said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do Thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto Thee; deliver us only, we pray Thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord: and His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel."[1] Here we see, the moment man changes, the Lord appears to change: the instant man refrains from sin, the Lord at once appears kind and good again. Yet we know, from Scripture itself, as well as from reflection, that there can be no changes in the infinite God: but He appears to men just according to their varying states, and the narrative describes Him in the aspect in which He appears to them. In like manner, it is said sometimes that God repents, and again that He does not repent. Thus, "God is not a man, that He should lie, neither the Son of man, that He should repent."[2] And again, "The Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for He is not a man, that He should repent."[3] But elsewhere it is said, "The Lord repented Him of the evil which He thought to do unto His people[4];" and also that "It repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart."[5] Now it is plain that a Being of infinite wisdom and all foreknowledge cannot repent, because He can neither err nor be disappointed,—and these are what cause one to repent of any course. But such language is used to suit man's simple ideas, and to convey the impression of God's displeasure at sin, as well as of His readiness to forgive, the moment man refrains from sin.
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