The Tale of Two Kings or The Power of Confession

Text: (1 Samuel 15:13-30 NIV) "When Samuel reached him, Saul said, "The LORD bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions." ¹⁴But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?" ¹⁵Saul answered, "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest." ¹⁶ "Stop!" Samuel said to Saul. "Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night." "Tell me," Saul replied. ¹⁷Samuel said, "Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. ¹⁸And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.’ ¹⁹Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?" ²⁰ "But I did obey the LORD," Saul said. "I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. ²¹The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal." ²²But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. ²³For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." ²⁴Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. ²⁵Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD." ²⁶But Samuel said to him, "I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!" ²⁷As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. ²⁸Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. ²⁹He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind." ³⁰Saul replied, "I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God.""

Introduction: At first glance, it seems unfair. One king sins by partially obeying the command of the Lord. The rest of his life is marked with problems, he loses the anointing of God on his life, and he dies an dishonorable death.

Another king commits adultery and then arranges for the murder of the woman’s husband. He lives a full and meaningful life, dies at a ripe old age, and receives the epitaph, "He was a man after God’s own heart."

The two kings? Saul and David.

For his first official assignment as the king of Israel, the Lord told Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites. Saul only partially obeyed in that he spared the life of the king of the Amalekites and he saved the best of the flocks. His sin? A lack of thoroughness in obedience.

David, at the height of his career, committed adultery with Bathsheba and subsequently arranged for Uriah’s death. His sin? Adultery and murder.

The fact that both men sinned does not surprise us for the Bible says, "For all have sinned." (Romans 3:23) What shocks us is the seemingly unfair result of their sinful acts. It almost seems that God inadvertently "switched" punishments. Surely adultery and murder deserve a more severe judgment than partial obedience! But the issue is not sin—the issue is confession. The question is not, "Which king sinned the most or the worst?" The question is: "How did each king deal with his sin?"

I. The Importance of Confession

When Samuel confronted Saul with his sin, instead of "coming clean" he avoided true confession and tried substitutions.

He denied his sin - (1 Samuel 15:13 NIV) "When Samuel reached him, Saul said, "The LORD bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.""

He rationalized his sin - (1 Samuel 15:21 NIV) "The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.""

He blamed others - (1 Samuel 15:15 NIV) "Saul answered, "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.""

He gave excuses - (1 Samuel 15:24 NIV) "Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them."

He offered a flippant confession - (1 Samuel 15:24 NIV) "Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them."

He confessed, but only to avoid embarrassment and further confrontation - (1 Samuel 15:30 NIV) "Saul replied, "I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God.""

David, when confronted by the prophet with his sin, confessed. He even wrote a song in which he pours out his contrite heart. The lyrics are recorded in Psalm 51.

(Psalms 51:1-17 NIV) "For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. ²Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. ³For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. ⁴Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. ⁵Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. ⁶Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. ⁷Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. ⁸Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. ⁹Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. ¹⁰Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ¹¹Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. ¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. ¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. ¹⁴Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. ¹⁵O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. ¹⁶You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. ¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

KEY - The critical difference between Saul and David was not the extent of their sin or the degree of its atrocity—but how they chose to deal with their sin. David confessed, but Saul did not.

II. The Imperative of Confession

Is confession that important? Evidently so.

Sin will always put a crimp in our relationship with God. Psalm 66:18 says, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;"

If we are reluctant to confess, not only will it adversely affect our relationship with God, it will destroy our earthly relationships. When relationships are violated and not properly healed by genuine confession—hurt, anger, bitterness, guilt, and resentment take root and begin to poison our hearts and damage our friendships.

Hurts are inevitable. It’s impossible for two "fallen" humans to live together without eventually hurting one another. Likewise, it’s impossible for parent’s to be "perfect" all the time; eventually we’re going to wrongfully offend our children. When it comes to relationships, it’s not a matter of if we’re going to blow it, it’s just a matter of when. Therefore the issue is—what are we going to do when we offend someone?

When was the last time you said to your spouse, "I was wrong, would you forgive me?"

When was the last time you said to your child, "I was wrong, would you forgive me?"

Some of us are like the character in the old "Happy Days" television show. They had an episode when the "Fonze" was proven wrong and he was challenged that he couldn’t admit it. He took the challenge and try as he would, he could not get the "wrong" out of his mouth (demonstrate).

If you cannot remember when the last time was, your relationships are in trouble. In healthy relationships, confession and forgiveness will probably be recent ad recurring.

Proverbs 28:13 says, "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."

The cover up is costly (does not prosper), the correction is clear (confess and renounce), and the result is sure (finds mercy—always with God, sometimes with others).

III. The Ingredients of Confession

Most of us, if and when we finally do feel that we need to confess, usually dilute our confessions with the same "disclaimers" that Saul used. We often: (get examples from the people)

Rationalize our offense - "I know I screamed at you, but I was so upset!"

Blame others - "I know I should have been home earlier, but my boss made me work late."

Give excuses - "I know I’m a workaholic, but I do bring home a lot of bread."

Offer a flippant excuse - "OK, I offended you, I’m sorry, but I’m not perfect you know."

Confess, but only to avoid embarrassment and further confrontation - "I’m tired of arguing and we need to go or we’ll be late to the party. I’ve offended you, you’ve offended me, let’s just say we’re sorry and forget it."

To offer a sincere confession:

Be specific in naming your sin. Which of these two statements is more effective?

"If I’ve offended you or hurt you in any way, I’m sorry."

"I’ve been very selfish and insensitive. That’s wrong of me."

Experience godly sorrow. True repentance comes from a broken and repentant heart. Unless we’re sorrowful about our sin, a genuine change in our behavior will not occur.

Use the words "I’m wrong" instead of, "I’m sorry." To simply say, "I’m sorry" might only mean, "I’m sorry I got caught" or, "I’m sorry you’re so sensitive" or, "I’m sorry we can’t get along." Whereas to say, "I was wrong" is a true admission of guilt.

Don’t offer excuses - Our natural tendency is to confess that we were wrong, then offer excuses. Or, we try to spread out the blame, "I was wrong, but I wouldn’t have done it if you had not.."). Put the period after your confession--"I was wrong."

Ask, "Will you forgive me?" - At this point the ball is in their court. Forgiveness is an act of the will; it is a choice, not primarily a feeling.

Close: How long has it been since you confessed to God and others? Ask God to show you specific areas which need to be addressed and then properly deal with them. Then adopt a lifestyle in which you’re eager and quick to settle misunderstandings and disputes.

 

©1998 by Louis Bartet, all rights reserved.