The Curse of Making Excuses

“[Saul] waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come, and the people were scattering. So Saul said, ‘Bring the burnt offering here to me…’ And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he had finished… Samuel came. And Saul went out to greet him. Samuel said, ‘What have you done?’ And Saul said, ‘When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash,.. I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.^’ And Samuel said, ‘You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord.’”

“Saul defeated the Amalekites… [but] spared Agag and the best of the sheep and oxen and fattened calves and lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them…

^“Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, ‘Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.^’ And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?^’ Saul said, ‘They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.^’ Then Samuel said to Saul, ‘Stop!

“‘The Lord anointed you king over Israel [and] sent you on a mission and said, “Go, devote to destruction the Amalekites…” Why then did you not obey?..’ And Saul said, ‘I have obeyed… I have gone on the mission… But the people took of the spoil… to sacrifice to the Lord your God.'” 1 Samuel 13:8-13a; 15:7,9,13-21

King Saul was a master at making excuses for his willful sin. Urgent circumstances, his impatient subjects, and tardy Samuel all forced him into wrongdoing that he refused to see as an affront to his Sovereign. When self is king, self is always right while everyone else is wrong. Saul’s foolish decisions became his curse, and his kingship was stripped.

God calls to account every grab of His authority or glory. He sees through every false veneer of crafted alibis and blame on people and predicaments. He does not stand for pompous swagger. He is a God of truth and demands it be our measure. (Isaiah 42:8; Jeremiah 49:16; Galatians 6:7)

Where do we flaunt ourselves as victims, excusing bad behavior on hard circumstances or offenses by others? When do explain away poor choices by blaming group pressure or pressing necessity? Where do we muddy the bare truth by whining, or simply talk too much, rather than hold our tongues in responsible maturity? Any such behavior is unappealing to those around us and an affront to God. It demonstrates weak faith and wobbly convictions.

When will we take full responsibility for our words and actions? In prayer, we can confess our worst and grasp by faith God’s redeeming best. Before others, we can speak honestly or not at all. Identifying lies and excuses and putting them away frees us to walk in the light. (1 John 1:7-9)

Father, keep me honest before You and others, replacing excuses with ownership and confession, that I would freely and openly shine unshakable truth wherever I am.