Expert: LEBoyd - 10/7/2007

Question
Hi,Ive been studying the bible seriously for a year or so now,and Im finding some things very troubling,such as these two questions I read in an article by Ken Harding

Does God change his mind?

Malachi 3:6 "For I am the Lord; I change not."
Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent."
Ezekiel 24:14 "I the Lord have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent."
James 1:17 " . . . the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
VS.
Exodus 32:14 "And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people."
Jonah 3:10 ". . . and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not."
Jeremiah 15:6  "Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary of repenting."

Genesis 6:6,7-- "And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth . . . And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth . . . for it repenteth me that I have made him."

also....does god tempt people?

Does God tempt people?

James 1:13 "Let no man say I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man."
VS.
Genesis 22:1 "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham."

Answer
Chris,

You are reading the Bible very carefully, and this is always good.  Unfortunately, as you know, the same word can have multiple meanings, and that is why, for example, there are so many law questions about the Constitution of the US.

The Hebrew word translated 'repent' in the King James Version can have several meanings.  As a new reader of the Bible, my recommendation is to use multiple versions of the Bible.  I, personally, like to use the New American Standard, New KJV and NIV.

The word 'repent' can mean to relent and also to change one's mind.  So, can someone change their mind, and does that mean that they changed?  We know that God must change his mine, since we have so many examples (Hezekiah, Moses, Abram) and because we have prayer (why pray for the sick if God doesn't change His mind- if He's already decided, than praying for something to occur is not valuable).

But God does not change His nature.  His nature, first and foremost is that of Holiness.  His nature will not allow Him to change His mind so that He could be in the presence with unholy people.

The same problem with the word "repent" occurs with the word "tempt".  It also means to test someone.  The primary difference is what is the wanted outcome?  If I test someone, I expect them to pass the test. If I tempt someone, I expect them to fall to the temptation.  So, God tests us, Satan tempts us.

I hope this helps.