God Knows Us and Still Loves Us

I read Psalm 139 this morning and was struck with these two thoughts:



- First, God knows everything about me (my thoughts, my words before I speak, everything). What if your spouse or pastor or best friend knew all your thoughts and words? That would be scary. As sinful creatures we are all glad at times that people are not exposed to our thoughts. However, God discerns our "thoughts from afar." (V. 3) I know there has been many times when I have been relieved that so and so did not hear what I said, but verse 4 says he knows every word before we even speak.



What does this mean in my relationship with God? Can I actually inform God about something in my prayers? No. Can I every deceive Him and put on a show, trying to be someone that I am not in order to impress Him (like we often do with other people)? No way. He has complete knowledge of me. This truth is sobering.



- Secondly, inspite of God's complete and realistic view about me (which means he knows how sinful I am in words, thoughts and actions), I am loved and excepted by Him in Jesus. I can be honest with Him and confess all my junk to Him knowing that none of it will surprise Him in the least and I can stand cleansed in His mercy and foregiveness because of what Jesus did.



Psalm 130 says:

"3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.



All beause of Jesus and His Crosswork.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Does God Ever Have Regrets?

This morning in my Bible reading I came across a passage that has puzzled me in the past. In 1 Sam 15, King Saul has finally crossed the line. God is going to replace him with another king. And this is what 15:10-11 says:

The word of the LORD came to Samuel: (11) "I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments." And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night.

I also read to the end of the chapter where it says:

And 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. (v 35)

The word that is used for "regret" could also be translated "repent" or "changed his mind."

How can the all-wise God, who is sovereign over everything regret, repent, or change his mind?

When Balaam spoke the words of God to Balek he said this:

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

In fact, back in 1 Sam 15:29 it says about God ("The Glory of Israel"):

And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret."

Here are two helpful words from a old timer and one still on the scene:

John Calvin in His Institutes on "God's Repentance"
John Piper -- "God Does Not Repent Like A Man"