God Does Not Regret His Plans - He Regrets Our Response to His Plans - 1 Samuel 11-15

 1 Samuel 15:10-11 (ESV)

The word of the LORD came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night.

1 Samuel 15:29 (ESV)

And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.”

1 Samuel 15:35 (ESV)

And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Does God have regret?   It might depend on which one of the above verses you read.   The writer of this chapter goes to great lengths, however, to tell us that God regretted He made Saul king, but that God does not regret.   So, we might ask, “Can both of these positions be true?”   Could it mean that God is regretful about Saul’s kingship in the sense, “God regrets how Saul responded to the kingship?”   The reason for God’s regret in verse ten and eleven, above, is not focused on God.  It is focused on the fact that Saul “turned back from following” God.   God regrets He made Saul king because Saul did not live up to the moment.   God does not regret His plans, He regrets Saul’s response to His plans.   

An illustration of this may be that you decide to go away with your spouse for the weekend and you leave your teenage children home alone.   When you get home and hear the utter destruction and bad behavior they did in your absence, you would regret that they acted poorly and didn’t rise to the occasion.  You regret that you left them alone, but not because you didn’t have pure intent and desire for them to live up to their calling.   You regret that they didn’t take advantage and live out that opportunity in a better way. 

This is the sense that God regretted Saul.   God regretted Saul’s response to the moment.  He had the chance to show God’s power and holiness.  But, he didn’t.   He failed to live up to the moment and God regretted his behavior.  But, God does not regret His plans and how He approaches working with mankind.   God’s plans are holy.  Those who carry out His plans, are not.