And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
The Strength of Israel does not lie or change His purpose as a man does, but carries out what He chooses and no one can prevent it. His rejection of Saul from the kingship was therefore firm and would not be reversed, in contrast to Saul himself who was false and changeable and turned from God's command. What is called God's repenting is not a change in Him or in His requirements, but a change in circumstances and in a person's relation to Him, so that Saul's disobedience placed him outside the conditions of favor while God remained unchanged. That title marks God as the source of strength, to be trusted for deliverance rather than human strength or a human king who cannot save. He is the sure refuge to hold to in every trial, and living connection with Him keeps all the faculties strong while separation leaves one enfeebled.
Setting in Saul's History
The Strength of Israel speaks in the account of judgment against Amalek. The sentence upon Amalek had been delayed for four hundred years, but its time of execution had now come. That long delay did not mean the sentence had been abandoned.
Saul's story stands as the pattern of one who denies wrongdoing until the facts are undeniable. Even then he still fails to confess and regards himself as mistreated. In that setting the declaration means that God's rejection of Saul from kingship was certain and would not be reversed. God, unlike Saul, is not false and changeable, for the Strength of Israel will not lie or repent as a man does. Saul had turned from and resisted God's command and changed his course, and he was not to mistake God's faithfulness for the human changeableness he himself displayed.
God Does Not Change
God, the Strength of Israel, does not deceive and does not alter his purpose as a human being might. What he chooses he will accomplish, and no one is able to prevent it. Saul had been taught this through Samuel, but his jealousy revealed that he did not truly understand God's plans and power.
What is called God's repenting is distinct from human changeableness, for God does not lie or change his mind as a person does. It is a change in circumstances and in a person's relation to him, not a change in God himself or in his requirements. By disobedience Saul changed his relation to God and placed himself outside the conditions of divine favor, while God and the conditions of acceptance remained unchanged.
Trusting the Strength of Israel
The name Strength of Israel means that God himself is the source of strength, and therefore trust is to rest in him rather than in any human strength. Israel was to look to him for strength and deliverance instead of to a human king, for no king could save them. Their fear when facing the Philistines laid bare the wrong they had done in looking to their king for security, and in that they had slighted God.
Trust in God with consecration to him, rather than reliance on personal strength, is what gives labor its effectiveness. He does not lie nor shift his purpose as a person does, and for that reason he is the sure refuge to be held firmly amid trials. He can be trusted to provide a way of escape in every trial.
As the Strength of Israel he is the source of spiritual strength, so that living connection with him keeps all the faculties strong, while failure to maintain that connection leaves a person enfeebled. That connection requires breaking the tendrils of affection away from everything earthly and corruptible. It also requires overcoming unsanctified, earthly, sensual, love-sick sentimental sympathy, and diligently using every means of grace in order to be transformed in character and to grow to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.
That same power is given for parents to rely upon for what they need to do for their children and their homes. Merely hearing about such help is not enough unless they take hold of it by faith and put that faith into practice.
The Strength of Israel does not lie or change His purpose as a man does, but carries out what He chooses and no one can prevent it. His rejection of Saul from the kingship was therefore firm and would not be reversed, in contrast to Saul himself who was false and changeable and turned from God's command. What is called God's repenting is not a change in Him or in His requirements, but a change in circumstances and in a person's relation to Him, so that Saul's disobedience placed him outside the conditions of favor while God remained unchanged. That title marks God as the source of strength, to be trusted for deliverance rather than human strength or a human king who cannot save. He is the sure refuge to hold to in every trial, and living connection with Him keeps all the faculties strong while separation leaves one enfeebled.
Setting in Saul's History
The Strength of Israel speaks in the account of judgment against Amalek. The sentence upon Amalek had been delayed for four hundred years, but its time of execution had now come. That long delay did not mean the sentence had been abandoned.
Saul's story stands as the pattern of one who denies wrongdoing until the facts are undeniable. Even then he still fails to confess and regards himself as mistreated. In that setting the declaration means that God's rejection of Saul from kingship was certain and would not be reversed. God, unlike Saul, is not false and changeable, for the Strength of Israel will not lie or repent as a man does. Saul had turned from and resisted God's command and changed his course, and he was not to mistake God's faithfulness for the human changeableness he himself displayed.
God Does Not Change
God, the Strength of Israel, does not deceive and does not alter his purpose as a human being might. What he chooses he will accomplish, and no one is able to prevent it. Saul had been taught this through Samuel, but his jealousy revealed that he did not truly understand God's plans and power.
What is called God's repenting is distinct from human changeableness, for God does not lie or change his mind as a person does. It is a change in circumstances and in a person's relation to him, not a change in God himself or in his requirements. By disobedience Saul changed his relation to God and placed himself outside the conditions of divine favor, while God and the conditions of acceptance remained unchanged.
Trusting the Strength of Israel
The name Strength of Israel means that God himself is the source of strength, and therefore trust is to rest in him rather than in any human strength. Israel was to look to him for strength and deliverance instead of to a human king, for no king could save them. Their fear when facing the Philistines laid bare the wrong they had done in looking to their king for security, and in that they had slighted God.
Trust in God with consecration to him, rather than reliance on personal strength, is what gives labor its effectiveness. He does not lie nor shift his purpose as a person does, and for that reason he is the sure refuge to be held firmly amid trials. He can be trusted to provide a way of escape in every trial.
As the Strength of Israel he is the source of spiritual strength, so that living connection with him keeps all the faculties strong, while failure to maintain that connection leaves a person enfeebled. That connection requires breaking the tendrils of affection away from everything earthly and corruptible. It also requires overcoming unsanctified, earthly, sensual, love-sick sentimental sympathy, and diligently using every means of grace in order to be transformed in character and to grow to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.
That same power is given for parents to rely upon for what they need to do for their children and their homes. Merely hearing about such help is not enough unless they take hold of it by faith and put that faith into practice.