The repentance of God
 Recently, a pastor from Kenya wrote a message in response to a situation by saying, what I know about God that he doesn’t say one thing today and contradicts tomorrow. This response is the answer and proof of a partial and imperfect knowledge of God who is perfect in knowledge. We should all cease to be children tossed to and from every wind of doctrines to grow and come into the perfect knowledge of the Son God and stop taking God for a ride or fool through unacceptable lifestyles, comportments and ungodly speeches. Job 36:4.                       
Though God is unchanging and his promises abiding (Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus) yet are they conditional and none is guarantee if we abuse the relationship with him and abides not in his love to align with his plans, purposes and promises. If we are living with the mentality of the people from fool’s paradise, it means that we are funny, absorbs and spiritually nonsensical. By foolish behaviour a man’s way are turned upside down (ruins) and his heart fret (bitter) against the Lord – there would be a problem and change of plans from God about your life for possible replacement, if in the time of visitation, he did not find you as he want you to be:  I am afraid that you may not find him as you want him to be as well. Proverbs 19:3. 2 Corinthians 12:20.                                                                                                      
In the scriptures, repentance is generally and simply to turn back to God from sin through confession in godly sorrow and in prayer. Here the repentance of God denotes different things and meanings as we shall see from the scriptures. (1) The repentance of God is a change of his heart to exercise divine mercy in the place of pouring out his wrath that burns like fire –call back the sword of judgement. (2) The repentance of God shown in his emotional expression of disappointment from the outcome of his expectations of man’s performance as his delegate on earth. (3) The repentance of God in the change of his heart to replace human vessel and instrument to fulfil divine intent and purpose if the first vessel failed to fulfil the pleasure of his will or stand in opposition against the way of his purpose and glory.                                     
God is perfect and just without iniquity – he will do no wrong nor make any mistake to deal unjustly and afterward give account and explanation to excuse himself for the fault or error of his action- he is just and true in all his ways, and excellent in all his works. Far be it from the Most upright (God) to do iniquity: every morning does he bring his judgment to light, he fails not. Habakkuk 3:5. Psalms 33:4. Revelation 15:3.     
In the book of Exodus chapter 32 verses 10-14, we see the compassion of God in the restraint of divine anger and destruction against the idolatrous Israelites. God has no pleasure in the death of any sinner. To this truth, Daniel warned king Nebuchadnezzar to break away from his sin by righteousness and from his iniquity by showing mercy to the poor against the imminent danger before him, who knows it may be the lengthening (to draw back the sword of justice- that God probably might change his mind for the imminent judgement ready to be released on him to be called off: but unfortunately it was released twelve months later for his arrogance talk and was driven away from mankind to live with the beasts of the field, and to be fed with grass like cattle) of his tranquility before God. Transition to eternity without repentance from sin unto righteousness in Christ Jesus is eternal damnation. If a sinner turns away from his wickedness and sinfulness, God will change his heart to withhold and withdraw his wrath for the punishment he thought to release on such, and to forgive and receive and save the sinner from the damnation of hell. Jehovah will not mark iniquity instantly to deal with us after our ways or to reward us according to our iniquity, but with longsuffering, he will temporally postpone and delay the punishment of a remorseful transgressor in hope that such sinner in the space of time will have a change of heart in an honest and complete life change. Though the Lord is angry, yet in wrath will he have mercy according to the greatness of his compassion. And, though he will not always bear, yet with a great patience he will bear for a great while lest he visit (punish) the sins upon the transgressors in the day or time when he shall visit. Note: God will require that which is past if repentance is fruitless without things that accompany salvation-I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works, and they shall not profit thee. Exodus 32:34. Ecclesiastes 3:15. Isaiah 57:12
Moses prevailed and triumphed in his mediatory interference before God on the behalf of the idolatrous people of Israelis for the golden calf they made and worshipped while he was away to the mountain for the tables of law. The Lord was intensely infuriated against the Israelis ungratefulness for their quick dislike of him to worship idols despite the demonstrations of his great power and judgements against the idols, and the gods, and firstborns of Egypt they saw with their own eyes. They treated the immutable God like changeable apparel and he opt to kill and remove them completely from the face of the earth. He also promised to create a new set of people for Moses leadership in the wilderness – a better, greater and mightier people that will learn to obey in simplicity, and learn to wait and walk patiently with God.                    In verses 12-14, Moses implored God’s pardon and prevailed to change his mind concerning his judicial decision to destroy the idolatrous people: ‘turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent (change your mind) of this evil against thy people – he supplicated God. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swore by your own self, and said unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever. And the Lord repented (change his mind) of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. Note: shepherd or sheep, pastor or congregants, God is the Saviour of all. Individual should keep working out his salvation with fear and trembling in the light of every word of God, to keep company with those which merit it in their conformity to the word of God, and to separate from those who will forsake the right way to go into the way of the envious and hateful Cain, and do away with those who are greedily running after the error of Balaam for reward, supposing that gain is godliness, and to turn from them that goes into the rebellious gainsaying of Dathan, Korah and Abiram in the church. Better is the new company of zealous, faithful and obedience believers that serves God’s interest and purpose in your life and in the church than the old and rebellious longtime friend and brethren who will no more earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the saint, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof –from such turn away. Though, Moses was the meekest man, yet his reasoned and arguments before God exposed some pride (what would the Egyptians say and what would the other nations think of Jehovah if he should eradicate the idolatrous Israelis as if God is liable to man’s opinion and is obliged explanations or accountability to any man) in his insistence to keep and maintain the same crowd of people from Egypt to the Promised Land. This unbroken part of him was his breaking point which brought him down before God after he scolded and insulted the provocative Israelis before he smote the Rock he was instructed to speak to, asking them must we fetch you water out of this rock as if he and Aaron was the source and water provider! Not even Moses, neither the same set of people from Egypt he sought to preserve to the land Canaan made it there. We should be willing and ready to part from wherever, whatever and whosoever is declared irrelevant to us by God, lest that which we passionately, sentimentally and affectionately labour to hold on to become the stumbling block of our iniquity and destruction before him that is perfect in knowledge.
From the book of 2 Samuel chapters 24, we have the narrative account of David’s vain and self-glory and pride for his achievements – his ungodly and unjustifiable self-rejoicing without trembling (Psalms 2:11) to ascribe the praise and glory due unto God unto himself by ordering census of the population to be taken by the hands of his military general. We understood that this act of David was indirectly caused by satanic influence, assault and inspiration (1 Chronicles 21:1) against the land. The pride of life is not of God, but of the world and of Satan which ought to be hateful to us and be resisted, of which David fell into the trap and provoked God against the land and against his people. He was given three options of punishments to choose one from, and he apologetically (and David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O Lord; take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. Verses 10-14) opt for God’s direct chastening instead of three months of suffering humiliation from war, and of destruction and repeated defeat in battle before the enemies on the recognition and argument that God’s mercies are great in proportion not to be compared to the cruelty of the enemy- that though he causes grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men – he will exact on you less than what the punishments of your sins deserves, and will never releases the full measure of the immense force of his power of justice against you in chastisement. Lamentation 3:31-36. Job 11:6. 
The outcome of David’s faith in God’s immeasurable compassion for the punishment of his sin turned out exactly as he hoped for after the Lord sent pestilence missile through an angel who went throughout the land from Dan even to Beersheba and slew seventy thousand men. And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him (changed his mind- he terminated and aborted his pestilence army missile mission and prevent it to struck or hit other targeted points) of the evil and said to the angel that destroyed the people, it is enough: stay now your hand by the threshing place of Araunah the Jebusite. Jeremiah 46:28. 
Though evil is determined against us from the Lord because of our iniquities and transgressions; if we will not harden but to re-​consider our ways and turn to God through sincere fasts and prayer, the Lord will change his mind and avert his arrows of chastening and destruction for the quarrel of the vengeance (and if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. And I will bring a sword upon you that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. Leviticus 26: 23-25) of his covenant we have broken. ‘Therefore also now, says the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repented (will change his mind) him of the evil’. Joel 2:12-13.                                                                                                                                                  
Sincere repentance and conversion from the evil of sin will be an effectual prevention from the pain of punishment as seen from the repentance of the Ninevites. Not only that they spoke rightly in God’s ear, (Jeremiah 8: 4-7) but Jehovah saw their works and fruits of repentance as they turned from the evil of their doings, fasted and changed their ways and lifestyles before him. Those works that accompany salvation brought about the change of mind against the present decision of God to destroy them……and Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So, the people of Nineveh believed God, 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 covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: 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 that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger that we perish not? And God saw their works that they turned from their evil way; and God repented (changed his mind) of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. Jonah 3:4-10.                                                                                                                                             
 
As soon as King Ahab learnt about the repercussions of the severity of his crime and the determined punishments pronounced by God against him, he humbled himself to walk softly in sadness and in repentance for his crime before the all-seeing eyes of God. The Lord has great delights for the humbled and he changed his mind to punish Ahab for his sins but to visit the consequences of his evil and cruel deeds over his children after him. To notify his servant of his change of heart and reversal of judgment decision; he asked Elijah, have you seen how Ahab humbled himself before me, because he humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but in his son’s days shall I bring the evil upon his house. 1 Kings 21: 15-29. 
We shouldn’t gamble to make joke or fun of divine forgiveness – to count the blood of the covenant wherein we are sanctified as an unholy thing and to despise the spirit of grace. God searches the heart to forgive genuine repentant sinners and will reprieve (postpone the punishments of a sinner) while observing and seeking for the fruits of genuine repentance: if not, all that holds the truth in unrighteousness shall be doomed in the mist of darkness- the blackness of darkness at the end of time. Jude 1:11.
Let us come to the second point before us – the repentance of God as shown in his emotional expression of sorrow and disappointment as the result of man’s rebellious acts on earth and of his continual evil thoughts contrary to his expectation from man created in his image. Man was made to fulfil the pleasures of God and to serve divine interest on earth, but the first parents fell and failed by transgression to fulfil the will of Satan in opposition to the will of God in rebellion to his direct command against the fruit he commanded them not to eat. Thus, the act of divine goodness to create man and the power given him to rule the earth and to subdue it was transferred to his adversary in the fall. It was this action that brought the sorrow of heart to God, knowing the consequences man shall suffer in the hands of Satan from the loss of divine nature to be clothed with the corruptible and rebellious nature. ‘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 continually. And it repented (disappointed and felt bad for man’s foolishness and wickedness) the Lord that he had made man on earth, and it grieved him at his heart. Genesis 6:5-6.
 
It was the ungrateful act and decisions made by man contrary to the purpose of his existence that saddened the heart of God for what should come after him. Adam and Eve were both stewards of God in the Garden of Eden, expected to be committed and faithful to the goodness of Jehovah who has counted them worthy of such responsibilities with the privileges. This is where their faithfulness to God was brought into question, as it is required in a steward to be faithful to his master, and if it were not so, such are disappointment and regretful to him that appointed them. We become a vessel without pleasure when Jehovah cannot be proud of us (Job1:8. 2:3) as he was proud and confident of Job to Satan. God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable. They are truly without repentance if we will make a full proof our ministry- if we will walk worthy of the vocation of our calling- if our salt keeps its sweetness and shall not lose its usefulness, and the light in us is not darkness; because if the light in anyone is darkness, how great is that darkness, and the whole body therefore shall be full of darkness, but God is light and in him is no darkness!
Read the parable of the three servants who were gifted with different measure of gift. Jehovah is disappointed in the unprofitable servant for his blunt refusal to live up to the expectation with the sole gift he had; but instead went and hid it in defiance to serve his master.  God will change his mind from any good for nothing believer in the kingdom, to take the kingdom of God away from such and to give others that are willing and ready to bring forth fruit unto him. It grieves the heart of God when we cannot make a proof of our ministry and true identity as a child of God with whatever he entrusted us with, but are envious, calumny and bitter of others for what is given them from the Lord. It is left to us to finish very well as we have started very strongly in the Lord, so that we lose not those things which we have wrought in the Lord but to receive full reward. It saddens the heart of God to see any man not making it to the end as an over-comer- if any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him, says God. Matthew 25:24-28. Hebrews 10: 38-39. 2 John 8.                                                                                           
God is grieved when the light in us is not shinning out of darkness in the world that sinners may see him through us and come into the kingdom. God will not be pleased if we betray his trust to abuse, misuse and to misrepresent the office, position and authority given us to build and establish his body –the church, and failed to live in all holiness, and in all righteousness without blame before his people just like Eli’s sons altered the priesthood and made God’s people to transgress.                                                                        Jehovah is disappointed if we are living below expectations and functioning beneath the grace, power and the potential we received of him; for whomsoever much is given, much shall be required of him. ‘Now will I sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: and he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: and I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. Isaiah 5:1-7
Lastly, we come to the third point – the repentance of God in the change of instrument or vessel, and in the change of method and ways to maintain the same plan and purpose to fulfil his works and plans. Note: everyman and even the angels are expendable and replaceable before God. You are as valuable to God as long as you make yourself available before him in humility and holiness, if not, he will depose you even without your awareness and replace you with someone better than you. God will do his work with or without us – he puts no trust in his servants, and his angels he charges with folly. Job 4:18. 
God will not alter his will and purposes because of anything or any man, but will alter the instrument or vessel if such will alter his purpose, just the same way he brought in the second Adam (Jesus) into the world to fulfil his eternal plan for mankind when the first Adam failed. Where the first Adam failed, Christ as the second fulfilled the will of God. Jehovah will change any man or woman who will compromise with Satan against his eternal plans. Isaiah 14:24.                                                                                                Sometimes, your prideful tongue and big or arrogant talks can become your ruin and cause God to change his mind and plans concerning you – talk no more exceedingly proudly, let not arrogance come out of your mouth, for the Lord is God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. God dwells on high, and his habitation is also with him that is of a broken spirit and contrite heart –the humbled. Jehovah will revise any of his former opinions, intentions and promises when his demands and expectations are not met, how much more when he sees the pride in your heart (and the Lord said unto Gideon, the people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, mine own hand hath saved me Judges 7:2) wrestling and contending for his praise and glory. God is not limited to anyone to do his works if they become self-cantered, men-pleaser and self-willed as the first king of Israel (Saul) did and was replaced by God with a man after his own heart who shall fulfil all my will according to his testimony of David. To whatever we changed to, from good to bad, obedient to disobedience, humbled to pridefulness, godliness to worldliness, we shall always reap the fruit of such arrogant and annoying ungodly behaviours –God should not be played upon. ‘Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt show thyself upright; with the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt show thyself froward. For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks. Psalms 18:24-27.
 
Has the glorious-​unending praises and laudability of the Most High who inhabits the praises of Israel ever ceased to be offered in heaven since the expulsion of Satan? Of course not! Satan’s former work in heaven is taken up by another anointed cherub that covers the throne with glorious instrumentals in wonderful unceasing praises and worship before God. Satan’s former works, place and position in heaven is not vacant but has ever been occupied and replaced by God with another better, wiser, beautiful and glorious anointed cherub that covers the throne of glory than him in praise and worship. All of God’s works will continue to praise him in heaven and on earth, even as the twenty-four elders maintain the casting down of their crowns of gold before him day and night in high praises and worship, saying, thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.                                                                                   
Christ warns us to hold fast whatever we have received of him, and to do whatsoever he demands of us faithfully, lest another man take the crown reserves for us in heaven -God can change his mind, if you are too full of yourself. Your high or low position is not guarantee if you are found wanting – he brings one down and exalt another. Don’t be self-esteemed and self-assured that none can do it better than you or the work of God shall fail if you are not involved -it’s a big lie from the pit of hell. The works and purposes of God has been before you, and they shall continue while you are there and after you are not, for God will work and none will hinder him. Whosoever will not prepare himself to fulfil the purpose of God will be replaced and his place, work and crown shall be given to someone else. Revelation 3:11.                         
Whatever, promise we received from God, it is only binding if we are obedient to his word and walking daily in the Spirit to fulfil his will. He will change his mind and purpose concerning anyone if they make a breach of his promise. It is impossible for Jehovah’s plans and purposes to fail; though the instrument may fail, it will be changed, even as queen Vashti was replaced by queen Esther. Esther 4:14-15. Luke 19:40. 
Moses was a great prophet of God who has spoken mouth to mouth with him on several occasions as a man will speak with his friend. He enjoyed great intimacy and had immense power with God. But with all been said, God replaced Moses by Joshua after he failed to sanctify God in the presence of the Israelis at the water of strife. God terminated Moses’ mission and instructed him to encourage his replacement (Joshua) for the continuation and fulfilment of the work to Cannan. Was Judas Iscariot not numbered among the twelve apostles of our Lord, but after he compromised with Satan to betray the Lord, his bishopric office and ministry was given to Matthias to fulfil the work he ought to accomplish for the Lord. Acts 1:16-22.                                                                                                                                                      Prophet Eli’s house and generation should have remained and continue in the priesthood forever before God; but for the grievousness of the sins of his children in committing sexual immorality with the female worshippers in the temple, and for treating the sacrifices and offerings of the Lord with contempt, the Lord changed his mind, slew him and his two sons and the daughter in– law on the same day, and cut off his posterity forever from the priesthood. 1 Samuel 2: 27-36: (3) 11-14.                                                                O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? Says the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent (change my mind) of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent (change my mind) of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them’. Jeremiah 18:6-10. 1 Samuel15:10-23.                                    Let none say they have Abraham as their father unless they are walking in the step of Abraham’s faith, for I tell you, says John the Baptist, that out of these stones will God raise up children to replace the seed children of Abraham who are not living up to divine expectations and standard to portray what it means to live for God and to walk with him as Abraham did. As long as we are on earth, we are all on probation, and nothing in heaven is guarantee for us if we do not strive lawfully- strive to enter through the straight gate and the narrow way – if we do not live and walk in holiness as he who has called us holy – if do not put our body under subjection from its affections and lusts, lest after preaching to others, we should not be cast away. Be careful of the doctrine of eternal security and salvation without continual obedience in total subjection to the gospel of Christ, even the doctrine of false liberty in Christ without actual freedom from the reigning and dominion of sin, by living corruptible lifestyles. No competitor in a sportive event is crowned except he strives lawfully, but if he is mistakenly crowned and afterward found to be a cheat, he shall be striped of the golden laurel price of his false success- be careful. God will not change his mind to save you to the end if you keep walking through the straight gate and narrow way;: but if after you’ve gone through the broad way and wide gate, you seek to enter the glorious kingdom of our God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, you will be greatly disappointed at the end of your pilgrim and religious lifestyle in hell for eternity when he will refute and rebut you as a worker of iniquity after all the prophecies you’ve given and miracles you’ve performed in his name. 2 Timothy 2:5. Repent now and do the first works, lest Christ change his mind and remove your candlestick and blot out your name from the book of life.