Two Questions.

And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.  Genesis 6:6  ESV

God is unchangeable. He called His creation of man ‘good’ in the garden but later expressed that he was sorry He made him. Question #1.) Does God change His mind? If so, maybe I should be worried about my sin causing God to change His mind about me.

The expression “I’m sorry!” means several things. I can apologize for doing something I knew was wrong, wish I could take it back and make the choice all over again. But the expression of being sorry also means something else. “I’m sorry you have cancer,” doesn’t imply that I did something to cause your cancer. It is an expression of regret that you are hurting.  I believe God is expressing regret over the way sin has destroyed people’s lives.

Question #2.) If God knew people were going to sin and break His heart, why did He go ahead and create them? In His omniscience, He knew this moment was coming.

All through childhood, I knew I wanted to be a mother. I grew up in the church, however, and knew that babies are born with Adam’s fallen nature. I knew my children would be like all other children and disobey, hurt my feelings, cause some sleepless nights through the teen years, but the joy of our future relationships outweighed the risks.

God knew when He created us that we would use our moral choice to sin greatly. Yet, He loved us from before the foundation of the world and considered the relationships He would have with us to be worth it all. Even in the moments of regret – those moments when He wished we had chosen to love Him more than we loved our sin, He anticipated the joys He would experience with us.

Oh Father, I anticipate the joys we will share today.  Amen