Title Repentance Honest and Upright (1 Peter 01:22)
Contents King Saul became the first king of the kingdom of Israel by the grace of God. King Saul received a command from God to completely annihilate the Amalekites who had resisted God through the prophet Samuel.
So Saul organized an army and waged a battle with Amalek. With the power of the Lord God, Saul defeated Amalek and captured Agag, king of Amalek. But Saul ignored God's command to destroy everything in order to boast of his name through his wars and victories and to shine forever. So he destroyed all that were worthless and useless, and left King Agag, the best cattle, and the fat and good things. Then God, who was angry, rebuked Saul for his disobedience through Samuel, and declared that no matter how good the sacrifices and worship services were, he humbly listened to and obeyed God's word. At this time, Saul only thought of the shame of being stripped of his throne, so he did not repent sincerely and sincerely to God. Eventually, King Saul was abandoned by God, and the Holy Spirit of God left him.
This shows that what God wanted of Saul was obedience and repentance. However, in the Bible, in contrast to Saul, there is a person who received God's blessing because he repented well despite disobedience. David, the second king of Israel. Both of these men were God's chosen kings, and both had sinned against God. However, God forgave Saul, but David forgave and restored his sins, despite his many serious sins.
It was because David knew that he would be broken with sincere repentance whenever he committed a sin. He was the king of a country, but when he sinned and was rebuked, he humbly admitted his sin and repented without making any excuses.
We humans make mistakes, stumble and fall during our lifetime on this earth. However, when God strikes our hearts with His Word, we should not make excuses and should be humbled and repent. In that case, the Lord not only forgives our sins, but also restores God's grace and love so that we can stand upright.
Prayer: Lord of grace, I want to live in obedience to your will. Be with us and help in our weakness. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Holistic Prayer: The Lord's Prayer for the Nation and People