1 Kingdoms (1 Samuel) 15:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In response to Samuel's rebuke, he might have argued, "Did I seek this kingship for myself? Did I desire this authority? My wish was to live a quiet and unassuming life, yet you have raised me to this position. Had I remained in a state of insignificance, I could have avoided falling into sin; being among the ordinary and uninformed, I would not have been called to such tasks, nor would God have commanded me to engage in battle with the Amalekites. Without this divine directive, I would not have sinned. Yet, all of this reasoning is feeble and not only lacks strength but also heightens God's anger against me."

One who is elevated beyond their rightful status should not use that elevation as a means of excusing their wrongs. Rather, they ought to see God's profound care for them as motivation to strive for greater holiness and righteousness. When someone receives a significant honor and then views their position as a license to sin, they essentially attempt to attribute their failings to God’s nature, a mindset indicative of those who live without reverence or responsibility. We must not fall into such folly, but instead seek to fulfill our own responsibilities with both speech and thought that honor God.

Consider how we talk about God's knowledge and foreknowledge. Human reasoning may lead us to doubt how a God with complete foreknowledge can also have a capacity for regret. While we might view foreknowledge as aligning with God's essence, we cannot assert that real repentance exists in Him. If we ponder the nature of God's foreknowledge, we realize it vastly transcends our understanding. Foreknowledge implies knowledge of future events, yet for God, who exists outside of time, nothing can be merely “future.” To God, what we perceive as future is present, thus negating the notion of foreknowledge as we understand it, and instead, affirming His eternal knowledge.

God’s understanding does not change with the passage of time, thus we ought to speak only of His knowledge, not of foreknowledge. When humans remember events, there's a variability in thought that does not apply to God’s knowing. While our knowledge is indeed limited and transient, divine knowledge is unwavering, illuminating all things in an eternal truth. Although biblical terms can resemble human concepts, we must strive to grasp their true significance without projecting human limitations onto God.

Similarly, when speaking of God’s attributes like wrath or mercy, we need to strip away the imperfect human experiences that accompany these terms. Divine wrath, as illustrated in scripture, does not embody the turmoil found in human anger; rather, it exists in perfect justice without disturbance. Likewise, God’s mercy is devoid of the emotional turmoil that often accompanies human compassion, focusing instead on His unwavering goodness and active desire to help His creation. This understanding also applies to divine jealousy, which is not entwined with human shortcomings but reflects a righteous commitment to justice and purity.

When the scripture states, “I have repented,” we must discern the essence of repentance. Human contrition is intimately linked with sorrow but, when related to God, we must eliminate these human frailties, focusing instead on God's sovereign will. His desire for change, when spoken of, is grounded in immutable justice rather than the imperfect will of man.

The varied attributes of God compel us to redefine our understanding through a lens that does not impose human experience upon Him. Although terms like foreknowledge, wrath, and mercy are commonly lauded in human contexts, the same cannot be attributed to God without recognizing the essential differences in their respective manifestations. Ultimately, embracing the divine nature means acknowledging the incomparable distinction between our experiences and those of our all-knowing and unchanging God. Even the prophet Samuel reminds us that while God may express regret, His nature is fundamentally different from humanity’s; He is not like a man that He would repent. Thus, our inquiries into God’s character should continuously aim to honor His supreme and faithful essence.

When people choose wrongdoing, He issues warnings, and when they express sorrow for their past sins, He extends mercy. It is important to recognize that God, who is unchanging in essence, does not and cannot alter His nature; however, when individuals forsake their wicked actions in favor of righteousness, He adjusts His stance accordingly.

In His desire for David to ascend to the throne and to ensure that the kingdom would be passed down to his descendants, specifically for the sake of the coming Messiah, God communicated in a manner relatable to humanity, saying, “We repent, because I anointed Saul to the kingdom,” when it would have been more fitting to express, “I intend to bestow royalty upon another and remove Saul from his reign.”

Consequently, although the Israelites sought a king and turned away from God, warranting their just punishment—not the form that Saul imposed upon them—God mourns both for the Israelites who suffered great misfortunes and for Saul who became a burden to them. Thus, the responsibility lies with their own choices and not with the kindness of the One who granted their request.

Although God's foreknowledge was certainly aware of Saul's tragic downfall, He chose him along with many thousands of Israelites and anointed him as king. In this act, He honored him for his commendable life at that moment, disregarding the sins he would later commit. Subsequently, after Saul had fallen into corruption, it appeared as if God regretted His choice, expressing in human-like terms and emotions: 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 repented of having made Saul king over Israel (1 Samuel 15:35).