“Immutability” 6-19-22

Overview

The Immutability of God

Among the attributes that reveal the glory of God, immutability stands as one of the most comforting: God does not change. Scripture testifies to this with one voice. Psalm 102:27 declares, "You are the same, and your years have no end." Malachi 3:6 records the Lord's own words: "For I the LORD do not change." And James 1:17 speaks of the Father of lights, "with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

But Exodus 32 seems to push back. While Moses received the Law on Sinai, the people pressured Aaron to fashion a golden calf. God's anger burned hot, and His language toward Moses grew distant—"your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt" Exodus 32:7. Yet Moses interceded, appealing to God's prior promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel Exodus 32:13. And the text says plainly: "And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people" Exodus 32:14. How can the unchanging God change His mind?

The key is letting Scripture interpret Scripture, and distinguishing between God's decrees and promises and God's stated intentions. When God swore by Himself to Abraham in Genesis 22:16-18, that was an unconditional decree—you can take it to the bank. But Jeremiah 26:3 shows God speaking conditionally: "It may be that they will listen…that I may change my mind about the disaster that I intend to bring on them." Decree and promise are unconditional; intention carries conditionality. God's immutability concerns His essence, His character, His decrees, and His promises—not every stated intention. This is precisely why Moses appealed where he did: he held God to His sworn word, and God remained faithful to Himself.

We live in a sea of change. Circumstances shift, seasons pass, and we ourselves are not who we were. We long to freeze certain moments and recover others that cannot be recovered. Yet in the swirl stands the immutable God—unchanging in essence, character, decree, and promise. He keeps coming to us amid the constancy of our sin with the constancy of His grace: "In the name of Jesus Christ, your sin is forgiven." In baptism He has claimed you as His own. Through the cross and empty tomb He has secured your salvation. As Hebrews 13:8 proclaims, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." On Him we can rely.

Transcript

What you're open your Bibles, please, with me to the Old Testament to Exodus 30 2 for our 3s

study today. 10s

Exodus 32, if you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that 11s

on page 73 in the Old Testament. 16s

Exodus 30 2 2. 18s

We continue in our summer sermon series on the attributes of God. 22s

Each and every week, all throughout the summer, Pastor Melonic and I are going to focus 26s

on a different attribute. 31s

These attributes of God that expresses His glory and His grandeur and His greatness. 35s

It's such an important study, I think. 43s

Because as we turn to the Scriptures and we say, we want to know, O Lord, who you are, and 47s

what you are like. 54s

The Lord pulls away from our understandings of Falsely. 55s

It pulls away of Fals gods that we can create. 61s

And it focuses on who the Lord is. 66s

That's why the Scripture for this sermon series is simply this. 73s

The joy of understanding, who he is, who he is. 76s

Today, I'd like to talk with you about the attribute of immutability, immutability. 85s

Simply put, immutability means that God does not change. 95s

He doesn't change. 104s

And oh, what a comforting word that is. 109s

In a world that is in a constant state of change in our lives that are in constant states 113s

of change. 122s

That God does not change. 124s

We hear that echoed throughout the Scripture in various, for example, some 102. 131s

You are the same in your years have no end, Malachi 3. 138s

For I, the Lord, do not change. 146s

James 1. 151s

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift is from above coming down from the 153s

father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow do to change. 161s

The immutability of God, God does not change. 171s

And when we turn to the text this morning, that raises some questions. 182s

Doesn't it? 190s

For when we hear unmistakably in Scripture of the immutability of God, and then we read 192s

of God's actions in our text, some questions arise. 201s

Don't think. 209s

Let's get the background. 212s

God had freed the people out of Egypt where they were under the oppressive hand of the 215s

Pharaoh, sending them forth to the promised land. 220s

God supplying them with mana from heaven, a heavenly food for them to eat. 225s

They come to Mount Sinai. 235s

God calls Moses up to Mount Sinai, and God gives the law. 237s

He codifies the ten commandments that is naturally written into the heart of people. 245s

He codified that. 252s

But Moses didn't return from the mountain according to the timetable of the people. 254s

And so, these people who had been born of God's promise, these people that God had freed 260s

these people that God was leading them to the promised land, formed their own gods. 270s

There is that profound sadness, isn't there? 280s

That God is giving Moses the ten commandments. 283s

That's his, one of them, of course. 286s

You shall have no other gods. 288s

And while Moses is receiving the codification of the ten commandments here, to come down 291s

the mountain and give to the people, they're forming their god. 297s

Look, please, with me at verse 32, or chapter 32, verse 1. 306s

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered 312s

around Aaron and said to him, come make us gods for us, who shall go before us as for 317s

this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what 324s

has become of him. 329s

Aaron said to them, take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons 331s

and your daughters, and bring them to me. 336s

Jump over to verse 4, please. 340s

He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf, and they 343s

said, these are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. 350s

And God is angry. 363s

God is really angry. 371s

Look at verse 9. 376s

The Lord said to Moses, I have seen this people how stiff necked they are. 380s

This stiff neck picture, how picture-esque is that? 391s

It gives the picture of the abstinency of the people toward God. 395s

Verse 10. 405s

Now let me alone. 408s

Let me alone so that my wrath may burn hot against them, and I may consume them. 411s

And of you, I will make a great nation. 418s

Notice here. 425s

Notice God in his anger, the distancing language that he's using. 428s

Jump back up into verse 7. 434s

The Lord said to Moses, go down at once, your people whom you brought up out of the land 437s

of Egypt. 445s

Notice the reference there? 446s

That's no longer my people that I brought up. 447s

No, it's your people that you brought up. 451s

Notice the distancing language going down in the verse 9. 455s

The Lord said to Moses, I have seen this people how stiff necked they are. 458s

Not my people. 468s

This people and the distance in the language. 472s

Verse 11. 480s

But Moses and Lord, the Lord has got and said, oh Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against 482s

your people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty 488s

hand? 494s

Why should the Egyptians say it was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them 496s

in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth? 501s

Turn from your fierce wrath, change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. 506s

Verse 14. 515s

And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people. 517s

The Lord changed his mind. 525s

The immutable one that scripture says, the Lord does not change. 530s

The scripture says, the Lord changed his mind. 535s

Someone, too. 542s

You are the same. 547s

Malachi 3. 552s

For I, the Lord do not change. 555s

James 1. 563s

No variation or shadow do to change. 566s

So how are we to understand this? 576s

How do you understand the scriptural witness that clearly talks about the immutability 580s

of God that God does not change. 585s

And yet this verse here that clearly communicates that God changed his mind. 586s

Well in order to get an understanding of this, we have to use the principle. 597s

And the principle is, you let the scripture interpret the scripture and then we find 602s

the key. 610s

To do that, I think of Genesis 22nd chapter. 612s

There is the story of Abraham and Isaac. 617s

And the scripture records that Lord says, by myself, I have sworn, says the Lord, because 622s

you have done this and have not withheld your Son, your only Son. 629s

I will indeed bless you and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of 634s

heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. 641s

And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies and by your offspring shall 646s

all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves because you have obeyed my voice. 651s

That is a divine decree, a divine decree. 660s

And when God decrees something or when God promises something, there is, there is 665s

unconditionality in that. 674s

Still, condition attached to it. 676s

You can take that to the bank. 679s

When God decrees it or when it promises it, there is no unconditionality. 682s

But we see in scripture that there are times when God communicates intent or what is 691s

being considered. 699s

And a decree is differer, different than intention. 702s

Listen to this. 709s

Jeremiah 26th chapter. 710s

It may be that they will listen all of them and we will turn from their evil way that 713s

I may change my mind about the disaster that I intend to bring on them because of their 720s

evil doings. 728s

You see, that's God not speaking in terms of decree or promise. 731s

That's God speaking in terms of intention and intention there. 736s

That interjects, conditionality doesn't it. 746s

You're again the condition. 751s

It may be that they will listen all of them. 752s

We'll turn from their evil way that I may change my mind about the disaster that I intend 754s

to bring on them because of their evil doings. 760s

A decree of promise unconditional, intention, consideration, conditional. 765s

It's like when you were growing up and your parent turned and said, I promise, I promise. 770s

That was a good word. 776s

I promise. 779s

But now if the parent said, I intend that we do that or that's something we're considering. 780s

Not so good news, right? 790s

Because you can hear the hedge right in the word. 792s

I intend to do something that's different than a decree. 795s

It's different than a promise. 802s

In Exodus 32, when God changed his mind, that was not an undoing of his immutability. 808s

Because here's the point. 821s

God's immutability has to do with his essence, his character, his decrees, and his promises. 827s

Immutability has to do with essence, character, decrees, and promises. 844s

Not intention. 862s

Let's push this point a little bit. 867s

Let's push it. 870s

Let's go back to our text verse 11. 873s

Notice how Moses appeals to God. 877s

Verse 11. 882s

But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, oh, Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against 885s

your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 891s

Where is Moses going? Moses going right to the decree. He's going right to the promise. 899s

God, you formed this people. You made promises about this people. 906s

Push it even further. Jump down to the verse 13. Moses says this, 913s

remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants. How you swore to them by your own self, 920s

saying to them, I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven and all this land that I have promised. 930s

I will give to your descendants and they shall inherit it forever. 937s

Moses holds God to his promises and says, you decreed this. 943s

You promised this because his immutability has to do with his essence, his character, 955s

his decrees and his promises. God will not change essence, character, decree promise. 967s

And that's exactly where Moses goes. Exactly to God's immutability. 980s

How different God is from us? How different he is from us? 993s

Remember the story of the man who had a picture in his hand and he went to the rail station. He went 1006s

to tell me how to get there and he pointed at the picture. The person's telling him to take it on to the 1017s

various train lines and said, oh sure, that's millport. What you want to do is you want to take the next train. 1024s

And then at the second stop what you want to do is you want to take the ferry and the man said, 1031s

I know how to get to millport. I know how to get to millport. He looks at the picture again. 1037s

He pointed at me and he goes, how do I get there? How do I get there? 1042s

Take a person was looking understandably rather confused. And then the man said, 1054s

you see this young guy here in the picture that's me. I'm 16 here. 1060s

He's just the best summer of my life he said. All these guys here, these are my friends. 1067s

And day after day, we were just hop into the water and we'd swim all day and we would laugh and laugh. 1075s

And laugh. He said, how do I get, how do I get there? How do I get there? 1085s

And I take a person looked at him and said, I'm sorry. You can't. You can't. 1105s

We live in a sea of change, a sea of change, constant change, things change and we change. 1125s

And in this constant, constant sea of change, what we can long for is to freeze moments. 1144s

Or what we can long for is that sense of something that's constant that we can hold on to. 1159s

It's not the change is always bad, but some change isn't good either. 1171s

And so missed this understanding of everything constantly around us, changing, and ourselves, 1186s

changing amidst all of that. 1195s

If we could just have constancy, if we could just go back wherever there is in your picture, 1203s

if we could just go back, back there, and it's the swirl of it all, stands the immutable god, 1221s

in his essence, in his character, in his decrees, and in his promises. 1244s

And God has made a promise, and God holds himself to it. 1261s

Because to break a decree or a promise, then God would lose immutability and losing immutability 1271s

with me in that God is in God. And so God comes to us amidst the constancy in our lives 1285s

of our sinfulness. He comes to us amidst the constancy of our lives of our sinfulness. 1296s

And He keeps saying to us, in the name of Jesus Christ, I promise your sin is forgiven. 1305s

In the name of Jesus Christ, I promise that in the waters of baptism, you were claimed and made 1315s

my child, He keeps coming with His promises, one through the victory of the cross and the 1322s

empty tomb of our Lord. And it's all of the change and the swirl of it all 1333s

stands this immutable god in character essence to crey and promise. 1343s

And the scripture tells us in Hebrews 13, Jesus Christ is the same. 1353s

Yesterday and today and forever. 1362s

Immutability amidst the changing world amidst our changing lives, 1375s

the immutability of God. We lie on Him. 1384s