Journal: Southeastern Theological Review
Volume: STR 02:1 (Summer 2011)
Article: The Immutable Mutability Of YHWH
Author: David T. Lamb

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STR 2:1 (Summer 2011) p. 25

The Immutable Mutability Of YHWH^*

David T. Lamb

Biblical Theological Seminary

“And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people” (Exod 32:14 NRSV).

“God is not a human being, that he should lie, or a mortal, that he should change his mind” (Num 23:19a NRSV).

The Problem: Does YHWH Change?

Scripture states both that God changes and that he does not change. To complicate the problem, the mind-changing verb in these two verses from the Pentateuch is the same, םחנ. If these two texts were unique in presenting this paradoxical perspective of YHWH, then reconciling them might not seem a daunting task. However, other texts support the doctrine of divine immutability and even more support the idea of divine change. How does one reconcile these apparently contradictory biblical perceptions? Does the OT affirm divine change or not?

Despite biblical evidence on both sides of the issue, the popular Christian perception is that God does not change. The pervasiveness of the doctrine of divine changelessness is testified to in hymns such as Thomas Chisholm’s Great is thy Faithfulness, “Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not” (1923), as well as in contemporary songs such as Cindy Berry ’s Almighty, Unchangeable God (1996) or Chris Tomlin’s Unchanging (2002). Thomas Aquinas, who argued for “The Immutability of God” in his Summa Theologica (question 9) has apparently won the debate, at least in popular theological circles. In my experience of teaching the OT, when students encounter Num 23:19 they experience no tension, but they are confused by Exod 32:14.

Certain theological traditions put great emphasis on divine immutability and frequently preach out of the OT to support their perspective. However, the OT

* This article is modified from a chapter of my non-academic book, God Behaving Badly: Is the God of the Old Testament Angry, Sexist and Racist? (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2011).

STR 2:1 (Summer 2011) p. 26

does not speak of divine immutability in a vacuum, so one needs to be careful when teaching from these texts, particularly since unchangeability can have negative connotations associated with rigidity, inflexibility and stubbornness. Unfortunately, these characteristics are often associated with Christians. When God’s unchangeability is preached without an explanation of why, audiences could reasona...

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