Understanding God’s Regret and Repentance in Scripture

It’s one of the most puzzling moments in Scripture God regrets. God repents. In passages like Genesis 6:6 and 1 Samuel 15:11, the Bible tells us God expressed sorrow over His own actions. But how can a sovereign, all-knowing God who sees the end from the beginning feel regret? Doesn’t that imply a mistake, or a lack of foresight?

This question has stirred theological debate for decades. In the 1990s, it became central to the controversy over Open Theism, a position that claims God doesn’t possess exhaustive knowledge of the future. Open Theists point to verses like these to suggest that God changes His mind because He doesn’t always know what’s coming.

But that interpretation falls short not only because it undermines Scripture’s testimony of God’s omniscience, but also because it misunderstands the emotional and narrative depth of biblical language.

Let’s look at one of the most discussed examples 1 Samuel 15:11, where God says, “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.”

At first glance, this seems straightforward. God appointed Saul, Saul failed, and God regretted it. But just a few verses later in the same chapter Scripture says something astonishing: “The Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret” (1 Samuel 15:29).

Same word. Same context. Two seemingly opposite truths. So which is it? Does God regret or not?

The answer lies in understanding how Scripture uses language to describe divine emotion and action in ways we can understand.

God’s regret is not like human regret. When people regret, it’s usually because they acted without full knowledge. We say, “If I had known then what I know now, I would’ve chosen differently.” But God never lacks knowledge. His decisions are always made with perfect foresight.

So how can God both “regret” and not regret? The key is that God's emotional responses in Scripture often reflect real grief or sorrow over sin, even when those outcomes were foreseen and allowed for higher purposes.

Consider a parent disciplining a child. The parent knows discipline may lead to tears, distance, or rebellion but does it anyway out of love and wisdom. That same parent may still weep when the child slams the door and walks away. The act was right, but the grief is real. The decision stands, but the sorrow remains.

If that kind of emotional complexity is possible for us, how much more for God, whose emotional capacity is infinitely greater?

In Saul’s case, God appointed him knowing full well he would fail. Yet God’s sorrow is not about a lack of foreknowledge it’s an expression of divine grief over real disobedience. It’s a way of showing us that God is not cold or indifferent. He is invested. He feels.

And Scripture doesn’t just show this once.

In Genesis 6:6, before the flood, God “regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” God knew what humanity would become. But that doesn’t mean their violence didn’t break His heart. Divine sorrow is not a contradiction of divine sovereignty.

These passages aren’t about God making mistakes. They’re about God’s capacity to be grieved by sin while still accomplishing His sovereign will. This is not theological weakness it’s relational depth.

And it's not just about God feeling sorrow it's about God acting through that sorrow with unwavering commitment to His purposes. Even as He regrets Saul’s kingship, He continues to work through David’s anointing. Even as He laments over humanity in Genesis, He begins anew with Noah.

So what does this mean for us?

It means God’s promises are never fragile. When He makes a promise, He does so knowing exactly how we will succeed or fail. He is never surprised. And that means His grace is never revoked due to unexpected rebellion. His Word stands.

It also means we serve a God who is not emotionally detached. When we hurt, when we stray, when we sin, God does not observe from a distance. He feels. He grieves. But He never falters.

Psalm 147:5 declares, “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.” That’s the God who regrets with purpose, repents without error, and remains faithful through every generation.

So when Scripture says God “regrets,” it is not weakening His divinity it is revealing His heart.

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