Good Morning Friends,
Scripture sometimes speaks of God in ways that make us pause. Genesis tells us that “the Lord regretted that he had made humankind” (Gen. 6:6). Exodus says “the Lord changed his mind” about destroying Israel (Ex. 32:14). Yet 1 Samuel declares that “the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind” (1 Sam. 15:29). And only a few verses later we read that “the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king” (1 Sam. 15:35). Does God repent? Does God change His mind? Or are these passages showing us something deeper about when God grieves?
Scripture Summaries
Genesis 6:6
Human wickedness fills the earth, and Scripture says God “regretted” making humanity. This is not divine indecision—it is divine sorrow. God grieves what sin has done to His creation.
Exodus 32:14
After Israel’s idolatry, Moses intercedes. God “relents,” not because He changed His eternal will, but because mercy is always God’s deepest desire. God’s heart bends toward compassion.
1 Samuel 15:29 & 15:35
Samuel insists God does not change His mind like humans do—He is faithful and unchanging. Yet the text also says God “regretted” making Saul king. The point is not contradiction but revelation: God’s character is constant, but His posture toward human choices is responsive. God is unchanging in holiness, yet responsive in relationship.
Message: The church has long understood today’s texts as anthropomorphic. Scripture uses human language to describe divine reality. Not because God is confused or changeable, but because we are limited, and God graciously speaks in ways we can understand. God is not fickle. God is not moody. God is not surprised. But God is deeply engaged, deeply relational, and yes deeply grieved by human wickedness. The Bible is not embarrassed to say that God feels grief. And Jesus is not embarrassed to show us what that grief looks like.We live in a world that is wicked, and sometimes shockingly so. And God is not indifferent to it. God is aware of our failings, our violence, our pride, our betrayals, our idols. Scripture’s language of “regret” and “relenting” is not about God changing His eternal nature; it is about God entering our world with a heart that feels. Jesus shows us this most clearly. He weeps at Lazarus’s tomb. He weeps over Jerusalem. He groans in Gethsemane. He cries out on the cross. If you want to know what God’s “regret” looks like, look at Jesus’ tears. If you want to know what God’s “relenting” looks like, look at Jesus forgiving His executioners. If you want to know what God’s “unchangeableness” looks like, look at Jesus’ unwavering love. God does not change His character, He is eternally holy, eternally just, eternally merciful. But God does respond to human sin with grief, and to human repentance with mercy. These passages are not dodgy; they are tender. They show us a God who is not cold or distant, but a God whose heart is moved by the suffering and sin of His people.
And So, friends, if God grieves, then we should too. Not with despair, but with hope. Not with cynicism, but with compassion. Not with resignation, but with the courage to love as Jesus loved. Because the God who grieves is also the God who saves. God is proactive, interactive and reactive. Everything about God is Christlike and there is nothing unChristlike about anything of God.
Pray that we see God’s grief as love, not weakness. Pray that we understand God’s constancy through Jesus’ tears. Pray that we repent of the wickedness that breaks God’s heart. Pray that we trust God’s mercy when He “relents.” Pray that we become people who feel what God feels. Pray that our hearts break for what breaks His. Pray that we live as people shaped by Jesus, the perfect revelation of the Father.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 