Welcome to “Joni and Friends”. I’m your host Joni Eareckson Tada. In the book of Amos you can read how God was so exasperated with the rebellion of Israel, that he was almost ready to devastate the nation’s crops with a swarm of locusts. But just when you hear the swarming of thousands of bugs in the distance, God seems to cave in and have a change of heart. Amos 7:3 puts it this way, “So the Lord relented.”
Now… c’mon, how can this be? He’s God. What, did He repent in the sense of deciding one thing yesterday and another thing, today? Like, Ahhh, you know, I shouldn't be so hard on those rebellious people. Was that the way He changed His mind? For that matter, He’s God. Is it even in His nature to change His mind?
No, of course not! The Bible assures us that he knows everything from the beginning, including how He would act in all future situations. No, He cannot have a change of opinion. It’s almost blasphemous to speak of God having an “opinion” about anything – it implies that the Lord makes judgment calls without knowing all the facts, or that His preferences are mere tastes or whims with no reference to what is pure and right. So… what’ll we do with a verse like Amos 7:3? How can God “repent?”
Well, here’s the thing. As humans change – at times becoming rebellious or obedient -- God shows them different “sides” of His character fitting with their behavior. His wrath shows itself when people rebel. But He shows His kindness when they turn back to Him again – kindness that, by the way, He had all along. It may appear to us that He has repented and changed – and the Bible may use that language so we can grasp the idea – but God has not reconsidered anything.
That’s why I like the way Professor A. A. Hodge put it. He said, “When [God] is said to... be grieved, or to be jealous, it is only meant that he acts towards us as a man would when agitated by such passions.” And He has a very good reason for doing that.
God graciously condescends to accommodate himself to our finite and often our one-dimensional world. He uses human metaphors so that we might understand as best as we can. How gracious of God! I mean, who can understand the mind of the Lord or who can trace His ways?! So in the Bible, when God speaks of Himself in emotional terms, it’s His way of bending-over-backward to give expression to His great love and passion for you. No matter how many mistakes you make, God will never change His mind about your being His child, remember that! We can thank God that He uses human metaphors… but we can also thank Him that He’ll never change His mind when it comes to your salvation.
I hope you have been inspired and refreshed by our time together today. I just want you to know that I treasure these few minutes we have together and I’d like to hear from you. I’d like to hear your story, hear what you are learning from God’s word. So write me today, would you at P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91376 or you can always visit “Joni’s Corner” at joniandfriends.org. May you know the joy and favor and approval of our wonderful Savior… until next time on Joni and Friends.
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