God 'was sorry'?

[EdSutton]

Good Question christianyouth, you have quoted the NASB which translates verse 6 as:
If you go back to the King James Version verse 6 reads:
This is a case where I believe the King James is easier to understand and closer to the meaning of the Hebrew.

The first word in verse six in Hebrew is nacham. You can find this word in your Strong’s concordance as 05162. This word occurs 108 times in scripture. The KJV translates is comfort 57 times, repent 41, comforter 9, and ease once.

When you find a word in scripture you do not understand one of the first things you should do is look for other passages that contain the same word. If you look at some of the other Old Testament occurrences where nacham is translated repent I think this verse will become clear to you.

In Exodus 13:17 this word is translated repent and occurs where God does not want the Israelite people to repent and return to Egypt.

In Jeremiah 18:8 and 10 this word occurs twice and is translated repent both times. God uses it saying that if nations will turn to him he will not judge them as he has intended and if they turn away from him he will take away his blessings.

Joel 2:14 and Jonah 3:9 both use this word. Joel speaks of a man repenting and turning back to God. Jonah uses it speaking of God saying, ”Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger.”

The word repent as we use it today usually means to be sorry, but it also indicates a change of mind and action. It is tied to the word turn. We repent of our sins and turn back to God. Real repentance always involves a change in direction. God repented and changed the way he dealt with mankind on the earth. No longer would he deal with all mankind, but through Noah and his family.

Strict dispensationalists would say that this repentance and change in the way God dealt with man issued in a new dispensation. I would agree with them that this verse indicates God changed the way he dealt with mankind but I would maintain that God’s grace and his plan for our salvation are consistent across all dispensations.

Anyway, that is my two cents worth and how I understand this verse.

Actually I don't see that Joel used "repent", "relent" (NKJV) or "repenting", (or any variation of any of these words) in this passage to say anything about a man "repenting", only that God may or may not "nacham", but perhaps I missed it, not knowing Hebrew at all. I see something about a man or a people "turning", but so not think it is the Hebrew word "nacham".

You are so right that we want to impose our own ideas, too often, on what the Scripture is actually saying, in its own languages.

Ed"

 

[Bro. Curtis]

Are you saying that God works by our time and does not time travel?

Regards
DL

God just is. He is not limited by our concept of time.

 

[russell55]

Are you saying that God works by our time and does not time travel?

Time is the creation of God. He transends it, but he also encompasses all of it. He carries time along by the word of his power in the same way that he carries all of creation along by the word of his power. If God ceased to bring each moment into existence, time would cease to exist.

So the idea of time travel, as if time exists apart from God so that God must go from one point in time to another, is absurd.

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

God is everywhere and everywhen at the same time - how dare we box Him into a clock or calendar.

 

[EdSutton]

That is why God is "I AM", and Jesus, God, the Son, was before Abraham, "I AM".
(Jo. 8:58, c.f. John 8:24, 28; 9:9; 13;9; 18:5, 5, 8)

Ed

 

[Greatest I am]

God does not need to "time travel." He transcends all of time - He always is, was, and will be - the same. He is in no way bound by our simple little view of time. God is not a man - He is not bound by our petty limitations on Him.

God makes no mistakes - we make the mistake of judging Him by our own set of rules.

Your posts have a common theme - you don't understand why God didn't or does not destroy evil according to your expectations. Why should God act according to your or my reasoning?

Methinks thou hast a very low view of God.

Methinks you are wrong but thanks for the Christian aptitude.

Regards
DL

 

[Greatest I am]

This is an excerpt from Genesis 6, the chapter about the flood.
5Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that (D)every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6(E)The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was (F)grieved in His heart.
7The LORD said, "(G)I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for (H)I am sorry that I have made them."



I am having a hard time understanding this text. God is omniscient, meaning he knows everything. He had to know that when he made man, man would fall, so why would he regret making humanity?



How can we understand this verse?

I agree that it is hard to explain. He knew at the beginning that he would need to kill millions including babies and innocent children, yet instead of killing only a few in the beginning, He waits and kill millions.
Strange and perplexing. I hope you get a clear answer.

Regards
DL

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

I agree that it is hard to explain. He knew at the beginning that he would need to kill millions including babies and innocent children, yet instead of killing only a few in the beginning, He waits and kill millions.
Strange and perplexing. I hope you get a clear answer.

Regards
DL

Who does God kill? Are we talking about the same God?

Sin kills - pure and simple. God could have madeone great robotic race programmed to love Him, sure - but would that be love?

There is nothing stange and perplexing here at all if one has a proper view of God.

Why do you persist in trying to squeeze God into your little box of human understanding?

 

[webdog]

Methinks you are wrong but thanks for the Christian aptitude.

Regards
DL

Are you saying God is bound by time and space, and has to travel back and forth? That's not omnipresence, omitemporalness or omnipotence.

 

[Greatest I am]

Who does God kill? Are we talking about the same God?

Sin kills - pure and simple. God could have madeone great robotic race programmed to love Him, sure - but would that be love?

There is nothing stange and perplexing here at all if one has a proper view of God.

Why do you persist in trying to squeeze God into your little box of human understanding?

If God cannot be understood then He is not God. God is a good communicator and is always understood. Eventually.

God is logical.
It is illogical to kill many when killing a few is better.
I was trying to dither out why God would choose the illogical way.
If you cannot say anything helpful then telling me that God cannot be understood is less than helpful.

Regards
DL

 

[Greatest I am]

Are you saying God is bound by time and space, and has to travel back and forth? That's not omnipresence, omitemporalness or omnipotence.

If we are in God's image then understanding that time only flows one way is normal , natural and provable.
In other words this is the natural law.
God is not likely to break a natural law by flipping back and forth through time and then expecting man to know that He is breaking the law to accomplish what man thinks God is , was and did.
So if time travel is out then Having Jesus as part of the trinity in the beginning becomes hard to explain.

Regards
DL

 

[webdog]

You are holding God to man's standards, then. We are not sovereign.

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

If God cannot be understood then He is not God. God is a good communicator and is always understood. Eventually.

God is logical.
It is illogical to kill many when killing a few is better.
I was trying to dither out why God would choose the illogical way.
If you cannot say anything helpful then telling me that God cannot be understood is less than helpful.

Regards
DL

You are trying to put God into your little human shaped box. God is totally logical - He is 100% logic.

Sin mars our ability to be logical. Our logic is weak, tiny, and puny compared to His logic.

Who is any man to try and judge God's perfect logic which is beyond our ken?

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

God is not likely to break a natural law by flipping back and forth through time and then expecting man to know that He is breaking the law to accomplish what man thinks God is , was and did.


Regards
DL

God does not have to flip back and forth through time - He is everywhere and everywhen.

 

[Greatest I am]

You are holding God to man's standards, then. We are not sovereign.

God is justified by man.
Man is justified by God.
There must be a union.

Regards
DL

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

God is justified by man.
Man is justified by God.
There must be a union.

Regards
DL

God is justified because He defines justice - He does not need man's justification.

 

[Greatest I am]

God is justified because He defines justice - He does not need man's justification.

Then why bother with us. Why work so hard to show us anything.
God needs man as much as man needs God.
The justice He defines must be justified by man before implementation into the systems of man.
In heaven as on earth means we are to accept all of God's laws and embrace them as our own.

Regards
DL

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

Then why bother with us?

Now THAT is a true question. There is one reason - God is love, thats the only reason why He would bother with us.

I find it tragic that some try to define God by their own rules and standards.

 

[Greatest I am]

Then why bother with us?

Now THAT is a true question. There is one reason - God is love, thats the only reason why He would bother with us.

I find it tragic that some try to define God by their own rules and standards.

Defining Him with our standards is the only way anyone can understand God.
He cannot be understood by someone else's standards.
If so then who's?


Regards
DL

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

Defining Him with our standards is the only way anyone can understand God.
He cannot be understood by someone else's standards.
If so then who's?


Regards
DL

His and His alone.