Subject: Is God subject to change? |
Bible Note: Dear Tim, We have a problem for Num 23:19 says "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? The solution must be found in harmonizing the above with Amos 7:6 and the other verses which you listed which show God as reversing Himself. I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to climb up on brother Packer's shoulders again. "It is true that there is a group of texts... which speak of God as repenting. The reference in each cas is to a revesal of God's treatment of a particular people, consequent on their reaction to that treatment. But there is no suggestionthat this reaction was not forseen, or that it took God by surprise and was not provided for in His eternal plan. No chnge in His eternal purpose is implied whe He begins to deal with a person in a new way." To my mind Packers explanation is far superior than the idea that God has a host of contingency plans (No offense to you Tim). Does Packer have the right approach? It would solve our dis-harmony problem. John |