The Unchanging God

THE UNCHANGING GOD
For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6).

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God -- that it is the written communication of the Creator of the universe to mankind. As such, there is little doubt that it is the most important book ever written. Yet as we pick it up and read it in our quest to know God, we often find ourselves overwhelmed by a myriad of events of ancient history. The people described therein seem very long ago and far away. They are of other cultures and of other lands and their problems and struggles do not seem relevant to the modern world of today. It may be of interest to historians and stuffy professors, but how can the common man relate to the teachings of a book that was written thousands of years ago?

Bible teachers have pointed out that the Biblical characters shared many of the same problems that we deal with today, but there is still a sense of remoteness as we read of their various situations.

God never spoke to me from a burning bush.

I have never been a king of Israel or a king of anything.

I was not thrown into a fiery furnace.

I have never tried to walk on water. No angels have ever addressed me. No matter how hard I try, I find that there is still a sense of remoteness between the issues and problems that I face on a day to day basis and those characters of the Bible. So what is the answer? How can I see the Bible as relevant in the 21st century? The answer is seen in the truth that we have an unchanging GOD. For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6).

God does not change. He has not learned anything new in the last 4000 years. His outlook on life has not grown with age. Neither have His absolute standards of righteousness undergone any revision. This is hard to comprehend because we change all the time. I am not the same person I used to be. I am constantly growing and changing. I continue to learn new things that change my old outlook on life.

God hasn't changed. He is the same as when He created the heavens and the earth. He is the ancient of days. That does not mean that He is getting old. He is not “getting” anything. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). His knowledge is always fresh and up to date.

We look at people who haven't changed with the times and think of them as “old-fashioned.” But God doesn't have to change with the times. He is fully aware how times change. He made them that way. He is the one constant in an ever-changing universe.

25 Of old Thou didst found the earth; And the heavens are the work of Thy hands.

26 Even they will perish, but Thou dost endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment;

Like clothing Thou wilt change them, and they will be changed.

27 But Thou art the same, And Thy years will not come to an end. (Psalms 102:25-27). When the universe has come and gone there will only be One who has not changed -- the Unchanging God. This brings up an interesting question. What do we do with certain passages like Genesis 6:6 or Jonah 3:10 that tell us God repented? If this repentance is to be understood as a change in attitude, then is this not an example of God changing? In answering, we must first ask whether these passages reflect a real change in the character and purposes of God. For example, when Jonah says that God repented in His plan to destroy Nineveh, it is not that God's attitude toward the people of Nineveh had changed, but rather the Ninevites themselves who had changed. This in turn brought about a change in God's actions toward them. Thus, it did not involve a change in the character or the purposes of God. The sun is not showing a change in character just because it melts ice but hardens clay. The changed is not in the sun, but in the objects on which it shines. Neither do I change in my character because I punish my child for disobedience but praise that same child for doing what is right.

Here is the principle. God's character never changes. But His dealings with men do change as men themselves change in their attitudes toward Him.

Now I want to ask you a question. Is this principle relevant for today? Does the fact that God does not change make a difference in the way I live? I believe that it does. When I am faced with the remoteness of the Biblical records, I am able to balance that remoteness with a reminder that God has not changed. The same God who spoke to Moses from a burning bush is listening to my prayers right now. The same God who protected the young men who were cast into the fiery furnace can protect me as I drive on the highway. The same God who provided manna in the wilderness can make sure that I have a hamburger to eat for lunch. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead is going to raise me as well. The same God who sent the flood upon the earth has promised that He will come again.

Circumstances have changed. Problems have changed. Society had changed and is still changing. But God never changed.