How does divine regret align with God's omniscience in 1 Samuel 15:10? 1 Samuel 15:10–11 “Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, ‘I regret (nāḥam) that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.’ And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the Lord all that night.” Immediate Historical Setting Israel’s first monarchy was granted as a concession to the people’s demand for “a king like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5). Yahweh installed Saul, endowed him with His Spirit, and charged him to obey. In chapter 15 Saul’s willful disobedience against the Amalekites breaches the covenant, triggering Samuel’s pronouncement of judgment and the divine statement of regret. The Hebrew Word “nāḥam” (“regret, relent, be grieved”) • Root meaning: to breathe deeply, emit a sigh; thus to experience sorrow or compassion. • Usage for humans: Genesis 6:7; Job 42:6. • Usage for God: Exodus 32:14; Jonah 3:10; 1 Samuel 15 (vv. 11, 35). The semantic field ranges from genuine grief to a change in administrative action. It never requires ignorance; it conveys emotional engagement. Biblical Witness to Divine Omniscience God’s exhaustive knowledge is asserted repeatedly: “His understanding has no limit” (Psalm 147:5), He “declares the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10), and “before a word is on my tongue, You know it completely” (Psalm 139:4). Scripture therefore disallows any interpretation that Yahweh learned something new about Saul. Apparent Tension: Regret vs. Foreknowledge Numbers 23:19 and 1 Samuel 15:29 proclaim that God “does not lie or change His mind.” Yet the same chapter twice records His regret. The resolution lies in recognizing: (1) Two distinct senses of change—change in eternal purpose (denied) versus change in temporal administration or disposition toward a moral agent (affirmed). (2) God’s self-disclosure in anthropopathic language—He speaks in human terms to reveal His moral response. Anthropopathism and Linguistic Accommodation Scripture employs human analogies (eyes, hands, emotions) so finite minds grasp infinite realities. Divine regret communicates real displeasure within time-bound history without implying deficiency in knowledge or power. The Creator who stands outside time (Psalm 90:2) interacts within history (Galatians 4:4). Two Aspects of God’s Will • Decretive (sovereign) will: God eternally ordained Saul’s kingship and its termination to prepare for David and ultimately Messiah (2 Samuel 7; Matthew 1:1). • Prescriptive (moral) will: God commanded Saul to obey fully. Saul’s violation evokes divine grief. Thus, regret is God’s time-conditioned reaction to human failure, perfectly foreknown yet genuinely abhorred. Parallel Texts Illustrating the Pattern Genesis 6:6 – God regrets creating humanity in their sin, yet Noah’s ark was foreordained. Exodus 32:14 – God relents from judgment after Moses’ intercession, prefiguring Christ’s mediation. Jonah 3:10 – Nineveh’s repentance triggers God’s relenting; yet Nahum later reveals the ultimate decree. In each, divine regret/relenting reflects dynamic covenant interaction without compromising omniscience. Philosophical and Theological Considerations a) Divine timelessness: God’s eternal decree comprehends every temporal moment simultaneously; therefore expressions of regret mark historical junctures from the creature’s perspective. b) Divine impassibility nuanced: God is never overwhelmed by emotion, yet He truly wills to express love, wrath, and grief consistent with His unchanging holiness. c) Open theism rejected: No biblical text, including 1 Samuel 15, depicts God discovering new facts. Practical Implications for Believers and Skeptics God’s regret underscores His personal engagement and moral seriousness. Foreknowledge does not blunt accountability; Saul’s choice remains genuinely his. The episode warns against nominal obedience and invites trust in the ultimately faithful King, Jesus Christ, whose perfect obedience satisfies God’s righteous standard and secures salvation (Romans 5:19). Summary Divine regret in 1 Samuel 15:10 depicts Yahweh’s real sorrow over Saul’s sin while upholding His unerring foreknowledge and immutable redemptive plan. The language is relational, not informational; it reveals God’s holiness and covenantal faithfulness rather than any limitation in His omniscience. |
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