Can God feel Regret??
By keep_onwatch
@keep_onwatch (2680)
India
August 18, 2010 1:29am CST
I came across this question and the answer amazed me. As humans, we regret over our mistakes or our decisions in life. But, can a perfect God also regret?
In Judges 2:12-14 it states that influenced by the Canaanites, Israel abandoned the True God and began following other Gods and accounted to apostasy and offended the God who delivered them out of Egypt!Then God withdrew his protection from the people who turned their backs on him. The Israelites repented and cried out to God for help. In the coming verses, it states that God felt regret (the Hebrew word regret can mean to change one's mind or intention), he was moved by their cries for help and delivered them.
So it just means, God has feelings, and our actions can affect his feelings! This definitely proves we are created in his image, as also have feelings of regret, pain, pity like our creator.
3 people like this
8 responses
@Jotomy (6322)
• India
18 Aug 10
Hi keep_onwatch, i feel anyone have feelings and even god too. That is why whenever we ask for his help, we are praying to god as "GOD HEAR OUR PRAYER" and it is our trust that he will going to help us. True according to your words i too felt that god has feelings otherwise he will not go to help them.
Have a nice day. God bless you.
1 person likes this
@keep_onwatch (2680)
• India
19 Aug 10
Hi Jotomy, How are you doing? Not being online now-a-days? Yup, even if we commit a mistake, and are suffering, it is that quality of his which would deliver us and bless us! Thanx 4 ur response.
1 person likes this
@Jotomy (6322)
• India
19 Aug 10
yeah i am little busy with my studies. I may be having exams next month and my servant maid is not coming, so i am busy with household work, relatives and studies. Mostly i will be online in the night time because you know that my friends / relatives who are in abroad are also will be there at that time. I feel i miss you sometimes. Thanks for the concern.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
19 Aug 10
When God saw the wickedness of man before the Flood, HE regretted that HE had made man and brought on the flood so that only Noah and his family was safe. God had created man perfect and wanted him to worship and live in fellowship with HIM Now even though man deserves punishment, God gives man a chance as HE did with those Israelites who disobeyed HIM.
So even though we do things that God does not like, we can ask for forgiveness and if HE will be moved by our cries if we intend and try to repent. I cannot say that it is easy. It is hard to change, and it may take time. But God is merciful and will wait for our repentance to bear fruit.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
19 Aug 10
You're welcome. Many believe that God is unforgiving because they do not read the Bible and see all the times that God has pleaded with HIS people to repent. Look at how much time from when the Israelites entered Canaan until the time they were carried away to what is now Iraq and Iran. It was not that short of a time, more like two or three thousand years.
@keep_onwatch (2680)
• India
19 Aug 10
Yeah you are right, He forgives our sins and its wonderful to have such a merciful creator and also know about him. Anyone who repents is liable for forgiveness and so also we know he will forgive.Thank you for responding .
.1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
19 Aug 10
So true! God can adjust to any developing situation and act accordingly.
@lindiebiz (1006)
• Canada
19 Aug 10
I agree with you we read the bible to know more about God and how to follow in his ways. I believe that God has feelings like we do. Our spirit man connects with God because he is spirit.
@keep_onwatch (2680)
• India
19 Aug 10
Thank you lindiebiz for your response. You are right, the bible shows us the way in which we can walk to please our creator and imitate him to the fullest.
. You are right, the bible shows us the way in which we can walk to please our creator and imitate him to the fullest.
@Aaleexix (2290)
• India
19 Aug 10
If we believe on God then .... Human is the dream child of God. God specially creates human. But looking the present nativities against nature and ethics, it is likely to be regretted by God think why he created man. In the design of universe God never create any mistake. But looking to the human nature and behavior it is clear that God commits wrong in creating human.
@keep_onwatch (2680)
• India
21 Aug 10
Yeah, sometimes we feel that way isn't it? But God still loves us, and he has made a provision for us to be delivered even in these troubles times. Feel free to PM or reply back to know more.
@Aaleexix (2290)
• India
21 Aug 10
Only the human is the creature of nature whose every activities is against nature. And day by day we the human destroying the nature. Our every activities can be considered as a threat for the future...... So thinking all these foolish activities of human being God must be crazy with us. How far the nature beat our indecent harmful activities? So if there is any God, he must be angry with us.
@man2sting (637)
• Indonesia
18 Aug 10
Of course not. Sorry to say, your holy book is questionable.
God isn't absurd!
@keep_onwatch (2680)
• India
19 Aug 10
Absurd-Ridiculously incongruous or unreasonable. I don't think its unreasonable at all! Bible says we are created in his own image, in the sense we posses his qualities and what's so absurd in having his qualities in compassion, pity and regret? As humans, we care for our children and look after them, if they do something seriously wrong, we punish them (so they would realize what they have done), but I don't think we would condemn them for eternity for that! We, being humans, can be so loving and merciful, I don't find it hard to believe, our heavenly father IS! Nor can I accept a God who doesn't care even if repented as he already made up his mind, and wont change it for his own creation!
@man2sting (637)
• Indonesia
19 Aug 10
But if you keep equating God with human, why should there be God? What's the meaning of beyond compare?
The only thing we take after Him is His praised nature.
To repent is human!
@keep_onwatch (2680)
• India
19 Aug 10
I guess I already answered your question, Coz' we believe we are made in his image. Remember, here God did not feel regret coz' he did something wrong, but felt pity over he situation and just changed his judgment towards them. As humans, we just posses some qualities of his, as we are made in them, but we do not posses that great power, that great wisdom, that great justice and authority. No son is greater than his father, as his father gave birth to him, just that way. Creation is always in subjection to creation. But the point here is.. We believe in a father with Feelings, not in a Robot with powers!
@buenavida (9984)
• Sweden
18 Aug 10
Interesting question.. When the Israelites repented, God could change his mind - the people who had sinned against him no longer existed. They had changed to people who asked for help. And as a loving Person, God felt sorry for those people and changed his mind and helped them.
Yes, we can either make our Creator happy, sad, or have other feelings with our actions.
The beauty of this is that by doing what we can to follow the directions we get in the Bible, we can make to Almighty God, the Highest Person of all, happy.
Thank you for this interesting question! 
When the Israelites repented, God could change his mind - the people who had sinned against him no longer existed. They had changed to people who asked for help. And as a loving Person, God felt sorry for those people and changed his mind and helped them.
Yes, we can either make our Creator happy, sad, or have other feelings with our actions.
The beauty of this is that by doing what we can to follow the directions we get in the Bible, we can make to Almighty God, the Highest Person of all, happy.
Thank you for this interesting question! @keep_onwatch (2680)
• India
19 Aug 10
Yeah buenavida, and keep our creator happy, we ourselves will experience joy and happiness and abundance of peace. Thanx 4 responding
