What Will People Say?

One of the greatest mistakes of Saul’s life was to sacrifice his repentance opportunity because he was too conscious of ‘What people will say’. In the end, he lost his throne and the generational blessing that God swore to give him and his descendants after him.

In 1 Samuel 15:2-3 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy[a] all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

So Saul summoned two hundred thousand foot soldiers from Telaim and ten thousand from Judah for the battle. He went into the city of Amalek and set an ambush to destroy them as he was commanded. “But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves[b] and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.”(1 Samuel 15:9).

When Samuel confronted Saul about the danger of his partial obedience in sparing Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle from Amalek he gave a very silly excuse “Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” (1 Samuel 15:15).  

Samuel then tried to explain how silly that excuse sounded by telling him “…To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams…” (1 Samuel 15:22). Suddenly, Saul became remorseful but never repentant. Saul replied, “I HAVE SINNED. BUT PLEASE HONOR ME BEFORE THE ELDERS OF MY PEOPLE AND BEFORE ISRAEL; COME BACK WITH ME, SO THAT I MAY WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD.” (1 Samuel 15:24-25). 

Just imagine, Saul was telling Samuel that ‘I know I have sinned but you don’t expect me to appear before this people as a sinner. I’m too big for that. What will the elders of my people say if they see me going out for ALTAR CALL?’. What will people say? Saul knows he had sinned but he was too conscious of what people will say that he was not willing to humbly repent. 

Every now and then I see people who know exactly what they are supposed to do but they are also too conscious of what people will say. Some of us have had express instructions from God but those instructions sounded foolish so we refused to carry them out for the fear of what people will say. 

Some people didn’t marry the very man or woman who was God’s will for their lives because they were too busy wondering what people will say. I hope we can learn from Saul-He got himself into trouble first by listening to what the people said, when he had a chance to repent he couldn’t because he was too conscious of what people will say.  What people will say can only push you into trouble but the people will never be there to save you from the trouble. 

Do the right thing and forget about whatever people will say! #Selah