Counterfeit Repentance, Part 2

By Chris McKnight, Teaching Pastor at Kerrville Bible Church

Just as faith in Christ is often faked, sometimes deceiving others, sometimes being deceived yourself, so it is with turning from sin. Some know in their hearts they still love their sin but still play the games of church and external Christianity, for a variety of reasons I’m sure. But like counterfeit preachers and $100 bills, counterfeit repentance needs to be exposed so that eternal loss is avoided.

The Bible is our infallible and trustworthy guide.

Today we consider two more examples of people who had all the ingredients of fake sorrow and hollow repentance.

Slimy, smelly frogs covered the land. Frogs everywhere. His response? “Entreat the Lord for me, will you?” His reaction to the pesky insects? “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land” knowing full well that is not what Moses demanded. When Moses clarified, he lied, “I will let you go … pray for me while you are at it.” His response to the life-taking hail storm: “I have sinned … I am wicked.” True enough, but are you willing to change? To the plague of tree stripping and crop consuming locusts? “I have sinned.” To the next plague of darkness so thick you could feel it? “Go! Serve the Lord. No, wait, I take it back.” Finally, death comes upon the first born, the worst of the ten plagues by far. His response was ultimately no better. “Get out, go have your worship … oh, by the way, bless me also.” Of course, he then regrets losing all that free labor and sends his troops in pursuit. What a fool!

What deductions can be made about the counterfeit repentance of Pharaoh, King of Egypt?
• He used a lot of God talk but never really talked to God.
• He supported the religious activity of others, like the dad that takes his kids to Sunday school or church but won’t go himself, but never bowed his heart.
• He confessed sin without repenting of sin. Don’t miss this. Going to confession or offering your own is meaningless apart from a true desire to turn from your sin.
• He was unable to follow through on doing what was right; the trials got his attention but the stirrings of conscience were all temporary, not unlike America after 9/11 or a person who has a brush with death. He was alarmed but not converted.
• He maintained throughout a “What’s in it for me mindset”, even to the very end, with his pathetic p.s. of “bless me also” as he sent them away for the last time.

As Thomas Watson wrote, “Pharaoh was more troubled by frogs and a river of blood than for his sin.” How typical Pharaoh is when one searches for genuine repentance.

Generations later, King Saul was a lot like him. Remember how he responded when David did not kill him in the cave, but later revealed to Saul he could have? Saul wept and said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you … May the Lord reward you with good” (see I Sam. 24:16-22). How inspiring!

After this moving speech, did Saul leave off his sin of pursuing David’s life? Hardly. Instead he gathered 3,000 special forces to hunt him down (see 26:2). His words were meaningless!

David has another chance to kill him, but refuses. Saul’s response? “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will not harm you again because my life was precious in your sight this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have committed a serious error” (see 26:21). Now, he’s speaking the truth. Now he’s right with God, right? Not exactly.

After this second moving confession, Saul finds himself in battle, without David’s help. Samuel the prophet is dead. Saul is scared spitless, for he was a coward at heart. He inquires of the Lord but gets no answer (28:6), so in violation of God’s commandments and his own law of the land, he seeks a medium (the witch at Endor) to bring up Samuel’s spirit from the dead for counsel. Apparently, to her surprise she’s able to do so and Saul receives a foreboding message: David will reign and Saul will die.

Now he’ll fall on his face in shame, renounce his sin and beg for God’s mercy? He fell to the ground all right, very afraid (28:20) of what would come, but not of God. He later dies in battle, actually killing himself after being wounded. Shameful to the end.

Though the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 names 16 OT saints, including Samuel and David, there is no mention of Saul. In fact, Saul is never commended in the Bible.

What deductions can be made?
• Weeping over wrong alone is not repentance.
• Confession of sin to the other person alone isn’t repentance.
• Acknowledgement of serious error alone isn’t repentance.
• Using spiritual words and referring to God often, by itself, is not repentance.
• The non-penitent make liars of themselves by saying things but not doing them, by promising reform but not following through.

Without conversion, Pharaoh and Saul lacked real commitment to holiness and real power to be transformed. The dog returned to his vomit; the sow returns to wallow in the mire.

Saul was more worried about his status before men than his standing before God. He cared more about his own reputation than God’s reputation. He pleads with David to swear to him “by the Lord” not to cut off his name (not to kill all his male descendents), when that should have been the least of his worries. Here’s a man, I believe, about to plunge into hell and he’s worried about his name being carried on! Such undying pride!

His tears did not spring from a broken heart. His confession seemed tailor made for public consumption like many we witness today through the media. With no heart for God and no trusting in God’s promises of forgiveness, there was no godly sorrow, no repentance unto life.

Let Pharaoh and Saul be a warning to us all that we can possess the husk of repentance without the precious kernel of reality.