Does God change His mind?
Scripture says both, without contradiction: God is unchanging in His character and purposes, 'I, Yahweh, don't change,' and yet He responds to people, relenting from threatened judgment when they repent and turning in mercy. The Bible uses the language of God 'repenting' to describe His faithful, gracious response to human change, while insisting that His nature, His faithfulness, and His eternal purposes stand firm. God may be trusted never to change.
This question arose from studying Is God really in control? and How do I know God's will?.
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What the Scripture says
God's character and purposes never change
Scripture is emphatic that God is not fickle. He declares, 'For I, Yahweh, don't change; therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.' James says that with the Father of lights 'can be no variation, nor turning shadow.' And through Balaam comes the ancient word: 'God is not a man, that he should lie, nor the son of man, that he should repent.' God's word stands; His purposes do not shift with the wind like ours.
“For I, Yahweh, don’t change; therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor the son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good?God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Yet Scripture plainly speaks of God relenting
The Bible is also honest that God responds. At the golden calf, after Moses pleaded, 'Yahweh repented of the evil which he said he would do to his people.' When Nineveh repented in sackcloth and ashes, 'God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn't do it.' And God said of Saul, 'It grieves me that I have set up Saul to be king.' The same Scriptures that say God does not change also show Him turning in response to people.
Yahweh repented of the evil which he said he would do to his people.And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn’t do it.And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
“It grieves me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he is turned back from following me, and has not performed my commandments.” Samuel was angry; and he cried to Yahweh all night.It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.
They hold together in God's faithful consistency
There is no contradiction, because the God who does not change is the God who has always been merciful to the repentant. Jonah knew this about Him: 'you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.' The threatened judgment was real; the mercy toward those who turn is equally real and never changes. Because God is unchangingly merciful, He responds to genuine repentance in exactly the way He always has.
He prayed to Yahweh, and said, “Please, Yahweh, wasn’t this what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore I hurried to flee to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
Who knows whether God will not turn and relent, and turn away from his fierce anger, so that we might not perish?”Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn’t do it.And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘He brought them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth?’ Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people.Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
God's 'repenting' is not a change as a man changes
The Bible uses the language of God repenting to speak of His real grief and His real turning, but it guards the meaning: 'the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent.' When God relents, He is not being persuaded against His nature; He is being consistent with His nature, responding to our change in the way His unchanging character has always promised. We can plead with God, as Moses did, and He hears, because He is a person, not a machine.
Also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent.”And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor the son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good?God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Moses begged Yahweh his God, and said, “Yahweh, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘He brought them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth?’ Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people.Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
What this means for us: pray boldly, trust forever
Because God responds, our prayers matter: Moses interceded and the Lord relented, and we are invited to bring our requests to a God who hears. Because God does not change, our hope is secure: 'the counsel of Yahweh stands fast forever,' and 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.' He who began a good work in you will complete it. We can pray with boldness to a God who is responsive, and trust without fear a God who is unchanging in His faithfulness and love.
Yahweh repented of the evil which he said he would do to his people.And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
The counsel of Yahweh stands fast forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
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How do I pray?→Prayer trail“Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen. ’After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”Does God really hear my prayers?→Prayer trail“This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”We haven't written this one yet. Take it to your church or small group: the Word answers it wherever it is asked. If we study it here later, all the better.
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Verses to meditate on
“For I, Yahweh, don’t change; therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor the son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good?God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn’t do it.And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
Yahweh repented of the evil which he said he would do to his people.And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
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