God Repented
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 (Jonah 3:10).
The question relating to God changing His mind seems to come up quite often. The idea of God repenting would contradict the doctrine of God’s immutability. The Hebrew word, used here and also in Genesis 6:6 and Exodus 32:14, means to “sigh” or “to be sorry for.”
The immutability of God simply refers to the truth that God does not change. He is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Since God is perfect in His character, nature, plans and purposes, there is no way possible for Him to change His mind. However, He can be sorry or feel regret for something that has taken place.
We must keep in mind that His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8, 9). This does leave the door open for some misunderstanding on our part.
When God sent Jonah to Nineveh, He knew exactly how they would respond to His message and He knew how they would return to their false gods 150 years later. God knew that He would revoke His sentence of evil upon them before Jonah ever arrived in Nineveh. The people in Jonah’s day turned to Jonah’s God while their descendants turned away from Him paving the way for God’s wrath to take place against them.
God did not change in His intentions toward the people of Nineveh. He had compassion them in Jonah’s day but later the intentions of the Ninevites changed and God could no longer deal with them in grace.
Our whole world is heading in the same direction that the people in Nineveh did when they turned away from God. Just as the wrath of God came upon Nineveh, so will it be revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Romans 1:18).
Praise God today for His immutability. >From everlasting to everlasting He is God (Psalm 90:2) and He has not changed. We can be certain of His promises, His constant love for us, His sustaining power in our lives and that His eternal plans and purposes for our lives will be carried out. There is great comfort and security in knowing Who God is and that He is always the same.
It certainly would be a great thing if we prayed for revival in our churches. If the world could get a good look at the power of God in the lives of God’s people, many thousands would turn to Him much in the same way that the lost turned to Him in the Great Awakening.
Remember: God knows all things from the beginning to the end and His sovereign plans and purposes made before the foundation of our world will be carried out.
God Repented? Keep in mind again that our viewpoint and God’s viewpoint are going to be different. From our perspective, it may seem that He changed His mind from a previous decision. Again: It was not so much that God changed His mind but that the people of Nineveh changed theirs, something God knew would take place. God wanted to be merciful to them all along just as He desires to be merciful to all who will repent of their sins and come to Him today.
George Stiekes held successful pastorates in churches in Michigan and Washington among other places. He currently resides in North Carolina and blogs at Reverent Reflections. We recommend his ministry and republish his material by permission.
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