Introduction: Verses that I wish were not in the Bible, but they are and I must deal with it.
• Ill: As a married men, it is often where we hear our wives say, “I have the right to change my mind at any time!” One minute the couch is perfect on that side of the room, ten minutes later it is perfect on the opposite side. One minute this dress will be perfect with the blouse; the next minute there is another that is perfect….When they make that statement “that we as men shake our heads to” what they are really saying is “I have the right to change my mind at any time, when I realize I’m not as right as I first thought I was.” Most people, including Christians view the God of the Bible in this light.
• Well, and it seems they have the proof when you read just two verses:
o 1 Sam. 15:29 – “The Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind, for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”
o Exodus 32:14 – “So the Lord changed his mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.”
Background:
• Exodus 32 opens up with Moses on Mt. Sinai, with God for forty days and nights. The very finger of God has written the ten
words/commandments, and God has given Moses detailed instruction in how the children of Israel were to conduct themselves as
His people. The ink has not even dried on this covenant, and what are the people doing? Worshipping the false golden calf god.
• It is God who informs Moses about this great wickedness. The surprise in this passage is not that the people sin but how quickly
they rebel against God (32:8).
• As Moses makes his way down the Mt., God tells Moses that He is to the point of just destroying Israel and will make Moses the
father of his own nation. Moses begins to beg God for mercy and as Israel’s representative pleads for God to forgive Israel for
their sin. And it is in this environment we read those words, “And God changed His mind…”
Is God a Wishy-Washy God?
I. God’s Perfect Knowledge of Humanity. (What does God say about Himself in Scripture)
• God is all-powerful; all-knowing; and all present. God can do whatever He wants; God is everywhere; meaning He is both
outside of time and also with us, sees us (all compassing eyes of God). God is all-knowing of past, present, future. God has
all info before him, nothing new can be added to His knowledge (Ps. 147:5) “Theism” is a false doctrine that teaches that God
does not know the future, but works things along as they happen. (think they answer sin issue and God changing mind)
• God is the very definition of love (John 3:16), and is perfect. God cannot sin! If changing mind means making a better
choice, then God is not perfect.
II. God’s Perfect Handling of Humanity.
A. God cannot change His mind as man change’s their mind.
• “Change of mind” in the human understanding involves having new information presented. If man changes their mind,
then they have either gone to something worse or something better than original; this cannot happen to God because He
is always perfect in every decision.
• “Change of mind” implies a wrong first choice.
• “Change of mind” involves time, and yet God is not hampered by time.
B. God can change His dealing as man change’s their position. Ill: Let’s say you live in a house that on the left is a yellow
siding house and on your right is a brown siding house. Years later, you move to the house on the other side of the yellow
house. Now you say that the yellow siding house is on my right. The yellow house did not move, you moved your position.
(Same is with God)
• Jeremiah 18:7-10: God has written into His will that He will change His mind of judgment and mercy based on “human
change of heart”. God retains the right of limiting his own absolute sovereignty on the basis of human response to His
offer of pardon and restoration. 2 Sam. 24:16;Jonah 3:10;4:2; Amos 7:1-6
III. God’s Perfect Plan For Humanity
A. Judgment for sin: (God’s position)
• God always stands opposite of sin, and He had every right to destroy Israel. If fact, God did not have to tell Moses the
people were sinning before judgment. His first move is a crack in the door for Moses to grab mercy.
• (10) destroy “kalah” means absolute judgment, no more Israel.
• God did not created sin or make man sin, but in God’s plan for humanity, sin is a part of the drama – and God provides a
way out of a sinful world.
B. Mercy for Humbleness: (Moses’ position)
• It was never God’s purpose to destroy Israel, but the threat was more of a test for Moses. Moses could have chosen to
lead a people called by his name, not Abraham, but Moses called for mercy.
• Moses did not call God out on “changing his mind” as we think the phrase, but rather appeals in prayer: “God, you are a
loving Father” & “God, these people are your investment” & “God your name will be damaged” & “God you are merciful
and compassionate” & “God you man and everlasting covenant with us.”
• Moses was not reminding God of anything new or anything He forgot. God was moving Moses toward intercession as
Israel’s mediator/representative before God. Verse 10 God asks Moses permission to get out of the way to destroy the
people, and Moses stays involved and intercedes for the people.
C. Pointing us to Christ: (Our position)
• The message of the gospel is that God has given to us a perfect Mediator, Jesus Christ. As a result of sin, God said to
Jesus, “Go down, your people have quickly corrupted themselves…” What Moses could not do, Jesus did….He became
the pleasing sacrifice for sin.
• John 8:1-ff; Jesus has every right to stone the woman caught in adultery, but her response and the attitude of the
Pharisees brought her mercy.
• Jesus’ first coming brought mercy and grace and not rightful judgment. Jesus’ second coming will be different, God’s
judgment for sin.
Conclusion: Ill How difficult it is to work with people who keep changing their mind, or can’t make up their mind. Boss that keeps changing policies at work; landlords who keep changing the terms of the rental; a teacher who keeps changing the way the project is to be done; a doctor who keeps rescheduling your appointments, or a fiancé who keeps changing the date of her wedding. While some change is always good, most change invites stress….God is not this way.
• God is not playing catch up with humanity. God is not behind the game. God is not operating as the changing world goes. Everything is right on track as God has laid out in His perfect will; yet His heart is always tender toward people who have a change of heart toward His dealings with man, and repent and cry for mercy. Truth: While God’s attitude toward sin is always anger, His attitude toward humbleness and the prayer of intercession is mercy.
• Be grateful for a God who “relents”! This signals that even God’s people could choose sin without immediate and just repercussions. It means forgiveness and reconciliation are possible for those who turn to the Lord.
