Malachi 3:6, God Changes Not

For I am the LORD, I change not;

//I’ve heard this verse a lot, often spoken out of context. God doesn’t change? Really? What about Jonah 3.10: And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

Evidently God does change his mind at least, so what are we to make of today’s verse in Malachi?

Let’s put it back in context. God bemoans the status of his people and how they have strayed away from his ordinances. Then comes this promise:

Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.

We can recognize this as the conditional acceptance of a fickle God, or, like the story of Jonah, we can recognize it in the spirit in which I think it was written. That God doesn’t go anywhere, and he doesn’t change his standards, and he doesn’t change the rules of how life works. Indeed, God can’t change, for in his is-ness, he can’t be what he is not.

Embrace goodness and you’ll find yourself in the arms of God/Goodness. Embrace evil and you will find yourself outside those arms.