GOD OUR ROCK

Does God Change His Mind?

When we think of God, sometimes we think of His excellent attributes such as justice, love, holiness, righteousness, all knowing, all present and His immutability. There are more but it is this last mentioned attribute I would like to comment on. We can say God is immutable or unchanging because of certain Scriptures found in the Bible.

Malachi 3:6 6 "For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

Numbers 23:19 19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Hebrews 13:8 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!
James 1:17 17 All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change.

These verses above are used to show forth God’s immutability but taken alone as I have listed them here can distort the understanding of them in their context. It may seem that the title of this article is answered in Numbers 23:19. This verse was a prophecy Balaam made to Balak king of Moab. After Israel crossed the Jordan and captured Jericho the other nations feared them. Balak wanted Balaam to curse Israel so they might defeat them in battle but Balaam could only bless them. This verse was making a specific point that God wanted Balak to understand concerning the situation. In its context, this verse cannot be used to universally teach, God never changes His mind.

God’s immutability or unchangeableness is in His essence, attributes and counsel. God does not change for He is a rock that we can trust in. He is our true stable foundation unlike all other things in this world that change. What is it that we can truly depend on apart from our Wonderful Lord? Our faith is only in Him. God will not change in who He is or what He is for He will always be God. God will not change in His attributes for He will always remain just, holy, loving and all of the rest. God will not change in what He declares to be right and wrong and why blessings and punishments come about. His Word that we have in the Bible will always remain the same. How would you feel praying to a god who would grant a request one day and deny it the next?

In thinking about the immutability of God, some have gone too far in believing that God does not change His mind and whatever God says will happen. If God says such and such will happen then you can count on that because God does not lie. That does not mean God cannot change His mind because we are given many examples in Scripture where God did change His mind and other situations where His decision was determined by what people did. Moses steps in and intercedes for Israel just after they came out of Egypt.

Exodus 32:12-14 12 Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.' " 14 And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

There are many situations as this where God relented of the evil He was going to do. There was Jonah in Nineveh.

Jonah 3:4-10 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. 6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish." 10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

There was David and the destroying angel.

1 Chronicles 21:14-17 14 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell. 15 And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw, and he relented from the calamity. And he said to the angel who was working destruction, "It is enough; now stay your hand." And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 16 And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. 17 And David said to God, "Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O Lord my God, be against me and against my father's house. But do not let the plague be on your people."

There was Isaiah and Hezekiah.

2 Kings 20:1-6 1 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, "Thus says the Lord, 'Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.' " 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3 "Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 "Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, 6 and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake."

What we are able to see in these events is God changing His mind on pronouncements that He had made. Now in the above examples it appears that men had changed the mind of God through their appeals to Him. This does not diminish God’s power or knowledge. Our Gracious God made it plain that if bad conduct was repented of and turned away from, He would turn away His wrath. Also if good conduct was turned into bad then the blessings would cease. When God changes His mind in His conduct toward someone, He does not do it grudgingly but He does it with compassion. He is always gracious in His blessings that He gives to His people.

Jeremiah 18:6-10 6 "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.

Jeremiah 26:2-3 2 "Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word. 3 It may be they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way, that I may relent of the disaster that I intend to do to them because of their evil deeds.

Therefore, we see that in some cases God’s actions depended upon the people and the situation at the time. Some doctrines portray God as a ridged god whose decrees have already determined the future. That is not what these Scripture references reveal. These verses should inspire prayer and supplication. We should boldly go to God with the right and proper requests that stem from an honest and humble heart. On the other hand, let us not think we can tell God what to do as some teach or that He is waiting to act according to our desires. God is still a sovereign God who does listen to us and will give us help in time of need. Christians can become so confused about prayer because of the different teaching they listen to. Some teach that we cannot change God’s mind and that we should pray because we are told to. I do not get that from the Bible or my experience with the Lord. My experience with the Lord is personal and very real. He reveals His will to me and out of love toward Him I obey somewhat imperfectly. In my life, whenever I have needed help I have asked Him and He has given it. My prayers are not spoken from blind obedience but out of a heart felt need for His help either for me or others.

Jesus said, Matthew 7:7-11 7 "Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened for you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Is there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 So then, if you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

We need to be careful what we ask for and how we ask,

James 4:3 3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.

We pray that our favorite team will win or our lottery numbers will be drawn. Most of us do not know what to pray for but if we bathe our self in the Word of God we will learn how and what to pray for. If we pray according to God’s will, He will hear us. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you, humble yourself and He will lift you up. Let us rejoice in the Lord and always give Him thanks for all of the great things He has done.

Fred Robbins March 2007