“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” Numbers 23:19
“Then the LORD relented and did not bring on His people the disaster He had threatened.” Exodus 32:14
These verses – and others like them – seem to contradict each other regarding whether God ever changes his mind once he has decided something. This is not just an abstruse theological or philosophical question, however; it is one that can have direct application to our lives. Consider what the Scriptures teach.
Probably the most quoted biblical example of God changing his mind is that of Abraham, who prayed for the few righteous people living in the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16–33). But although God agreed not to punish the cities if he found a continually decreasing number of righteous individuals – as Abraham asked – God still destroyed the cities in this example, although it shows Abraham felt it was not inappropriate to ask God to change his mind.
There are other, clearer examples where God clearly does change his mind regarding what he declares. For example, Ezekiel 4 records that God instructed the prophet to prepare a meal, saying “Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel” (Ezekiel 4:12). When Ezekiel insisted that he did not want to do this, we are told that God changed his command, saying: “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement” (Ezekiel 4:15). In this case the symbolic message God wanted to convey to the people of Judah was preserved, but he was willing to change his mind regarding how the message would be conveyed.
There are many other biblical examples such as this where people prayed to God and he changed his mind in regard to what he had predicted he would do. But to understand these verses – and the seeming conflict with other verses that say God does not change – we must differentiate between “relative” or “conditional” statements and “absolute” or “unconditional” statements made by God. In some cases, God simply will never change – for example, he will always react to a situation righteously. For that very reason God will change if, again for example, God decides to punish us – unless we repent – and we do repent. In that case, God would be unrighteous not to change his mind regarding whether we should be punished or not. The Bible has numerous examples of this.
God had the prophet Jonah tell the people of Nineveh that he would destroy their city in forty days (Jonah 3:4). However, Nineveh’s inhabitants repented of their sin (verses 5–9) and in response to their repentance, God relented: “He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened” (verse 10). This is a clear example of a conditional statement by God. His “change of mind” was entirely consistent with his character. His underlying nature did not change, rather God simply changed a predicted outcome relative to new circumstances in order to maintain the righteous judgment on which the prediction was based.
On the other hand, an example of an unconditional statement by God can be seen in his promise to King David: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). There is no condition expressed or implied in this statement. No matter what David’s descendants did or did not do, God’s prediction was unchangeable, according to his plan.
So God’s inherent nature does not ever change, but he is willing to change his intentions in order to maintain outcomes that are according to his righteous character, mercy and love.
“Then the LORD relented and did not bring on His people the disaster He had threatened.” Exodus 32:14
These verses – and others like them – seem to contradict each other regarding whether God ever changes his mind once he has decided something. This is not just an abstruse theological or philosophical question, however; it is one that can have direct application to our lives. Consider what the Scriptures teach.
Probably the most quoted biblical example of God changing his mind is that of Abraham, who prayed for the few righteous people living in the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16–33). But although God agreed not to punish the cities if he found a continually decreasing number of righteous individuals – as Abraham asked – God still destroyed the cities in this example, although it shows Abraham felt it was not inappropriate to ask God to change his mind.
There are other, clearer examples where God clearly does change his mind regarding what he declares. For example, Ezekiel 4 records that God instructed the prophet to prepare a meal, saying “Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel” (Ezekiel 4:12). When Ezekiel insisted that he did not want to do this, we are told that God changed his command, saying: “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement” (Ezekiel 4:15). In this case the symbolic message God wanted to convey to the people of Judah was preserved, but he was willing to change his mind regarding how the message would be conveyed.
There are many other biblical examples such as this where people prayed to God and he changed his mind in regard to what he had predicted he would do. But to understand these verses – and the seeming conflict with other verses that say God does not change – we must differentiate between “relative” or “conditional” statements and “absolute” or “unconditional” statements made by God. In some cases, God simply will never change – for example, he will always react to a situation righteously. For that very reason God will change if, again for example, God decides to punish us – unless we repent – and we do repent. In that case, God would be unrighteous not to change his mind regarding whether we should be punished or not. The Bible has numerous examples of this.
God had the prophet Jonah tell the people of Nineveh that he would destroy their city in forty days (Jonah 3:4). However, Nineveh’s inhabitants repented of their sin (verses 5–9) and in response to their repentance, God relented: “He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened” (verse 10). This is a clear example of a conditional statement by God. His “change of mind” was entirely consistent with his character. His underlying nature did not change, rather God simply changed a predicted outcome relative to new circumstances in order to maintain the righteous judgment on which the prediction was based.
On the other hand, an example of an unconditional statement by God can be seen in his promise to King David: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). There is no condition expressed or implied in this statement. No matter what David’s descendants did or did not do, God’s prediction was unchangeable, according to his plan.
So God’s inherent nature does not ever change, but he is willing to change his intentions in order to maintain outcomes that are according to his righteous character, mercy and love.
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