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Not Really Sorry, June 1
1 Samuel 15
Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected
thee from being king.
1 Samuel 15:23
.
Terrified by the denunciation of the prophet, Saul acknowledged his guilt,
which he had before stubbornly denied; but he still persisted in casting blame
upon the people, declaring that he had sinned through fear of them.
It was not sorrow for sin, but fear of its penalty, that actuated the king
of Israel.... It was his chief anxiety to maintain his authority and retain the
allegiance of the people.... As Samuel turned to depart, the king, in an agony of
fear, laid hold of his mantle to hold him back, but it rent in his hands. Upon this,
the prophet declared, “The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this
day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou.” ...
Saul presumed upon his exaltation, and dishonored God by unbelief and
disobedience. Though when first called to the throne he was humble and self-
distrustful, success made him self-confident.... The sacrificial offerings were in
themselves of no value in the sight of God. They were designed to express on
the part of the offerer penitence for sin and faith in Christ and to pledge future
obedience to the law of God. But without penitence, faith, and an obedient heart,
the offerings were worthless. When, in direct violation of God’s command, Saul
proposed to present a sacrifice of that which God had devoted to destruction,
open contempt was shown for the divine authority. The service would have been
an insult to Heaven.
Yet with the sin of Saul and its result before us, how many are pursuing
a similar course. While they refuse to believe and obey some requirement of
the Lord, they persevere in offering up to God their formal services of religion.
There is no response of the Spirit of God to such service. No matter how zealous
men may be in their observance of religious ceremonies, the Lord cannot accept
them if they persist in willful violation of one of His commands
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Patriarchs and Prophets, 631, 634
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