Homily: February 14, 2023, Tuesday of the sixth week in Ordinary Time.

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 “…He regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was grieved.”

This sounds bad. Did God really regret bringing man to life?

There is another place in the Bible which seems to express God’s regret. It was when the first king of the Israelites, Saul, disobeyed God and did evil. In the book of Samuel, the Lord God said, “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me…”

Did God regret this too and changed His mind?

No, not at all. In the same book of 1 Samuel, it is clearly written: “He who is the strength of Israel does not lie not does he repent, for he is not a man that he should change his mind.” (1 Samuel 15:29 NCB)

God is omnipotent, all-knowing, almighty. He knows everything, He does not change His mind, He is constant, consistent, steadfast, everlasting.

So, why do these inspired books of the Bible express that God regretted?

First, especially so in the Old Testament, we need to appreciate that the authors wrote the texts with a limited understanding of God. They presented God with the emotions and sentiments which they themselves could understand. But their writings are accurate to the truth which God intends. 

Second, the truth as revealed by God is progressive. God reveals Himself in the ways His people of the time could comprehend. So, God revealed Himself to Moses, Abraham, the prophets and other early fathers differently.

Finally, in and through Jesus, God revealed Himself fully to His people. The fullness of God’s love, compassion and mercy are made known through Christ.

Still, no one can fully understand God. He is beyond our imagination, beyond our comprehension and beyond our intelligence. Without the revelation by Jesus, the ancient authors could only present God in the ways they and their listeners understood.

Our generation is blessed. We have the complete picture presented to us. We hear the whole story. We see the full works. We know God fully through Jesus. Yet many still do not believe.

So, does God regret? No. God knows the weakness of our nature, the sinfulness of man, the evils of this world. Yet He chose to create humans. God in his wisdom and love, will redeem us. This is His plan.

It is through sinfulness and then His saving grace that man can truly become the perfect creation. Like gold which has gone through fire to shine, we too have to go through trials of this life to reach the perfect reflection of the Creator, the image and likeness of God.

This is what God wants, from the beginning. He does not change His mind. He has no regrets. Let us patiently bear with the suffering and let Him form us. He is also patiently waiting for us to be well done.

Amen.


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