“But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For 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.” 24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. 25 Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.” 26 But 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!” 1 Samuel 15.22-26
Saul really messed up this time. It wasn’t just a casual sin or an unintentional act of disobedience. It was a blatant disregard for God’s directive to obey. Saul did not obey. In fact, he was outright deceptive in his response to Samuel. When the prophet Samuel confronted him, Saul finally admitted his fault — but only when he realized there was no other way out.
Then, Saul pleaded with Samuel to forgive him and to return with him to the people so that he might worship the Lord. But Samuel refused. This is where the rejection became complete. Although Saul asked for forgiveness, he did not receive it. Samuel said to Saul, “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!”
Ouch. That one hurt. But do we blame Samuel or God for refusing to forgive? Saul had proven, time and time again, that he would disobey God and reject His word. This final rejection of Saul as king marked the end of his relationship with God. The Lord would no longer place His favor upon Saul, and, as we see in the next segment of Scripture, the nation would be divided because of Saul’s defiant act.
We know that Jesus does indeed forgive sins “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22), which essentially means “infinitely.” (To quote Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, “To infinity and beyond!”) However, there is such a thing as an unforgivable sin. Matthew 12:31 says, “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” I wonder if Saul’s sin fell into this category. Was what he did so egregious that God refused to forgive him? Regardless, it’s clear that this was not a good position for Saul to be in.
So, how does this relate to us today? It reminds us that we should obey God and that, through Jesus, we have forgiveness of sins. Even when we deliberately sin, we can still return to the Lord to seek forgiveness. But as Paul reminds us many times in Scripture, we are no longer identified as sinners. This is not who we are — it is not our identity. Once, we were not children of the light, but now we are. Ephesians 5:8 reminds us, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.”
Therefore, we don’t need to be consumed with fear over the amount of sin we’ve committed or whether our sin is “too egregious” for forgiveness. Instead, we should focus on the light of Christ living within us.
We are surrounded by temptation and the potential for sin. The more we love Jesus and pursue His will for our lives, the more the enemy tries to pull us away from God, and the greater the temptation becomes. But our help is in Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, who now lives within us, we can be victorious.
Let’s be victorious in our pursuit of God and avoid the rejection Saul experienced. Christ loves us, has become a substitute for our sin, and is our Savior. Through Jesus, our redemption is complete.
“O Lord, in this Advent season, I remember the gift of Jesus. You are with us. You love us. Hold us close and keep us holy. Allow us to walk in the newness of life and to find truth and love in Your words. I praise You, Lord, for who You are and celebrate You as Savior and Lord. Come now, Holy Spirit, and make me one with You in spirit and truth. For You are good, and Your love endures forever.” Amen.