Knowing God (VI) The Immutability of God

His Word is Reliable Nu 23:19-20 ‘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? ‘Behold, I have received a command to bless; When He has blessed, then I cannot revoke it.’

His Word is Reliable Psa 119:89 “Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.”

His Word is Reliable Mt 5:18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

His Word is Reliable 1 Pet 1:24-25 “For ‘ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.’ And this is the word which was preached to you.”

His Purpose is Unalterable Psa 33:11 “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.”

His Purpose is Unalterable Heb 6:17-18 “In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”

His Purpose is Unalterable Isa 46:9-10 “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’”

His Purpose is Unalterable Prov 19:21 “Many plans are in a man's heart, But the counsel of the LORD will stand.”

His Purpose is Unalterable Jas 1:17 “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

His Judgments Are Irrevocable 1 Sam 15:28-29 “So Samuel said to him, ‘The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you. Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”

His Love is Unbreakable Psa 100:5 “For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.”

His Love is Unbreakable Lam 3:20-23 “The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

His Love is Unbreakable Mal 3:5-6 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.’”

His Character is Unchangeable Does God ever repent or change his mind? Does God ever repent or change his mind? Gen 6:5-7 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.’

His Character is Unchangeable Does God ever repent or change his mind? Does God ever repent or change his mind? 1 Sam 15:11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.”

His Character is Unchangeable Does God ever repent or change his mind? Does God ever repent or change his mind? A declaration might be conditional: A declaration might be conditional: Jer 18:7-8 “At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it.”

His Character is Unchangeable Does God ever repent or change his mind? Does God ever repent or change his mind? A declaration might be conditional: A declaration might be conditional: Jonah 4:2 “He prayed to the LORD and said, ‘Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.’”

His Character is Unchangeable Does God ever repent or change his mind? Does God ever repent or change his mind? A declaration might be conditional A declaration might be conditional Some things he does are meant to be temporary: Some things he does are meant to be temporary: Heb 7:12 “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.”

His Character is Unchangeable Did Moses change God’s mind? Did Moses change God’s mind? Ex 32:9-14 “‘I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.’ Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, ‘O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

His Character is Unchangeable Did Moses change God’s mind? Did Moses change God’s mind? Vs.14 “So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.”

His Character is Unchangeable Did Moses change God’s mind? Did Moses change God’s mind? God chose Moses as the mediator between him and Israel. God chose Moses as the mediator between him and Israel. God invited Moses to mediate on Israel’s behalf: God invited Moses to mediate on Israel’s behalf: Vs.10 “‘I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them.’”

His Character is Unchangeable Did Moses change God’s mind? Did Moses change God’s mind? God chose Moses as the mediator between him and Israel. God chose Moses as the mediator between him and Israel. God invited Moses to mediate on Israel’s behalf God invited Moses to mediate on Israel’s behalf God’s “change” was based on a condition – vs.29 God’s “change” was based on a condition – vs.29 The unrepentant were punished -- vs The unrepentant were punished -- vs Heb. for “change mind” = Lit. “breath deeply”; “to be sorry, to console, to show mercy, have compassion” Heb. for “change mind” = Lit. “breath deeply”; “to be sorry, to console, to show mercy, have compassion”

His Character is Unchangeable Answering prayer is part of his unchangeable character – Mt 7:7-11; Jas 4:2 Answering prayer is part of his unchangeable character – Mt 7:7-11; Jas 4:2

The Immutability of God His Word is Reliable His Word is Reliable His Purpose is Unalterable His Purpose is Unalterable His Judgments Are Irrevocable His Judgments Are Irrevocable His Love is Unbreakable His Love is Unbreakable His Character is Unchangeable His Character is Unchangeable

What It Means For Us:

Assurance and stability in times of change and uncertainty: Assurance and stability in times of change and uncertainty: Heb 13.8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

What It Means For Us: Assurance and stability in times of change and uncertainty. Assurance and stability in times of change and uncertainty. We can truly know God. We can truly know God. We can have confidence in prayer. We can have confidence in prayer. We have moral absolutes to live by. We have moral absolutes to live by. No distance between 1 st Century Christians and us. No distance between 1 st Century Christians and us.

The Immutability of God His Word is Reliable His Word is Reliable His Purpose is Unalterable His Purpose is Unalterable His Judgments Are Irrevocable His Judgments Are Irrevocable His Love is Unbreakable His Love is Unbreakable His Character is Unchangeable His Character is Unchangeable Photo taken by Dan Bush, missouriskies.org

The Immutability of God Photo taken by Dan Bush, missouriskies.org