WEDNESDAY May 1, 2019
Saving Face
Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.” So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
1 Samuel 15:30-31
Samuel explained to Saul that God would not relent in His decision to remove him from his position as King of Israel. Even though Saul repeated that he had sinned against God, there was still no true repentance. Notice how Saul still wanted recognition before the elders and the people. There was still no change in his heart. In reality, he was just saving face––he wanted to retain respect from them and avoid humiliation.
Notice, for a third time in Saul’s conversation with Samuel, he repeated the phrase, “Your God.” Samuel knew Saul wanted to make himself look good in front of the people, even though God was not honoring him. Samuel could no longer stand in complete unity with Saul because he knew, in the King’s life; there was no real turning away from his sin.
There are Christians who have been disciplined by the Lord, and yet they still try to save face. Instead of being humble before God and man by honestly admitting that they blew it, they put on an act––a façade. They are more concerned about their reputations. In their lives, there is no true repentance and no real turning away from their sin.
True repentance brings a change of heart. Think about what Paul said to the Corinthian believers about true repentance:
…your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death (2 Corinthians 7:9-10 NIV).
Does your life reflect true repentance?
Repentance is an inner change of heart and mind and
an outward change of life.
~John Blanchard~
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