MONDAY April 29, 2019
Insincere Penitence
Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.”But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
1 Samuel 15:24-26
God had told Saul exactly what to do, and he had disobeyed. When Samuel confronted Saul, he continued to make excuses. Saul said he had sinned and feared the people, but he was not really repentant. He failed to sincerely confess his sin before the prophet. Saul spoke only half-truths to Samuel; he was still telling lies and making excuses for himself.
Saul was stubborn and not willing to change. There was no real repentance in his life––he was insincere in his repentance. Saul did not want to lose his position as King of Israel. Saul wanted an easy life; he was enjoying exactly where he was––in his exalted place.
Saul thought this difficult situation could be appeased, and he asked Samuel to return with him to worship the Lord. He thought, Maybe if Samuel comes with me, the Lord will change His mind and receive me. The people did not know the Lord had rejected Saul as king, but Saul believed that would still show him reverence if Samuel was seen with him. However, Samuel absolutely refused to go with him.
When you continue in your sin, and you are finally confronted, understand, your sin has caught up with you. If you suddenly repent, only because you have been caught, rather than being convicted about your sin, that is not true repentance. You cannot say you are sorry just because you are going to suffer consequences. To be shown God’s grace your repentance needs to be sincere.
There is more to repentance than apologizing to God.
~John Blanchard~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
