Does God Repent?
The King James version says, “And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart” (Genesis 6:6 also Exodus 32:14). But the New King James Version gives a clearer meaning to this verse, “And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”
Therefore, the words “it repented” the Lord, can be understood from the explanatory statement “it grieved him” to His heart. This shows that the repentance of God does not mean a change in His nature or purpose. The “repentance” of God is an expression showing the pain of divine compassion that is caused by man’s sin.
Man’s freedom of choice
The evil choices of humans brought death and misery to our world (Romans 6:23). If they remained faithful to God, their lives would have been so much different. They would be living in a perfect peaceful world with a direct relationship with God.. Sadly, they chose evil and are reaping the sad consequences of their choices.
And although sin fills God’s heart with great sorrow, nonetheless, it moves Him also to judgement against the evil doers for He is just. And He takes action to protect the innocent: “if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it” (Jeremiah 18:10 also v. 8). When men continue in their evil paths and insist on rebellion against God, the Lord is left with no choice but to administer justice.
Conditional words
God is not a man that he should repent. In this sense God never repents of anything. “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent” (1 Samuel 15:29). But when people repent and turn from their wicked ways, He also repents of judging them as in the story of the inhabitants of Nineveh “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil which he said he would do unto them; and he did it not” (Jonah 3:10).
When people change their wicked ways, God changes His dealings with them. The Lord says, “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.
BibleAsk
Hebrew Word for Regret
The Bible rarely speaks of God experiencing “regret.” The Hebrew word used here is yin’nā’hem, from the root word nacham. The word is exclusively about emotions: a feeling of pain, sadness, or unhappiness. The word does not imply that God feels He has made a mistake, or that He wishes to have done differently. It is possible to experience grief and “regret,” as used here, without implying an error. Any parent who has held a crying, upset child as they receive a shot has experienced exactly that. Such a parent is “grieved” over the pain, but has no illusions that this was the wrong decision.
However, this verse does mean God is unhappy with the current state of man. This is a low point in the history of humanity. God is troubled. He is “grieved,” or “pained,” by the outcome of His act of creation. The men and women, however, do not grieve their own sin. They do not repent. God’s grief stands in great contrast to that of His creatures, who blindly continue to indulge in every sinful thought, action, and word that begins in their hearts and minds.
Left alone, the evil of man will eventually overtake the entire race, and there will be no godly people left. There will be no line to produce the already-promised Messiah (Genesis 3:15). God will not let the earth go on like this indefinitely.
BibleRef
Disclaimer: THE PLAIN WORD may quote an outside article(s) or provide a reference to outside materials, which indicate that we stand behind the content of that particular article or reference; but it is not an endorsement by The Plain Word of the author’s opinion, lifestyle or work published elsewhere.
2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” AND 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”