Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too
much because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy
for today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect
yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are
going to change all of that. Let's experience God's words
today and receive the power we need to live healthy,
vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker, Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. It is Wednesday, February five,
twenty twenty five. Hello, my name is Elle David Harris.
I am your host, and this is your Daily Portion
where we give you God's word every single day, and
today is no exception. We are continuing in our lesson
study series, God's Love and Justice, and our caption for
today it's a question repenting God? What penting God? Mm hmmm.
We'll get into that in just a moment, but first
I'd like to say welcome to you and ask you
to go over to your Daily Portion dot com. Please
join our online community, pick up the Your Daily Portion
companion guide, and as I have said to you, if
you have been here. You've heard me say that this
is our final quarter use creating the guide. If you
choose not to pick it up, if it's something that's
not useful to you, you're not downloading it, you're not
purchasing the paperback or the hardcover, then that's quite fine.
But if you do desire to have it, I want
you to pick it up and share it with your friends,
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Daily Portion dot com and pick that up, and also
let us know where you are in the world. This
is one of the ways that we continue to build
faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead and pray, and then
we will get underway in heaven. Thank you for giving
us this new day and for the fact that you
are consistent. You love us. You are also just and
holy at all times. Father, I pray that you will
give us the fullness of your holy spirit, the understanding
we need in order to do your will. And then
the impetus give us the power, give us the wind
in our sails, the drive to actually do what you say.
In Jesus name, I pray, Amen and Amen again are
repenting God. Hmm. Interesting. I'm going to read one passage
and then go into the lesson straight so we can
really make sense of this discussion. The Bible reads in
Exodus chapter thirty two, and I actually, I actually alluded
to this yesterday. Exodus thirty two, verse fourteen. The Bible reads,
and the Lord repented of the evil which he thought
to do unto his people. H repented? Well, let me
read it in another translation. Then the Lord relented over
the evil that he said he would do to his people.
Now that's a different discussion, isn't it. Okay, So in
our understanding when we are thinking about the Bible, we
often think of repentance like in reference to sin, like
we repent, we have godly sorrow for sin. Okay, Well,
that's only part of the definition, and that's related to sin,
got it. But there is more to what repentance means.
It actually literally means. Think of it visually, it means
to turn the shoulder. So it's not only godly sorrow
for sin. It's not only turning toward God and away
from sin. Sin being the focus here, but it also
visually literally means to turn the shoulder. So if you're
going in the easterly direction or eastward direction, and you
turn your shoulder, you make an about turn. Then that
means you're now going in the west or the direction
of the west, exactly the opposite of the direction you
were going. And so here, obviously, God can't repent because
he's when evil is concerned, because God has never committed
sin like this is sacrilege to even consider intimate that
God can be evil or do evil at all. The
Bible actually talks about that. Absolutely not. But he can relent,
he can do something opposite of what he was going
to do. There are people who have chosen to hold
on to hatred. There are people who have chosen to
live their lives according to fear instead of holiness. And
then they, by the power of the Holy Ghost or we,
as the case may be, I me too, have turned
my shoulder and decided to live a holy life. And
therefore the condemnation that may have come to my life
in the end analysis I'm talking about the end of
all things now is no longer coming. Why or why not?
Because God is relenting from what that outcome would have been,
but would have been. I am no longer running away
from Him and Therefore, the outcome for me according to
God's laws, according to his principles, according to his tender mercy,
where He has transformed me. Now the outcome for me
is eternity with him. Okay, and so and so, what
the lesson writer asks is can God repent? In quotes?
If so, what would that mean? We have seen that
God's character never changes. We talked about that yesterday, didn't we. However,
some biblical texts speak of God repenting or relenting. At
least for humans, repentance involves recognition one has done something wrong.
How then can some biblical passages depict God as repenting.
Let's go to another passage and then we'll we'll we'll
put a rap on this. We'll probably need to go
into our community at your Daily Portion dot com sign
up there and have this discussion more because there's a
lot in this. So we go to Jeremiah chapter eighteen,
and we will read beginning at verse four, and the
Bible reads and the vessel that he made of clay
was marred. Who is the vessel? That's me, that's you.
You're the vessel that was marred in the hand of
the potter, and he made it again another vessel has
seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the
word of the Lord came unto me, saying, oh, House
of Israel, can I not do with you as this
potter seth? The Lord behold, as the clay is in
the potter's hand, So ye are ye in mine hand, o,
House of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning
a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck it up
and pull down and to destroy it. If that nation
against whom I have pronounced, I need you to get
this I've already illustrated it earlier. I've said it very clearly.
But if that nation, what nation? Maybe it's me, maybe
it's you, Maybe it's someone else. Uh maybe if that
I mean not, maybe if that nation, if that nation
turn from their evil. So now the nation is repenting
from evil, I will repent of the evil that I
thought to do unto them. So that means that God
is going to relent. He's going to change or adjust
what was going to happen, because he is always holy,
he is always just. It is unjust to destroy, it
is unjust to condemn people who are living according to
God's principles. But if God forbid an unrepentant people who
are dogged against God and choose to embrace hatred, choose
to embrace fear and not accept God to transform them.
Then that means that destruction will ultimately come. Will it
will ultimately come? But God is saying that I'm going
to turn away from that. I will relent. And at
what instant I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning
a kingdom, to build and to plant it. If I
do evil, if it do evil in my sight that
I obey, and that obey not my voice, then I
will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would
benefit them. So it goes both ways. So what we
are saying here is that the character of God is set.
He is always holy, he is always just, He is
always good. Now in the end analysis, after he has
given us mercy, after he has shown us how he
can transform us and positioned us to be transformed, our
decision will determine our outcome. See, so God is good?
How good is he? He is going to allow us
to live according to the desires of our hearts, sometimes
for good, but Lord God forbid, sometimes for evil.
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening, friends, Always remember we cannot
live by bread alone, but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God. This has been your daily
portion with El David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,