When God repents, does He change His mind? Read on:
Saul’s brief
military career and his family genealogy are first mentioned before the author provides
us with another story of Saul’s disobedience and his final confrontation with
the prophet Samuel.
Through the
prophet Samuel, God commands Saul to bring retribution on the Amalakites for
the way they treated Israel when they exited Egypt (See
Exodus 17:8–16). God had judged the Amalakites and said to Moses, “Write
this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will
utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven” (Exodus 17:14,
ESV). So God told Saul, “Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction
all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and
infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey” (1 Samuel 15:3, ESV). “One purpose of such total destruction was to
stop the spread of the “abominable practices” of paganism (Deut. 20:16–18). The
ban against Amalek is based on Deuteronomy 25:19.”[1]
In
the assault on the city of Amalek Saul showed mercy to the people of the
Kenites who were among them. The Kenites were the people of Moses’
father-in-law. Then we read in 1 Samuel 15:7–8 (ESV),
“7 And
Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of
Egypt. 8 And
he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all
the people with the edge of the sword.”
“This verse notes that at least one Amalekite—Agag—was left alive,
until Samuel kills him (1 Sam 15:33). However, the presence of Amalekites in
27:8 and 30:1–20 (400 are noted in 30:17) indicates that Saul had likely left
alive far more than just Agag.”[2] Again we have a situation of Saul’s selective obedience. When
Samuel confronted Saul, he excused himself for he said the people wanted to
save some of the animals for sacrifice. It is then we read these words:
“Has
the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the
voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than
the fat of rams. 23 For
rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from
being king.”[3]
“Even the best sacrifice
without obedience gains nothing.”[4] The story concludes with the
rejection of Saul as king and the kingdom will be given to another. Samuel himself killed Agag in obedience to
the Lord. “And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but
Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king
over Israel.” (1 Samuel 15:35, ESV)
There
is an interesting thread through this story:
·
“And Samuel did not see Saul
again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord
regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.” (1 Samuel 15:35,
ESV).
·
“And also the Glory of
Israel will not lie or have regret, for he
is not a man, that he should have regret.”” (1 Samuel 15:29, ESV)
·
“. . . the Lord regretted
that he had made Saul king over Israel.” (1 Samuel 15:35, ESV)
The LORD regretted; He does not
regret. What do we make of this
seemingly contradiction? There is no
contradiction. This is an important aspect to Biblical theology. God can act in accordance with His
righteousness and holiness, in keeping with His sovereign plan, yet He can
grieve over man’s sin and rebellion without the two facets controverting
themselves. The term for “have regret” (Hb. nakham)
can be translated “relent” or “change one’s mind[5]. God can act in immutable
righteousness and still feel regret about it.
Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem
yet we read these words: ““O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones
those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children
together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37, ESV) Ezekiel 18:23 (ESV) records these words:
23 Have
I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not
rather that he should turn from his way and live?
The point the reader
should note is that God, in fact, has two wills: there’s the will of desire;
and the will of determination. Neither
are in conflict with one another. An obvious example is found in John’s first
letter. We read in 1 John 2:1 (ESV),
“1 My
little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin . . .”
No one would
dispute that it is God’s will of desire that we do not sin. But God has also determined an outcome: “. .
. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous.”
John Piper provides
this illustration:
“If I spank my son for blatant disobedience and he runs away from
home because I spanked him, I may feel some remorse over the spanking — not in
the sense that I disapprove of what I did, but in the sense that I feel some
sorrow that the spanking was necessary and part of a wise way of dealing with
my son in this situation, and great sorrow that he ran away. If I had to do it
over again, I would still spank him. It was the right thing to do, even knowing
that one consequence would be alienation for a season. I approve the spanking
from one angle, and at the same time I regret the spanking from another angle.
If such a combination of emotions is possible for me in my finite decisions, it
is not hard for me to imagine that God’s infinite mind — the infinite
complexity of God’s emotional life — would be capable of something similar or
even more complex.”[6]
Saul was chosen by God
to be king over Israel. Saul’s behaviour was consistent disobedience. God’s
will of desire was to regret that He had made Saul king. But God’s will of determination sovereignly
over-ruled Saul’s failure. In fact it
was no surprise to God. He omnipotently
enveloped the sinful behaviour of Saul within His sovereign plan to His own
glory. His mind never changed.
[1] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible
(p. 515). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[2] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R.,
Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study
Bible (1 Sa 15:8). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[3] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Sa 15:22–23). Wheaton, IL:
Crossway Bibles.
[4] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible
(p. 516). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[5] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible
(p. 516). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[6] https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/why-does-god-regret-and-repent-in-the-bible
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