OF GOD’S IMMUTABILITY (I)
“He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”” 1 Samuel 15:29 NIV
It is impossible for God to be inconsistent or fickle in character. He does not evolve, adjust, or reconsider as though new information has come to light. He is eternally perfect, complete in knowledge, and unwavering in purpose.
Why then does the same chapter say, “I regret that I have made Saul king” (1 Samuel 15:11)? Does God regret? Does He change His mind?
Scripture is not contradicting itself. Rather, it is revealing something profound about how God communicates with us. Theologians call this anthropopathism, the attribution of human emotions to God in order to help finite creatures grasp infinite realities.
Just as the Bible speaks of the “arm of the Lord” or the “eyes of the Lord,” not because God possesses a physical body, but because such language accommodates our weakness, so too it speaks of God “regretting.” This is more a divine condescension, than an instability.
When God “regrets” making Saul king, it does not imply error in His decree, ignorance in His foresight, or surprise in His providence. God did not discover Saul’s disobedience. He ordained history in perfect wisdom. Rather, the language communicates God’s settled and holy opposition to sin.
It reveals His relational posture toward Saul’s rebellion. The change is not in God’s eternal will, but in Saul’s moral position before a holy God. Child of God, be confident in the knowledge that out God’s nature remains immutably righteous; even when obedience does not.
Build therefore, your life on obedience rather than sacrifice.
Prayer: My Father, I thank you for this wisdom. Though circumstances shift and emotions rise and fall, my heart remains steadied knowing that you are faithful, and true. I trust your eternal purposes, even when your ways are beyond my understanding. Thank you that in Christ, your promises stand secure forever and you can be trusted. Amen.
CI.
RELATED RESOURCES
• Malachi 3:6
• Numbers 23:19
• Genesis 6:6
