“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19, ESV)
This passage, from Balaam’s second oracle, presents some obvious but vital theology. “God is not a man.” Since God is not a man, He does not function like a man. Balaam first indicates that He cannot lie. The reason he cannot lie is that truth is an attribute of God that flows forth from His essence. Jesus stated that He is “the way, and the truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). God is truth and falsehood is incompatible with truth. John testifies to this, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Where there is light, there cannot be any darkness. Where there is infinite holiness, there cannot be any sin. Where there is absolute truth, there can be no falsehood.
The second thing Balaam tells us about God is that He is immutable, meaning he does not change. Immutability also flows forth from His divine essence. Malachi records, “I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6). James wrote, that there “is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” with God (James 1:17). It is comforting to know that God is not capricious or arbitrary. He never varies from His perfect decrees. He never varies from truth and does exactly what He says.
This is the source of our hope. Men often say one thing and do another. Therefore, we cannot hope in man. However, since God is not a man, we can walk in confidence. The Scriptures are His word, the truth of God revealed to us. In the Scriptures, we find the absolutes of morality, the hope of eternal life, the abundance of His precious promises to those of faith, and more. We can walk comfortably assured that God will never change the truth. It is already revealed in the Scriptures. We can also walk comfortably assured that He will always operate in accordance with the truth and fulfill every promised blessing. “For all the promises of God find their yes in him” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Renewing the Heart 