Saturday, December 20, 2008

Puzzle#2 How can God regret?

A member pointed out in 1 Sam 15:35 that God regretted making Saul King.
How can an all-knowing God regret His actions if He can see the Beginning and the End?

Please give your comments.

2 comments:

Lim Liat said...

Here are more verses about God's regrets.
Genesis 6:6 LORD was grieved (nacham) that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain
Jeremiah 18:8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent (nacham) of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
Jeremiah 26:3 If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent (nacham) me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.
Jonah 3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent (nacham), and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

1 Samuel 15:29 NIV He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind."
1Sa 15:29 ESV And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret."

A better wording, according to the concordance is "Grieved", not regret.

Lim Liat said...

There are similar verses that said God hardened Pharaoh's heart Exo 9:12; or God raised up evil against David's household 2 Sam 16:10 etc.

God put law and order in place in the universe, let the law of gravity. When one violate the laws, eg. jumping from a high-rise building, one would be killed. It could be said that the Law of Gravity kills the person. But the trigger is not the law but the man violating the law of gravity.

The greater the miracle that God shows to Pharaoh, the angrier he got. God just be God to do the miracle. It was Pharaoh own hearts that was hardened to begin with. In other parts of Genesis, it recorded Pharaoh hardened his own heart.

God has put the law Gal 6:6-8 in effect. He who sins shall reaps the consequence of his sins. God cannot violate himself and his own law. It is the man's sin that bring forth the evil consequences of his sin. But it is God's law at work and in a way we could say it was God.