We know that it says:
“Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.” 1 Sam 15:29
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Num 23:19
The verse in 1 Sam is very clear and there is no room for interpretation in my mind nor has one ever been offered that I’m aware of. The verse in Numbers contains a promise. God will make good on His promises and God will do what He said He will do because He is not like man in that He lies or repents. If we assume God indeed can repent like marlow has suggested then we must assume based upon the promise of Numbers God will not always make good on His promises.
Most of the other passages which says God repented can be reconciled by simply looking up the correct word in Hebrew or viewing the context and surrounding verses (like in Jeremiah). I don’t have my notes available at the moment but most of the words “repent” is generally translated God was “sorry” or “grieved” as listed above. This is a far cry from changing one’s mind.
I know before I became a Calvinist I went round and round these passages of text. Never in my 30+ years as a Christian have I’ve ever believed or read where God could repent of something He has done. To say so is to say God makes mistakes and God does not make mistakes. And if God could look down "through time" to see who would and would not be saved, couldn't He peek to see what the right decisions would be?
Where does it say that when God "repents" he changes his mind?
I sure didn't say that? The scriptures say quite explicitly that God does not change his mind. They also say quite explicitly that God has repented. So obviously repent does not mean to "change your mind". As far as it concerns God, it obvoiusly means something different.
"And if God could look down 'through time' to see who would and would not be saved, couldn't He peek to see what the right decisions would be?"
Would you create a being knowing it was predestined to suffer an eternity in Hell? I'm not talking about the Bible or doctrine here...I'm asking about you personally. What would you do?
I believe the scripture does not fail. So do you and so does Marlowe. We will all try to reconcile what appears to an outsider to be a contradiction. It would be nice if we could speak off the same sheet, so that unbelievers will see it as unity. Whatever we come up with, it is going to be an interpretation because the translations seem pretty clear.
How do I reconcile it? First, it seems to me that I cannot reject one passage and accept the other. Second, it seems I must allow the meanings of the words and the other words in the immediate context drive possible solutions.