Does God repent? The author of 1 Samuel has an answer to that question. In fact, he has two.
When Saul disobeys God in Israel’s battle against the Amalekites, the Lord says to the prophet Samuel, “It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments.” Samuel was grieved by this and “cried unto the Lord all night” (1 Samuel 15:11) before delivering this difficult message to the king.
After Samuel speaks with the king, as he turns to leave, Saul grabs part of his clothing, and it rips. Using this incident as an immediate object lesson, Samuel declares, “The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day.” Then, lest Saul think he could change God’s mind, Samuel echoes a testimony by the earlier prophet Balaam, “The Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent” (1 Samuel 15:28-29; Numbers 23:19).
The narrator then closes the chapter with this sorrowful statement: “Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel” (1 Samuel 15:35).
So we have Samuel declaring that God doesn’t repent in between two statements that God repented from making Saul king. How can both be true?
The Hebrew word translated “repent” in these passages is nacham (נָחַם), which signifies sorrow, regret, or compassion. It’s a complicated word, appearing often in the King James Version as “comfort” (indicating sorrow for someone else’s affliction) and also frequently as “repent” (indicating a need to change). The implication is that sorrow can have multiple sources and multiple outcomes. God can feel genuine sorrow that Saul has failed to fulfill his responsibilities as king, which motivates Him to seek a replacement. Simultaneously, Samuel can reaffirm that God’s integrity is unimpeachable, and that Saul cannot convince him to simply ignore these infractions.
In the Book of Mormon, Nephi testifies that God is “the same yesterday, today, and forever,” and that we can have confidence in miracles if we exercise faith (2 Nephi 27:23). Moroni reiterates this point, quoting Nephi near the end of the book: “For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?” (Mormon 9:9). Moroni adds, “I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles” (Mormon 9:19). This is the same principle Samuel and Balaam taught: God is perfect, and we can rely on His constancy and adherence to eternal law.
On the other hand, the Book of Mormon relates a poignant event which illustrates the empathy and responsiveness of God to genuine human need. During the Savior’s post-resurrection visit to the Americas, He tells the people that it is time for Him to leave. He tells them to go home and prepare for His return the following day, and He explains that He is returning to His Father and then visiting another group of people. But after making this announcement, “he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.” In response, He chooses to stay a little longer (3 Nephi 17:1-6). He heals their sick, blesses their children, prays with them, and institutes the sacrament (3 Nephi 17-18).
Jesus’s character didn’t change, but He did allow Himself to be influenced by that group of people. Their sincere desire for Him to stay resulted in a change in the announced itinerary. He was unchangeable but responsive. He had no need to repent, but in a broader sense, He repented. He felt their desire, had compassion, and acted accordingly.
Today, I will repent in both senses of the term. When I feel badly about my own actions, I will change with God’s help. When I feel badly for others, I will take appropriate action to help and comfort them, as the Savior did at the temple in Bountiful.
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