something people do, He changes His plans and/or purposes? This is a great question because we see something similar in Exodus 32:9-14, where Moses intercedes on behalf of Israel, and in Isaiah 38:1-6 where God added fifteen years to Hezekiah's life. We also see in Genesis 6:6 where God was "sorry that He had made man on the earth" and 1 Samuel 15:10 where He was sorry that He had made Saul king. The reason this question is so important is because if God does change His mind, it means that He does not know the outcome of events from the beginning. If He was sorry He did something, does that mean He would have done something differently had He known the outcome? If He changes course regarding a certain situation, does that mean He didn't know which way things would go?
To answer this question, we must go to Scripture. And when we do we see some apparent contradictions. I say "apparent" because of my conviction that Scripture is God's Word, and God cannot contradict Himself. Therefore, we have to try to get the big picture. The tension comes when we read Isaiah 46:9-11, Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Romans 11:29, Job 23:13, Psalm 33:11, Hebrews 6:17, and others. All those state clearly that God's plans never change, and that God never changes. In fact, Isaiah 46:9-11 teaches that God knows the outcome of everything in advance. Why? Because He brings about His desired result always.
So, what do we do here? We realize that God sometimes describes Himself with human terminology. For example, though we know He is Spirit and does not have a body, we read about His face, back, hands, feet, ears, and eyes. Similarly, He speaks of Himself as waking and rising early, though we know He never sleeps.
Therefore, when God says, for example, that He is going to destroy someone, then that someone repents and is not destroyed, God is simply stating with human terms the reality of the situation. If the person/people don't repent, they will be destroyed. This does not mean He didn't know they would repent. In fact, in the case of Jonah, Jonah gets angry because he knew the Ninevites would repent and turn to God and that God would forgive them. God knew this too. That's why He pursued Jonah so intently. In other words, God would destroy them if the situation didn't change. It did change, however, as God knew it would.
And when it comes to His feeling sorry for having done something, that is simply an expression of His displeasure of the current situation. It doesn't mean He didn't plan the situation. It just means that He is temporarily grieved. When I've taken my small children to the doctor for an immunization, it has grieved me to hold them down while a stranger stabbed them with sharp objects. I was sorry to do that. But it was my will and good intention, for which I was at the same time happy to do in order potentially to save my children's lives.
So, God is unchanging in His nature, His counsel, and His will. The theological term for this is the immutability of God. It is a rich and sweet doctrine, for we know that all God has spoken of that has yet to come to pass will happen exactly as He said it will. He cannot be persuaded to do otherwise. Oh, the glory and the magnificence of the perfectly sovereign God of all creation!
To answer this question, we must go to Scripture. And when we do we see some apparent contradictions. I say "apparent" because of my conviction that Scripture is God's Word, and God cannot contradict Himself. Therefore, we have to try to get the big picture. The tension comes when we read Isaiah 46:9-11, Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Romans 11:29, Job 23:13, Psalm 33:11, Hebrews 6:17, and others. All those state clearly that God's plans never change, and that God never changes. In fact, Isaiah 46:9-11 teaches that God knows the outcome of everything in advance. Why? Because He brings about His desired result always.
So, what do we do here? We realize that God sometimes describes Himself with human terminology. For example, though we know He is Spirit and does not have a body, we read about His face, back, hands, feet, ears, and eyes. Similarly, He speaks of Himself as waking and rising early, though we know He never sleeps.
Therefore, when God says, for example, that He is going to destroy someone, then that someone repents and is not destroyed, God is simply stating with human terms the reality of the situation. If the person/people don't repent, they will be destroyed. This does not mean He didn't know they would repent. In fact, in the case of Jonah, Jonah gets angry because he knew the Ninevites would repent and turn to God and that God would forgive them. God knew this too. That's why He pursued Jonah so intently. In other words, God would destroy them if the situation didn't change. It did change, however, as God knew it would.
And when it comes to His feeling sorry for having done something, that is simply an expression of His displeasure of the current situation. It doesn't mean He didn't plan the situation. It just means that He is temporarily grieved. When I've taken my small children to the doctor for an immunization, it has grieved me to hold them down while a stranger stabbed them with sharp objects. I was sorry to do that. But it was my will and good intention, for which I was at the same time happy to do in order potentially to save my children's lives.
So, God is unchanging in His nature, His counsel, and His will. The theological term for this is the immutability of God. It is a rich and sweet doctrine, for we know that all God has spoken of that has yet to come to pass will happen exactly as He said it will. He cannot be persuaded to do otherwise. Oh, the glory and the magnificence of the perfectly sovereign God of all creation!