Verse: Numbers 23:19
Theme: The Unchangeable Faithfulness of God’s Character and Promises
“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
— Numbers 23:19, New International Version (NIV)
“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, English Standard Version (ESV)
“God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes his mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?”
— Numbers 23:19, Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?”
— Numbers 23:19, New Living Translation (NLT)
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
— Numbers 23:19, King James Version (KJV)
Meaning of Numbers 23:19
In one of history’s strangest moments, the truth about God’s character came bursting forth from the mouth of a pagan prophet hired to curse Israel. Balaam had been summoned by King Balak of Moab to pronounce curses on the advancing Israelite nation, but every time he opened his mouth to curse, blessing poured out instead. This verse captures the theological core of why Balaam couldn’t curse what God had blessed: God’s nature makes Him fundamentally incapable of the duplicity and fickleness that characterize human behavior.
The contrast between God and humanity cuts to the heart of reliability. Humans lie, not just occasionally but as part of our fallen nature. We deceive others, we deceive ourselves, and we constantly revise our commitments when circumstances shift. We make promises with sincere intentions and then fail to keep them when keeping them becomes inconvenient or costly. This isn’t just moral failure; it’s the instability woven into human nature after the fall.
But God operates from an entirely different nature. When He speaks, His words carry the full weight of divine character behind them. He cannot lie because deception contradicts His essential being. He doesn’t change His mind like humans do because His knowledge is perfect and His character is immutable. When circumstances shift, humans adjust their commitments; when circumstances shift, God’s purposes remain fixed because He already factored every possible variable into His original promise.
The rhetorical questions at the end expect the answer “no.”
Has God ever spoken and failed to act? No.
Has He ever promised and not fulfilled? No.
This isn’t just a track record of faithfulness; it’s a statement about ontological impossibility. God fulfilling His word isn’t about Him trying really hard to keep promises; it’s about His nature making anything else literally impossible.
Popular Words of Wisdom from Numbers 23:19
“God’s promises are like the stars; the darker the night, the brighter they shine.”
— David Nicholas, British Pastor
“Doubt sees the obstacles; faith sees the way. Doubt sees the darkest night; faith sees the day. Doubt dreads to take a step; faith soars on high. Doubt questions, ‘Who believes?’ Faith answers, ‘I.'”
— Anonymous
“God never made a promise that was too good to be true.”
— Dwight L. Moody, American Evangelist
“Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.”
— John Wayne, American Actor
“The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.”
— Confucius, Chinese Philosopher
“Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking.”
— J.C. Watts, American Politician
Explaining the Context of Numbers 23:19
This remarkable verse appears within one of the Bible’s most unusual narratives. Israel had journeyed from Egypt and was camped on the plains of Moab, preparing to enter the Promised Land. King Balak of Moab, terrified by Israel’s size and recent military victories, sent for Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with an international reputation, offering him substantial payment to curse the approaching nation. Balak believed that spiritual curses could accomplish what military might could not, hoping Balaam’s words would weaken or destroy Israel.
God intervened dramatically in this situation. Despite Balaam’s initial reluctance and God’s clear command not to go, Balaam eventually traveled to Moab after God permitted him to go with strict instructions to speak only what God told him. What followed was a series of attempted curses that transformed into blessings. Balak would position Balaam on different mountains overlooking the Israelite camp, build altars, and offer sacrifices, but every time Balaam opened his mouth to curse, prophecies of blessing emerged instead.
Numbers 23:19 comes during Balaam’s second oracle, when Balak was becoming increasingly frustrated that his expensive prophet kept blessing his enemies. Balaam explains that his words are not his own but God’s, and that God’s blessing on Israel cannot be reversed, regardless of how much Balak pays or how desperately he wants a different outcome. The verse serves as Balaam’s explanation for why he cannot accommodate his employer’s demands: God has blessed Israel, and God’s nature makes it impossible for that blessing to be revoked.
The broader context emphasizes God’s covenant faithfulness to Israel. Despite their frequent failures, complaints, and rebellions during the wilderness journey, God remained committed to His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Even a pagan king’s hired prophet couldn’t override God’s covenant commitment. The irony is profound: truth about God’s unchangeable nature comes from someone trying to subvert it, proving that even human opposition serves to demonstrate divine faithfulness.
Explaining the Key Parts of Numbers 23:19
“God is not a man, that he should lie”
This foundational contrast establishes that deception belongs to fallen human nature but contradicts God’s essential character and being.
The statement doesn’t merely claim God chooses not to lie but that lying is fundamentally incompatible with His nature, making it ontologically impossible.
“Nor a son of man, that he should change his mind”
The phrase “change his mind” refers to the human tendency to make commitments and then revise them when circumstances shift or costs become apparent.
God’s immutability means His purposes remain fixed because His knowledge is perfect and His character unchanging, eliminating any reason for course correction.
“Does he speak and then not act?”
This rhetorical question expects a negative answer, establishing that God’s words always produce corresponding action without a gap or delay beyond His timing.
The question challenges the notion that divine promises might be aspirational rather than certain, affirming that God’s speech carries creative and fulfilling power.
“Does he promise and not fulfill?”
The parallel rhetorical question reinforces that God’s promises contain their own guarantee, rooted in His character rather than dependent on external circumstances.
This establishes that waiting for fulfillment tests human patience but never divine faithfulness, as the delay is purposeful rather than doubtful.
Lessons to Learn from Numbers 23:19
1. God’s Faithfulness Flows From His Nature, Not His Effort
Divine reliability isn’t about God working hard to keep promises but about His character making unfaithfulness literally impossible.
2. Human Opposition Cannot Override Divine Purpose
Even those hired to curse what God has blessed find themselves unable to accomplish their mission, proving that God’s purposes cannot be thwarted.
3. God’s Promises Don’t Change With Circumstances
When situations shift, humans revise their commitments, but God’s promises remain fixed because He already accounted for every variable in His perfect knowledge.
4. Waiting Tests Our Faith, Not God’s Faithfulness
Delays in promise fulfillment reveal our struggles with trust rather than any uncertainty in God’s commitment to His word.
5. Truth About God Stands Independent of the Messenger
Even Balaam, hired to oppose Israel, became a vessel for proclaiming God’s unchangeable faithfulness, showing that truth transcends human intention.
Related Bible Verses
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
— Hebrews 13:8, New International Version (NIV)
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
— James 1:17, English Standard Version (ESV)
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.”
— 2 Corinthians 1:20, Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
“If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”
— 2 Timothy 2:13, New Living Translation (NLT)
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
— Isaiah 40:8, Good News Translation (GNT)
How This Verse Points to Christ
Numbers 23:19 points to Christ as the ultimate proof of God’s faithfulness, embodying in human flesh the unchangeable character this verse describes.
The distinction between God and “son of man” finds profound fulfillment in Christ, who as both God and Son of Man unites divine faithfulness with humanity.
Just as Balaam’s attempts to curse couldn’t override God’s blessing, no human opposition could prevent Christ from accomplishing His redemptive mission.
Christ’s incarnation demonstrates that when God promises, He fulfills even to the point of taking on human flesh and dying to accomplish what He spoke.
The rhetorical questions about God acting on His word find their ultimate answer in Christ, through whom every divine promise finds its “yes and amen.”
The immutability of God’s character revealed in this verse guarantees the security of salvation in Christ, which cannot be revoked or revised based on human performance.
Closing Reflection
Numbers 23:19 challenges us to examine whether we trust God’s character or merely hope His circumstances-dependent goodwill continues in our favor.
This passage reminds us that God’s promises don’t require favorable conditions to remain valid because they’re rooted in His nature rather than our circumstances.
The contrast between human fickleness and divine faithfulness encourages us when our own failures tempt us to project our instability onto God.
These verses call us to rest in the ontological impossibility of God failing His word rather than anxiously monitoring whether He might change His mind.
The rhetorical questions invite us to search Scripture and history for any instance of God’s unfaithfulness, knowing we’ll find none.
Ultimately, this passage points us toward Christ, in whom all God’s promises find their certain fulfillment regardless of human opposition or circumstantial challenges.
Say This Prayer
Faithful God,
Forgive us when we project our human fickleness onto You, treating Your promises as conditional commitments subject to revision when circumstances shift.
Teach us to distinguish between Your ordained delays that test our patience and any imagined uncertainty in Your commitment to fulfill Your word.
When our failures tempt us to doubt whether Your promises still apply, anchor us in the truth that Your faithfulness flows from Your nature, not our performance.
Help us rest in the ontological impossibility of You lying or changing Your mind rather than anxiously monitoring for signs You might revoke Your word.
May we learn to trust that what You have spoken You will accomplish, regardless of how long the fulfillment takes or how impossible the circumstances appear.
Transform our understanding of Your character so we stop treating You like an unreliable human and start trusting You as the unchangeable God You are.
Through Christ who embodies Your faithfulness, Amen.