Well, to say that God can change his mind is to assume that God is somehow like us. With a physical brain or subject to the emotions and feelings of people, to change, or somehow God is subject to the same errors of judgment or assessment of things, as we are. Or somehow God is not able to see things out in the future and somehow “reconsiders” his feelings and emotions when God gets more data or information.
In the Bible when God is talked about or when God is referred too, we are limited by our human words, ideas, and concepts. Our brains are limited and finite. God on the other hand is infinite, beyond flesh or blood, or limitations we face in both space and time, God never ages or dies, or just wear out like us. So how we think and feel and describe God is limited by our very limited logic and knowledge. There is a big sounding term used in theology to describe this. It’s called “Anthoportism”. Anthro-meaning man or human, portism-meanng language or figure of speech. So when we talk about God we at times in the Bible will apply human type of tendencies or behaviors to God as a way of making sense of what God is about in the world.
In the most common examples used, Genesis 18 when Abraham intercedes with God for Sodom, and in Jonah when God seemingly “repents” of anger against Nineveh are both examples when God seemingly has this internal argument or struggle with his own feelings and emotions. Another way of looking at this is that the providence of God is always sure and firm. God knew from the foundations of the world what God was going to do and say in both those situations. The real object of God’s discourse or dialogue is not with himself, but with Abraham and Jonah, in those particular situations. In both those cases, God had something he wanted to teach or instruct to Abraham and Jonah. The same is true with us. When God deals with us he is always trying to teach us something, reveal something, or make known. And God will always lead with his judgment, and that is always on the side of grace, mercy and peace, That judgment will always help us be better people or help us see better his will for your lives.
— Pastor Gregory