God is Immutable. (He is Unchanging)
Introduction
After deciding to replace their automobile, a family I know finally determined their best course of action was to buy a brand new mini-van. Although it would be expensive, they planned to take good care of the vehicle and make it last for many years. While it was still virtually new, they took a trip. The one serpentine belt, which drives everything from the power steering and alternator to the water pump, broke, and the car overheated. They wondered how much damage the overheating had done, and I was not able to give them much encouragement. The dealer assured them a new belt fixed the car entirely. On their way home from a church picnic, they were caught in a sudden storm and pelted with golf ball-sized hail just long enough to give the car a whole new, rather dimpled look. Shortly after, while driving downtown, someone ran into the back of the mini-van damaging it even further. My friend told me they had reached the point where they stopped even washing the car.
Some changes are welcome; some are not. A great comfort for the Christian living in these turbulent, troubled times is the confidence we have that God does not change. Theologians refer to this attribute of God as the ¡§immutability of God.¡¨ God does not change. This truth is referred to a number of times in the Scriptures and even in the hymns we sing in church.
1. God Does Not Change
A. Example from the Life of King Saul
„l 1 Samuel 15:2-3 ¡V Saul has become King of Israel. As such, he was to lead the Israelites into battle with the Amalekites. He was instructed by God to utterly destroy the king and every living creature, man, woman, child, and even all the cattle.
„l 1 Samuel 15:7-9 ¡V Saul only partially obeyed God¡¦s instructions, allowing the king to live and keeping the best of the cattle. He considered the enhancement of his own glory and prestige in bringing back Agag, king of Amalek as prisoner.
„l 1 Samuel 15:22-26 ¡V Saul simply did not take God¡¦s seriously, as a result, God took his kingdom away from him.
„l 1 Samuel 15:29 ¡V Saul then uttered a desperate plea to Samuel, hoping that God would restore his kingdom; instead, Samuel uttered the words. "And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind."
„l God being immutable, He could not and would not alter His word or change His mind to reverse the consequences He had just pronounced upon Saul¡¦s sin. God had from the beginning chosen another, one who would be after His own heart (David). King Saul reigned another 15 years after that very incident.
B. Example from the Psalmist
„l Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. The Psalmist is declaring that God in all generations people have taken refuge to Him. God does not change.
„l Psalm 102:12 But you, O Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations.
„l Psalm 102:25-28 In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. [26] They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. [27] But you remain the same, and your years will never end. [28] The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you." The psalmist speaking of God¡¦s eternality in contrast with His Creation was an expression of the Psalmist confidence in the Lord. Basically the Psalmist declares that the Lord will outlast his creation, even into the new creation.
C. Example from the Prophet Malachi
„l Malachi 3:6 "I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. The prophet here is warning the nation Israel of the coming judgement of God. He speaks of the coming both John the Baptist and of Jesus, as the Messiah. Malachi 3:1 "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the Lord Almighty.
„l The day of his coming will be a day of wrath, and yet it will also be a day of deliverance and salvation. No one can endure the day of His coming, apart from divine grace (Verse 2), and yet somehow Israel will be purified, and her sacrifices and worship will thus be acceptable to God (verse 3-4).
„l God will draw His people near for judgement (verse 6), but in the midst of these words of warning and comfort, the Lord speaks of His unchanging attribute as the reason Israel is not totally destroyed (v6)
„l God¡¦s promise is only as good as the person who makes it. God will keep His promise to the nation of Israel ¡V it will not change because His Word, like Himself, is immutable.
D. Example from the Writer of the Book of Hebrews
„l The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish saints who were beginning to face persecution, probably from their unbelieving Jewish brethren. They were tempted to fall away by renouncing their faith in Christ and embracing Judaism once again.
„l These saints are advise strongly to persist in their faith, even in the midst of persecution. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. [9] Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. Basically the writer reminds us that He is God.
