THEOSISJohn Cassian
All these affirmations illustrate that we should not rigidly hold onto our commitments but rather evaluate them through reason and discernment. We ought to select and prioritize what is truly beneficial and pursue that which is most advantageous without any hesitation. This invaluable discernment reveals that, although God possesses knowledge of every individual's fate before their birth, He orchestrates events in such a way, employing a framework that can be described almost as having human sensibilities, that He does not simply dictate everything or everyone through His authority or His unfathomable foreknowledge.
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Instead, based on a person's actions at a specific moment, He either distances Himself from them, draws them closer, bestows grace upon them regularly, or turns His back on them. The selection of Saul serves as an example of this principle. While God's foreknowledge would have predicted his tragic outcome, He still chose him and many thousands of Israelites, anointing him as king. In this act, He acknowledged Saul for his commendable life at that time, disregarding the future transgressions he would commit. After Saul’s fall from grace, God appeared to express regret over His decision, as if lamenting in human terms: I regret that I have made Saul king; for he has turned away from Me and has not obeyed My word. Furthermore, Samuel mourned for Saul, as the Lord expressed regret for having appointed Saul as king over Israel (1 Samuel 15:35).