One of my favorite films is Gettysburg. It is the story of the pivotal battle of the Civil War. It took place July 1-3,1863 outside the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. On July 3rd, General Robert E. Lee ordered an attack on the Union position on Cemetery Ridge. In what has become known as "Pickett's Charge", Major. Gen. George Pickett sent his division of 4200 men into the strongest point on the Union line. They had to march uphill for more than a mile through cannon fire, stop to climb a fence, and then advance upon the Federal troops undercover of a stone wall. As they approached to within 50 yards of the wall, the Northern musket fire put up a wall of flaming lead for the Rebel troops to pass-through. Men were dying wholesale! But they kept on marching. They actually managed to make it just inside the wall, but by this time their ranks were so depleted that they were turned back by a fierce counter attack of Union reserves. As the Confederates were caught in the deadly space just before the wall, Union soldiers began to extend their hands to offer a chance to surrender. Any Southern soldier that dropped his rifle and took that hand of mercy was pulled over the wall to safety and allowed to live. If they didn't surrender, the Northern soldier raised his rifle back to his shoulder and fired that fatal shot. Of the 15,000 men total that were sent on that charge, only some 6000 returned. General Pickett's division was almost completely destroyed, less than 1/4 came back.

So it is with God. We are His enemies, at war against His Law, and His Sovereignty. God will not allow this rebellion to continue forever. There is coming a time when His justice and judgment will be rendered against us.

Revelation 19: 11-16 (NASB) and I saw Heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies which are in Heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with that he may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on his robe and on his thigh He has a name written, "KING of KINGS, and LORD of LORDS."

Revelation 20:11-15 (NASB) then I saw a great white thrown and He who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and Heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which are written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them: and they were judged, everyone of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

God is extending the hand of mercy. He is offering to us the chance to surrender, and to be pulled across the wall the divides us from Himself and Life.

Romans 5:1 (NASB) therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2: 4-6 (NASB) but God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by Grace you have been saved).

Titus 3:5 (NASB) he saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy.

However, to receive this mercy, we must end our hostilities against God, repent, and follow Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior. Mercy refused means justice received. If you have never received the mercy of God, now is the time to lay down your arms, and raise your hands and surrender to the King of the Universe.

One day during my time in Army basic training, a sergeant called me over. Right away I figured I had messed up in some way and was about to do a few push-ups (the standard punishment in the military for minor rule infractions). But before he asked why I had broken this rule, he asked me this question, "Private Arp, what is the maximum effective range of an excuse?" I had learned enough about the Army by this time to realize that the best thing to do is to admit your mistake and take your punishment like a man. If I had tried to excuse myself, the punishment would be more severe. So I answered, "no excuse sergeant, I messed up." To my surprise he only told me to correct my mistake and get back to duty. Mercy.

What is it that when we sin we are so apt to make excuses before God? It started in the Garden of Eden, and is still going on today. Shift the blame: put it to off onto someone or something else. You would think that the last person we could ever full would be God. One major problem in the church today is that we no longer seem to know what repentance is, or that it is a requirement of salvation. John the Baptist preached it. Jesus preached it. The Apostles and the early church fathers preached it. Why have we gotten away from it in the church of today? In our zeal to make converts and to see numbers, we have reduced salvation to confessions of certain doctrines about Christ, instead of true repentance and faith in Christ. This may sound like I'm splitting theological hairs, but there is a major difference between the two. One is head knowledge; the other is life changing heart (and head) knowledge. Belief alone is not enough. Romans 1: 17 says, "the just shall live by faith." Belief + action = faith. Maybe we should take a look what repentance and is, and what it is not. Let's take the look at the first two kings of Israel.

A Tale of Two Men

Saul and David. From incidents in the lives of the first two kings of Israel we see the difference between true and false repentance. First, let's take a look at an incident in the life of Saul.

1 Samuel 15:1-9 (NASB) Then Samuel said to Saul, "the LORD sent me to anoint you as King over his people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts, I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." Then Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, 200,000-foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley. Saul said to the Kenites, "go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel as they came up from Egypt." So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. So Saul defeated the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, which is east of Egypt. He captured Agag King of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

God specifically told Saul to completely wipe out Amalek, and every living person and thing in it. But Saul didn't do that. He kept their King and the best sheep and camel for trophies.

1 Samuel 15:10-31 (NASB) Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, "I regret that I have made Saul King, for he has turned back from following me and has not carried out my commands." And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all night. Samuel arose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul came to Carmel, and behold he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal." Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "blessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD." But Samuel said, "what then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" Saul said, "they have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed." And Samuel said to Saul, "wait, and let me to you what the LORD said to me last night." And he said to him, speak!" Samuel said, "is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you King over Israel, and the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated. Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the site of the LORD?" Then Saul said to Samuel, "I did obey the voice of the LORD, and went on the mission on which LORD sent me, and have brought back Agag the King of Amalek, and have utterly destroy the Amalekites. But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal." Samuel said, "has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed then the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and in subordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being King." And Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned; I have indeed transgressed the command of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me, that I may worship the LORD." But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being King over Israel." As Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. So Samuel said to him, "the LORD has torn the Kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you. Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man that he should change his mind." Then he said, "I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and go back with me, that I may worship the LORD your God." So Samuel went back following Saul, and Saul worshipped the LORD.

When confronted with his disobedience, Saul immediately began passing the buck, trying to take the heat off of him. But neither Samuel nor God was fooled by his phony repentance. Saul was sorry all right, sorry he got caught! But not sorry enough to change his disobedience ways. And for that he lost his kingdom and caused the downfall of his family.

Now let's take a look at an incident from David's life:

2 Samuel 12:1-15 (NASB) Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, "there were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe Lamb which he bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, and was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own heard, to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; rather he took the poor man's ewe Lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him. Then David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, "as the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. He must make restitution for the Lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion." Nathan then said to David, "you are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, it is I who anointed you King over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. I also gave you your master's house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the LORD, behold I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun." Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "the LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die." So Nathan went to his house.

When confronted with his sin of adultery with Bathsheba, and the murder of her husband Uriah, David's only response was that he had sinned against the LORD. No trying to worm out of the responsibility of his actions as Saul did. He just threw himself on the mercy of God. Look at the Psalm David wrote after this incident:

Psalm 51:1-19 (NASB) Be gracious to me, O God, according to your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified when you speak and blameless when you Judge. Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, you desire truth in the innermost being, in the hidden part you will make me know wisdom. Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, let the bones which you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, 0 God, and renew a steadfast Spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me with a willing Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will be converted to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, 0 God, the God of my salvation; then my tongue will joyfully sing of your righteousness. O LORD, open my lips, that my mouth may declare your praise. For you do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; you are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. By your favor do good to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem. Then you'll delight in righteous sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then young bulls will be offered on your altar.

Here we see David pouring his heart out in repentance to God. He never tries to pass his sin off as someone else's fault, but instead cries out to God for mercy and forgiveness. This is the kind of repentance that God accepts. Not the kind that tries to defend and justify itself. But the kind that humbles itself and places the blame squarely where it belongs.