[Cereus - Night Blooming Cactus]
As promised on the May 1, 2021 article on this blog (go here), here is more information concerning why God will never say "oops" and how he never makes mistakes or changes His mind, despite the fact that sometimes in Scripture it "appears" that He does so. The May 1,2021, article mentioned specifically the time that Moses interceded for the Israelites when God threatened to destroy the entire nation and then make a new nation by the descendants of Moses (Exodus 32:7-14). Please read those verses to better comprehend what transpired there. Verse 14 tells us: "And the LORD repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people."
As promised, I did more research on those verses (and others) on a respected Bible Commentary and also on the website Gotquestions.org I will quote some findings from both of those resources, but I recommend you visit the link for the entire article by gotquestions.org.
In the Bible, there are passages of "anthropathism", which means, according to Gotquestions.org and other sources, "a figure of speech in which the feelings or thought processes of finite humanity are ascribed to the infinite God. It's a way to help us understand God's work from a human perspective.
One Bible Commentary explains, concerning Exodus 32:14, that "changes of purpose are of course, attributed to God by an "economy" or accomodation of truth to human modes of speech and conception. When God threatened to destroy Israel, He knew that He would spare them; but, as He communicated to Moses, first, His anger, and then, at a later period, His intention to spare, He is said to have "repented." (Again, anthropathism).
As Gotquestions.org tells us, Malachi 3:6, James 1:7, and Numbers 23:19 "prove that God does not change! God is unchanging and unchangeable. He is also all-wise. So He cannot change His mind in the sense of realizing a mistake, backtracking, and trying a new tactic."
Remember the story of Jonah and how God instructed him to go to the sinful city of Nineveh and to tell the inhabitants there that He would destroy Nineveh. But all of Nineveh repented ! In 3:10 of the book of Jonah it says: "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."
When God said, "I will destroy Nineveh in forty days," He was speaking "conditionally" upon their response. God did not change His mind; rather His message to Nineveh was a warning meant to provoke repentance, and His warning was successful. (Thus explained plainly by GotQuestions.org.)
In both of the instances above (and more examples also given in the Gotquestions.org link), God was simply showing and staying true to His character, as gotquestions.org tells us. "God loves mercy and forgives the penitent. "
Aren't you glad that God will NOT change His mind where our salvation is concerned ! When we turn to Jesus in true repentance and complete belief in Him as the Savior, we become a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and in a figurative sense, God "changed His mind" about us previous unrepentant sinners and saw us through the cleansing salvation found in His Son, Jesus Christ the Savior. God now views us through His Son, as His children, and He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Our change of heart to accept Jesus as the Savior does not mean that God actually changes. If the heavenly Father does not save us for the sake of Christ, He would have acted contrary to His character, says the article at gotquestions.org .
What a loving and compassionate and patient Heavenly Father we have !! And, of course, that means Jesus as well, for they are as one. We should show our love and gratitude to the good Lord by living a life of obedience, and that includes not only obeying His commands, but endeavoring to be as Christlike as is possible - actually, that is also a command.
"Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." - Matthew 16:24
We cannot do this all on our own - it is impossible to depend on our own strength and the Bible tells us instead to rely on the good Lord and His strength.
"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." - 2 Corinthians 12:9
Your attitude has a lot to do with growing in the faith and becoming more Christlike. That is why we need to constantly pray and be in God's Word daily. That way we develop a close relationship with God through His Son Jesus -- a personal, loving, trusting, lasting, beautiful closeness with our awesome and loving Creator.
Being thankful and grateful for our many blessings - and the blessing of salvation through Jesus most of all - will not only please the good Lord , but benefit yourself as well. Following is a wonderful 11 minute video concerning being thankful
This world is rather upside down now and topsy turvy and chaotic. What helps is a strong faith in the good Lord and to know that soon our Savior will return for us and take us out of this present mess into a glorious home above to be with him!
Don't despair! We will be going home soon!
A wonderful song follows to remind us to count our blessings!
Following are salvation Scriptures for those who may not be saved. Those who have not turned in faith and belief that Jesus is the Savior ! He died for you and me and paid our sin debt in full- ransomed us! What incredible love He has for us! Won't you turn to Him in faith and love and gratitude ?!
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." - John 14:6
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?" - John 11:25-26
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
