Joel M Bradshaw

34Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. 35And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.–1 Samuel 15

The word translated “regret” was also translated “was sorry” or even “was comforted” in the Bible. You’ll even find “repented” or “changed his mind.” In Hebrew, it’s the verb form of the name of the prophet Nahum. Nahum has a little book of prophecy near the end of the Old Testament and the great irony of the story is that we are left to wonder where Judah was going to get comfort again with invasions impending.

So theologically how do we understand this verse? If God regrets, then it means he made a choice that he would not have made. This presents God as imperfect or incomplete. If God changes his mind, then we wonder about his plan. Is God just as limited as you or me? We change our minds all the time. Does this mean that God sometimes has a plan B or C and not just a plan A?

If all we had was 1 Samuel 15, our theology would be difficult. God would just be like you or me. A vastly more powerful you or me, but making mistakes like you or me. Needing course correction. Requiring the divine do-over from time to time.

Thankfully, we have the rest of the Bible.

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:19)

“For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6)

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul… (Hebrews 6:17-19a)

God doesn’t change. If he changed his plans, then we would have no basis for hope. What would therefore stop God from changing the plan of salvation or changing who he has chosen to receive grace? For any of this to make sense, God must not change. He also cannot lie or be false. He doesn’t sin that requires repentance. His decree is eternal and sovereign. He doesn’t require a plan B. God only has a plan A.

And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away. (Psalm 148:6)

It’s possible that the narrator described God this way for our sake. It’s possible that for our understanding, God was anthropomorphized a bit so we would understand the transition better from King Saul to King David. Maybe God is presented here the way he is to help us see the gravity of the situation.

Reading the literal “comfort” back into the Hebrew word, God would be comforted as his sovereign plan unfolded. (Even then, how would anything comfort God? That is making God like you or me again!) God sovereignly saw his plan to completion and was satisfied. It looked like a change of plan from our perspective, because in our eyes it was. He no longer chose Saul and instead had chosen David.

We have to read 1 Samuel 15 in light of the rest of the Bible. Since, God doesn’t change or lie then today’s chapter was decreed from the beginning. As God’s sovereign plan unfolds, he receives glory. This brings us comfort! As our limited understanding of God is progressively and biblically shaped, we see a God who has emotions unlike ours. He can be angry without sin. He can have wrath without sin. He can be jealous without sin. He can regret in a way that doesn’t limit his sovereignty. Otherwise, we read this chapter and simply wonder what God is going to change next? Maybe he will get tired of my sinful ways and treat me like he did Saul?

Read 1 Samuel 15 in the overall context of the Bible. God doesn’t regret like you or I do. But he communicates well to us in a way that we better understand him. Time for a second cup of coffee.–JMB