How does God model flexibility and inflexibility for us?
Numbers 23:19“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?”
1 Samuel 15:29“He who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!”
Psalm 93:5Your royal laws cannot be changed. Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever.
Psalm 119:152I have known from my earliest days that your laws will last forever.
Isaiah 14:27“The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken—who can change his plans? When his hand is raised, who can stop him?”
Isaiah 31:2In his wisdom, the Lord will send great disaster; he will not change his mind. He will rise against the wicked and against their helpers.
Malachi 3:6“I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.”
Matthew 5:17-18“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.”
Hebrews 6:17God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.
God’s perfect plans, promises, and laws never change. Even the sacrificial laws of the Old Testament were part of God’s plan to prepare the way for Jesus. Thanks to those laws, humanity learned the gravity of sin, the impossibility of earning salvation, and the need for a sacrifice. When Jesus came, he didn’t simply get rid of the law—he fulfilled it, becoming “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Deuteronomy 9:20“The Lord was so angry with Aaron that he wanted to destroy him, too. But I prayed for Aaron, and the Lord spared him.”
Deuteronomy 10:10“As for me, I stayed on the mountain in the Lord’s presence for forty days and nights, as I had done the first time. And once again the Lord listened to my pleas and agreed not to destroy you.”
2 Chronicles 12:12Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger was turned away, and he did not destroy him completely. There were still some good things in the land of Judah.
Psalm 86:5O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.
Ezekiel 18:21-23“If wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey my decrees and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die. All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done. Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.”
Hosea 11:7-10“For my people are determined to desert me. They call me the Most High, but they don’t truly honor me. Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy. For someday the people will follow me. I, the Lord, will roar like a lion. And when I roar, my people will return trembling from the west.”
Jonah 3:5-6, 8-10The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow. . . . When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.
Jonah 4:2So he [Jonah] complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.”
2 Peter 3:9The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
God’s sovereign character is consistently loving, merciful, and just, as evidenced by his redemptive mission for all humankind. God is completely inflexible about his hatred toward sin, yet quick to transform a person’s heart and eternal future if he or she simply asks forgiveness and accepts Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
