Did God made a mistake here?

[hisgrace26]

So did God made a mistake by setting up Saul as a king over Israel in the Old Testament? It says that God repent of His own actions. How can an all knowing God admitting to a mistake?

1 Samuel 15:11 It repenteth me [God] that I have set up Saul to be king.

1 Samuel 15:35 The Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

 

[oi_antz]

So did God made a mistake by setting up Saul as a king over Israel in the Old Testament? It says that God repent of His own actions. How can an all knowing God admitting to a mistake?

1 Samuel 15:11 It repenteth me [God] that I have set up Saul to be king.

1 Samuel 15:35 The Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

A similar thing happened in Genesis 6:

5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” 8 But Noah found favor with the Lord.

I think it is going to be hard on the brain to comprehend time vs eternity and how God knows everything that happened before it happened, yet it still has happened and He can regret it and yet still choose to permit it.

 

[Faulty]

So did God made a mistake by setting up Saul as a king over Israel in the Old Testament? It says that God repent of His own actions. How can an all knowing God admitting to a mistake?

1 Samuel 15:11It repenteth me [God] that I have set up Saul to be king.

1 Samuel 15:35 The Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Nope, he was the right choice in that he was a very humble man when chosen.

Saul then turned against God, becoming very prideful and angry. He wasn't some puppet on God's string. Rather he turned against God, even to the point that his sin demanded his own death (for the wages of sin is death). A good reminder for us that we are fully responsible for our own actions before God.

He could have been a great and godly king.

 

[Habakk]

The Hebrew used there can also mean grieved in His heart. Grieving usually involves the actions of someone and it was Saul’s wrong actions that caused God to grieve.

 

[timf]

Habakk is exactly right. In addition, earlier we have God telling Samuel that the desire of Israel for a King is not a good thing and then tells Samuel what the nation can expect from a King, it is not a happy list.

Saul was cowardly, self-centered, petty, and unstable. This was exactly the type of ruler the nation deserved. It is no wonder that God's heart was broken.

To make it more relevant, what should a nation that has rejected Christianity and embraced the religion of secularism (the worship of man in general and self in particular), expect for its own future?

 

[hisgrace26]

According to the verses God grieved to His heart for the wrong actions He made by setting up Saul up to be king is it not?

 

[razeontherock]

No it is not. It is we who grieve the Holy Spirit. Saul is a horrible warning about that!

Also, you might notice what repentance entails, and who G-d made King after Saul, and how that came about ...

 

[hisgrace26]

No it is not. It is we who grieve the Holy Spirit. Saul is a horrible warning about that!

Also, you might notice what repentance entails, and who G-d made King after Saul, and how that came about ...

The verses didn't say it was "we" or Saul who made God grieved. The verses plainly states that it was God who grieved at Himself for for making the wrong decision by setting up Saul to be king.

 

[maizer]

The verses didn't say it was "we" or Saul who made God grieved. The verses plainly states that it was God who grieved at Himself for for making the wrong decision by setting up Saul to be king.

1) At the time of the appointing, Saul was a good, God-fearing man, the best candidate for the throne.

2) God knew that Saul would mess up in the future.

So what would you do? Appoint Saul, or not appoint him because of something that had not happened yet? What would be the right thing to do? We could probably debate this forever.

It is possible to regret a past decision, but it doesn't mean the decision itself was the wrong thing to do. Doesn't it happen in our lives from time to time? We accept a challenge or make a decision knowing that we're going to suffer. We can regret that decision during the process, but still acknowledge it was the right choice.

 

[christtoevo]

Repentance is an emotional state of regret causing change.

You do not need to see the the future to know it will cause you grief.

 

[PROPHECYKID]

According to the verses God grieved to His heart for the wrong actions He made by setting up Saul up to be king is it not?

Remember that God never wanted Israel to have a king. He left it up to the people and as a previous poster said, he told them exactly what to expect from a king. He gave them the choice, they chose to have a king and he went along with it, knowing what the result would be. God gives us free will and we sin daily and it grieves his heart. It is the same thing as with Saul.