2nd Samuel 19:43. “And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, ‘We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than ye: why did ye despise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king?’ And the words of the men of Judah were fiercer that the words of the men of Israel.”
AFTER THE FACT. Strange it is that a short time before They rallied around the enemy and despised the king But now after they had fought and lost the war They were slow to act until others did bring The rightful sovereign back to his place And now with angry words so full of complaint They pretend they were anxious to see his face Trying to get back in favor with the one they did hate.
Repentance must be real although it is hard to tell When one says they are sincere and claim to believe; There must be more than words, for words often fail To tell the whole story whether Christ they received We look for a change in attitude and acts To see whether one has truly turned from his sin We cannot trust words only that are after the fact Because one can copy what in others he has seen.
A work of grace changes one who believes from within There is genuine humility that is not hard to see You watch and listen as to how he will begin To express the change that in him has come to be There will be original ways of expressing his faith God will be real to him, not just words after the fact Appreciation shows when he speaks of Christ and grace
And you know he is glad when the King welcomes him back.
“O God of All grace, when one comes to Thee in genuine repentance and faith, it is not hard to discern. May I be wise to watch and listen lest deceivers come and spoil Thy work that has been entrusted to me. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”