1 Samuel 15. Let's pray together. Lord, we come into your presence
in Christ's name. Lord, we're so thankful for his
person. We're so thankful that he came
into the world. That he took upon him flesh.
That he kept the law for us and that he died for us. And that
he rose for us. And that even now he intercedes
for us. And he takes these prayers of
ours and brings them before you and that you find them a sweet
smelling safer because of his sacrifice. Lord, we give thanks
for him. We pray that we might be enabled
to worship him. We pray that we might be enabled
to sit at his feet and hear his word. We pray that you would
grant us repentance, that you'd grant us faith in him. Lord,
we ask that you would grant us the confession of sin and the
forgiveness of sin. Lord, make us like him. Now,
bless us for his sake. In his name we pray, amen. 1 Samuel 15, I'd like to read three
verses. Verse 11. God says in 1 Samuel 15, verse
11, it repenteth me that I've set up Saul to be king. Now God says that. I regret doing
it. It repents me that I set Saul
up as king. Now look in verse 29 of the same
chapter. And also the strength of Israel
will not lie nor repent, for he is not a man that he should
repent. Now we just read, I repent. And he says, I'm not a man that
I should repent. Now look in verse 35. And Samuel came no more to see
Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless, Samuel mourned
for Saul and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over
Israel. Now twice it says the Lord repented. And yet it also says the Lord
is not a man that he should repent. Now I asked somebody what they
thought about that, what it evoked with them when they read these
two things that could seem contradictory. You know, they're not because
nothing in the Bible contradicts itself. And I loved their reply.
They said, I don't have any problem with it. It's the word of the
Lord. I want to have that attitude towards God's word, don't you?
To never call into question, well, how does that make sense?
Doesn't matter. It's God's word. And we bow to
whatever God says. Now look at verse 29. Again,
we're going to look at both of these concepts or thoughts, verse
29, and also the strength of Israel. I love that name for
our Lord. He's called the strength of Israel.
My marginal reading says the victory of Israel. The strength
of Israel will not lie nor repent, for he is not a man that he should
repent." Now what this is a reference to is the immutability of God,
the fact that God cannot change. And that's a blessed thought
to think that there is one being who does not change. How often do me and you change?
How often is our attitude so different about something? Up
one day, down the next. Think one thing one day, think
something else the next. But God does not change. That's why he never lies. That's
why he never repents. He's immutable. He said in Malachi
chapter 3 verse 6, I am the Lord. I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed. It says of the Lord Jesus Christ
in Hebrews chapter 13 verse 8, Jesus Christ the same. Yesterday, today, and forever. Now, God has made himself known
and God is so we can't see him. We can't touch him, we can't
taste him, we can't feel him physically. The Lord says, God
is spirit. John chapter four, verse 24,
God is spirit. And they that worship him must
worship him in spirit and in truth. Now, who even knows what
that means? I can't even think of how to
describe spirit. The closest thing we have in
the scripture is the wind. You can't see the wind. You feel
him. You feel his influences, but
you can't see him. Now, how can you tell what the
essence of a spirit is? You can't, but God does tell
us in his word something about his essence as spirit. And there are three things he
makes known regarding his essence. I don't know what even words
that use the essence of God or the substance of God or the nature
of God, who is spirit. There are three things he makes
known regarding his essence in the scripture. First, he's infinite. You know, when I'm talking about
stuff like this, I feel so stupid. Explain infinity. But God lets
us know He's infinite, He's eternal, and He's immutable or unchanging. Now, God tells us that in His
Word about His essence. Now, He's infinite and that means
that He is free from the limitations of space. Once again, I don't know what
that means. But he is free from the limitations of space. Now
there's all kinds of theories about the universe. It's either
ever expanding or it's contracting and all these different thoughts
of the origins of the universe and so on. But I know this, however
big the universe is, God holds it in the hollow of his hand.
He's bigger than the universe. He, the reason He is omnipresent,
the reason He's everywhere at once and you can't go anywhere
where He's not, is because of His infinity. Now, that blows
my mind. I don't understand it, but I
believe it. David said, whither shall I go
from thy presence? I can't go anywhere where you're
not. He said, if I make my bed in hell, you're there. If I dwell
in the uttermost wings of the morning, you're there. God is
infinite. He is not bound by space. He doesn't have the limitations
of space. He is said to fill all in all. In Him, Paul said, we live. And he's talking about believers
at this time. He's not just talking about believers. He's talking
about everybody, every creature. In Him, we live and move and
have our being. The substance of God, first of
all, He's infinite. Secondly, He's eternal. That means He doesn't have the
limitations of time. Now here's something else that
we don't understand. You know, I think it's funny
when we talk about eternity past, there's no such thing as past
when you talk about eternity past. There's no such thing.
Eternity is eternity. There's not past. There's not
present. There's not future. God's in the eternal now. He
doesn't think about yesterday. He doesn't think about tomorrow.
God is eternal. He says, a thousand days in thy
sight are but as yesterday and a watch in the night. He said,
behold, I've loved you with an everlasting love. Now, when we
speak of God's eternity, that means, and here's something else
that we can't grasp, he never had a beginning. His existence
never began. There's no way I can fathom that.
and his existence is never ending. God is eternal and he is immutable. He's not subject to the limitations
of change. Now you think about how much
me and you change. Think of the way you'll think
one night. I love when David Pledger was preaching. He says,
you know how things seem so dark in the nighttime and then the
day comes, things haven't changed, but you have. You have, you feel
differently. We change all the time, we repent
all the time. He said, God said, I'm not a
man that I should repent. Men repent, they change their
mind all the time. Sometimes for the better, sometimes
for the worse. But we're always changing. But
God tells us in this passage of scripture that he's not a
man that he should repent. He cannot lie because he is immutable. I've already quoted these two
scriptures. I am the Lord, I change not. Jesus Christ the same, yesterday,
today, and forever. But turn to Isaiah chapter 46.
Well, if the Lord, the Holy Spirit enables me to see it, blesses
me every time I read this passage of scripture. I love it. Verse nine. Remember the former
things of old, for I am God and there's none else. I am God and
there's none like me, declaring the end from the beginning. And
from ancient times, the things that are not yet done, saying,
my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. He never changes. He never changes
in his plans, his purposes. He says, I will do all my pleasure.
Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executes
my counsel from a far country. Yea, I've spoken it. I will bring
it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also
do it. Turn with me to Numbers chapter
23. And while you're turning there, let me quote James 1.18. It says, with him, he's called
the father of lights in whom there is no variableness nor
shadow of turning. There's not even a shadow of
change in him. There's no variations in him.
He's always the same. Whatever he was, he is. Whatever he is, he always will
be because he is God. Numbers chapter 23, verse 19. God is not a man that he should
lie. Neither the son of man that he
should repent. I think perhaps Samuel, when
he said this about the Lord in our text, perhaps he was thinking
about this verse of scripture. When he said that, have he spoken
it and shall he not make it good? Behold, I've received commandment
to bless, and he hath blessed, and I can't reverse it. He hath
not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness
in Israel. Now think of that. When the Lord
looks at his people, he sees them the way he's always seen
them. He's not beheld iniquity in Jacob. He's not seen perverseness
in Israel. That's because he's immutable.
He never changes. How he sees you is how he has
always seen you. Don't you love the Lord's immutability?
I am the Lord, I change not." Now, if he could change, he'd
be getting either better or worse, wouldn't he? If he changed, that
means he'd either be improving, or he'd be going downhill. And,
beloved, that's not the case. He never changes, and that is
why he is incapable of lying. Isn't that wonderful? He's incapable of lying because
he cannot change. He's not a man like me or you
that he should lie or repent or change. He's immutable in
his essence. He's always the great I am. What a name for our God. I am
that I am. Not a was, not a will be, not
a wanna be, not a could be, not a should be. I love the is-ness
of the Lord, don't you? I am that I am. You tell them that I am has sent
thee. Now, whatever he is, he's that
way immutably, changelessly. He's immutably sovereign. He
can't be anything but that. He's immutably just. He's immutably
gracious. He's immutably all-powerful.
That means He always is that way. You know, this is another
mysterious thing about the Lord God who is a spirit. He's simple.
He's not made of parts. He's not part this and part that
and all the sum equals the whole. No, He's absolutely simple. And that's very complex, I realize
that. But this is who God is. He is immutable. He's immutably just. He's immutably
merciful. Whatever attributes he has as
God, they are eternal, therefore immutable, therefore infinite. I love the way the psalmist speaks
of man. He says, they shall be changed, but thou art the same. Oh, what a blessing that is.
He's immutable in his purposes. That means his purposes never
change. He never has a plan B. He never has a contingency plan.
He never puts out fires. He never responds. He never reacts
to anything. He says, if I purposed it, so
will I also do it. He's immutable in His promises.
I love that passage in 2 Corinthians 1, 17, where it says, all the
promises of God in Him are yea and amen. So be it. Whatever
He has promised, it's already come to pass. It's sure, it's
not, maybe it's not gonna work. He doesn't have a yea, nay. No,
all of His promises are yea and amen. He's immutable in His threatenings. He that believeth not shall be
damned. There's no changing of that.
He that believeth not shall be damned. And I love thinking about
this. He's immutable in the objects
of his love. He said in Malachi chapter three,
verse six, I'm the Lord. I change not. Therefore ye sons
of Jacob are not consumed. Who are the sons of Jacob? The
sons of election. Jacob have I loved. Jacob ever
loved. Now, in light of his absolute
immutability, he can't lie, he can't repent, he can't change
his mind, why do we read things like it repented the Lord that
he made Saul king? And it's almost like saying,
I regret I did it. I wish I hadn't done it. I'm changing my mind
regarding this thing of making Saul king. Well, why do we read
things like he rides upon the wings of the wind? Why are body
parts used to describe him who has no body parts? He's spirit,
and yet we read of the arm of the Lord, and the eye of the
Lord, and the hand of the Lord, and there's so many descriptions
and passages in the scripture that are given to accommodate
our human weakness. Now, turn with me to Genesis
chapter 6, and this is the first time we read of this thing of
God repenting. Genesis chapter 6. Verse 5, and God saw, and let me remind
you that how God sees things is the way they are. The way
me and you see things are not the way they are. We have rose-colored
glasses, we see all kinds of things that aren't so, we think
all kinds of things that aren't so, we have impressions, but
how God sees things. Amen? As God sees things, that's
how they really are. And God saw that the wickedness
of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination And
my marginal reading says the whole imagination, the Hebrew
word signifies not only the imaginations but also the purposes and the
desires. And this is what God says about
what goes on in my heart, my motives, my purposes, my desires. He's not even talking about the
things we do right now. He's just talking about the things
that go on in the mind, in the heart. And God saw that the wickedness
of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil non-stop. Look what it says next, and it
repented the Lord that he made man on the earth and it grieved
him at his heart. Now, did God know Adam would fall? Of course he did. He said, in
the day you eat thereof. He didn't say if you eat. He
said, when you do, you shall surely die. Could God have prevented
it? Of course He could, if He's God. Was it a part of God's purpose?
Absolutely. Positively. Did God know man
would reach this state where He describes him as every imagination
of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually? Of
course the Lord knew that. And He's grieved by it. You can't think of human sin
with indifference, human rebellion with indifference. It grieved
Him at His heart. He looked at man as he'd become. And the Lord hates sin. The Lord's
holy. The Lord hates sin. He hates
sin. He hates sin. And it grieved Him in His heart.
And it repented Him that He'd made man. And you know the rest
of the story. But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. You see, what would we know,
if there wasn't a fall, what would we know of grace? What
would we know of the forgiveness of sin? What would we know of
mercy. You see, God makes himself known
through all he does. Now, it repented the Lord that
he's grieved. I think of the Lord looking over
Jerusalem, and the scripture says he wept. He wasn't indifferent
about what was going on. He wept. He said, Oh, Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thee together as a hen
gathers a brood under her wings, and you would not. I think of
the Lord at Lazarus' grave. He knew He was going to raise
him from the dead, but yet it says, shortest verse in the Bible,
Jesus wept. Now, everything is according
to His eternal purpose, and that does not mean He is indifferent
toward the sin of me and you. He's not. Even regarding David,
as David's accepted in the beloved, it still says, the thing David
did displeased the Lord. And oh, how grievous it is when
we love the Lord, when we think he's displeased by what we have
done. Now turn with me to 2 Kings chapter
20. I think this will be helpful.
Two scriptures I want us to look at. Second Kings, first of all,
Second Kings chapter 20. This is about Hezekiah, he was
one of those good kings. Verse one, Second Kings chapter
20, in those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. Now, one of these days, that's
gonna be me or you. We're gonna be so sick, and we're
going to assume we're gonna die. I hate this attitude that these
religious guys have of the healing of the body. Like, you know,
it's not the Lord's will for you to be sick and all that kind
of stuff. No, you're going to get sick, and the Lord's going
to make you sick. And it's going to be, you're going to be ready
to die, or you think you're going to die. In those days was Hezekiah
sick unto death, and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amos, came
to him and said unto him, thus saith the Lord, set thine house
in order. for thou shalt die and not live. Now, can you imagine the prophet
coming and saying that to you? Well, it freaked Hezekiah out.
He was so upset. Look, then he turned his face
to the wall and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I beseech thee,
O Lord, remember how I've walked before thee in truth and with
a perfect heart, and I've done that which is good in thy sight.
And Hezekiah wept sore, and it came to pass, before Isaiah was
gone out of the middle court, that the word of the Lord came
to him, saying, turn again and tell Hezekiah, the captain of
my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David, thy father.
I've heard thy prayer. I've seen thy tears. Behold,
I'll heal thee. On the third day, thou shalt go up into the
house of the Lord, and I will add into thy days 15 years."
Now, he said, you're going to die. He said, you've prayed.
I've answered your prayer. I'm adding 15 years to your life.
Now, when he said, you're going to die, there was a child who
had not yet been born. His name was Manessa. And do
you know Manasseh was the one through whom the Christ was to
come? This is the seed of David. This
is the royal seed. Now the Lord said you're going
to die, but obviously he never intended for him to die because
Manasseh was going to be born after this. But you know what
the Lord was doing? He was causing him to pray. The Lord does things
to us to cause us to seek him. and to pray. We have so many
examples of this, like when the Lord was walking on the water,
He made as if He would have walked past them. Now, He always intended
to come in, but the Scripture says He made it as if He would
have walked past them, and they cried out for Him. When He appeared
to His disciples after the resurrection on the road to Emmaus, He got
up as if He would have left them, and they begged Him to stay.
Don't leave. We want to hear more what you
say. The Lord, it seems He repents, doesn't it? It seems He changes.
Now, one last scripture I would like to look at is Jonah chapter
3, if you would turn there. Jonah chapter 3. Amos, Obadiah,
Jonah, right before Micah. Jonah chapter 3. Verse one. And the word of the
Lord, you there Jonah chapter three, verse one. And the word
of the Lord came into Jonah the second time saying, arise, go
into Nineveh, that great city and preach unto thee the preaching
that I bid thee. So Jonah rose and went into Nineveh
according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding
great city of three days journey. It was so big. It'd take three
days to walk across it. Jonah began to enter into the
city a day's journey and he cited and said yet 40 days and Nineveh
shall be overthrown in 40 days God's gonna kill all of you this
city is going to be overthrown so the people verse 5 of Nineveh
believe God and and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth
from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word
came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne,
and he laid his robe from him, and he covered him with sackcloth
and set in ashes, and caused it to be proclaimed and published
through Nineveh by the decree of the kings and the nobles,
saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock taste anything.
Let them not feed nor drink water, but let man and beast be covered
with sackcloth and cry mightily unto God. Yea, let them turn
everyone from his evil way and from the violence in their hands.
Who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn away from
his fierce anger that we perish not? Who can tell? Maybe God won't do it. Now, God announces he'll do it,
but who can tell? Now, here's the point of this. God's immutable purpose that
cannot be changed is never a reason for despair in this thing of
seeking mercy and grace. Now, that's God's goodness. No,
His purposes are not going to be changed, but that never gives
me and you a reason to think there's no hope for me. Who can tell? Maybe the Lord
will repent and have mercy on us. I can't help but think of
one of my favorite verses of Scripture. John chapter 6 verse
37, the Lord says, all that the Father giveth me shall come to
me. Now there's an absolute immutable
statement from the scripture. All the elect will be saved. All that the father giveth me
shall come to me. And then he gives us this blessed
promise that just opens the door wide open for any sinner seeking
mercy. He that cometh to me, I will
in no wise for no reason whatsoever cast out. Thank God that he never
repents. Thank God that he repents. Amen.