There is so much to learn from the kings of Israel.  We look to their lives and we can learn from their triumphs of faithfulness and from their failures.  I just want to look at King Saul and King David as a brief contrast in repentance.

I don’t think that it is necessary to go into great detail about the stories of their transgressions that we are hopefully all familiar with.  King Saul altered / defied the commandment of the Lord when he failed to utterly destroy the Amalekites.  King David sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba and having Uriah, her husband, killed to cover up his sin.

When looking at the reactions of both kings, when confronted, the reactions seem remarkably similar.  Look at Saul’s reaction:

1 Samuel 15: 24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. 25Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.

Now look at David’s reaction:

2 Samuel 12: 13And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD.

Both men openly acknowledged their sins, so why was the kingdom taken from Saul and not from David?  A few things worth noting:

Saul acknowledged his wrongdoing, yet he felt the need to try and justify it with excuses.  David offered no excuse.  That he simply said, “I have sinned against the Lord”, shows that David knew that there would be no valid excuse.  For Saul to even attempt to offer an excuse shows that he wasn’t as willing to accept the full blame.  We may attempt to spread the blame for our sins (I had bad examples, I know of other Christians who do far worse things, etc.) but we can only answer for our own shortcomings.

The big difference, to me anyway, is their reaction to the consequences.  What did David do after learning that the sword would not depart from his house and that his son would die?  He fasted and wept (12:22).  When the first part of the judgment was enacted (the death of the child), he worshipped the Lord.  He pressed on in hopes of seeing that child in the home of the eternal (12:23).  He took his punishment, knowing he deserved it, and moved forward in faith.

Seemingly, this is what Saul wanted to do as well.  Did he not ask for forgiveness and express his desire to go and worship the Lord?  Indeed he did, but look:

1 Samuel 15:  30Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.

Saul wanted to keep up appearances.  He wanted Samuel to honor him before the elders and the people.  This is in stark contrast to David, who showed a broken heart and contrite spirit before everyone.  We may also note that Saul violently resisted the Lord’s judgment (that the kingdom would be given to another – 15:38).

This shows us the subtle difference between sorrow over sin and true repentance.  Saul was certainly sorry – perhaps only sorry that he had been caught and not sorry that he had been disobedient.  Yet Saul didn’t really repent – he still wanted the honor, and was unwilling to humble himself.  Saul was unwilling to accept his punishment.

David, on the other hand, was willing to humble himself.  David was willing to accept punishment.  We may think of the prodigal son of Luke 15 who was willing to humble himself and return to his father as a servant.  We may also think of Hebrews 12:6 that reminds us that those the Lord loves, He disciplines.

In Matthew 21:28-30 we read of two sons who refused to work in their father’s vineyard.  The son who repented of his refusal actually went to work in the vineyard.  He didn’t simply apologize for his disobedience; he changed his mind and then changed his actions accordingly.  When the word of God convicts us of our disobedience, let us not simply give lip service of sorrow like Saul, let us show true repentance like David.  Remember the words of the savior:

I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:3)

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