Saul: King of ExcusesSample

Confession Without Consequences

After Saul’s apologies, Samuel again informed Saul of God’s judgment. In verse 28, Samuel told Saul, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.” Yet, even after this second rejection, Saul began attempting to avoid the consequences of his actions. In verse 30, Saul confessed, “I have sinned.” But this time, rather than blame others for his disobedience, he asked Samuel to honor him before the people. Saul must have been a pretty gutsy guy to ask the prophet of God to honor him immediately after being condemned for his sin. But Saul was not concerned with the Lord or His justice.

Samuel had already explained the consequences of his disobedience to him twice: “God has rejected you from being king.” These consequences would have been humiliating. He didn’t want anyone to know that God had rejected him. He preferred to carry on as if everything was the same. He wanted the people to remember that he was victorious in leading God’s army in a rousing victory over the Amalekites. His worship at Gilgal would have been a public celebration with sacrifices to the Lord. Saul asked Samuel to go with him so that he might bow before the Lord, Samuel’s God. This shows us that Saul had rejected the Lord as his God. Saul was not concerned about losing a relationship with God, who made him king. Saul was only worried about saving face with the people of Israel.

Samuel understood Saul’s true motivation to return to Gilgal, yet he acquiesced to Saul. There are three reasons that Samuel returned to Gilgal with Saul and bowed with him before the Lord.

1. Saul was still God’s anointed king. Even though God had rejected him from being king, his position demanded respect and obedience from his subjects.

2. Samuel’s outward support of Saul was a means of God’s protection of His people. Israel was God’s chosen people, and the king was there to protect them. Saul was a proven warrior, and the people needed a king to lead and protect them from enemies. This shows us that God uses the unsaved to protect His chosen people. The same is true for us today. Our leaders may not follow Him, but He still uses them for the good of those who love Him. This is one reason the apostle Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 2:1-2 to pray for those who lead us.

3. Samuel had to complete the task of devoting the Amalekites to destruction since Saul had failed to do so.

Aren’t we all like Saul in that we often confess our sins, and yet still try to weasel out of the consequences? The saying, “It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” applies here. We want to get away with our sins without facing their consequences. Saul begged Samuel to remove the consequences for his sin because he was worried about what his army would think of him. Oftentimes, the consequences of our sins are what God uses to bring us closer to Him. It is essential to understand that even though we may have been forgiven (in this case, Saul was not), our actions will still have consequences. We should graciously accept those consequences as God uses them to work for our good.

Let us learn from King Saul that merely confessing our sins will not merit God’s favor. Verse 22 tells us God wants our hearts, not our obedience. We must repent of our sins and turn back to Him.