It had taken some time for Saul to come to understand the seriousness of his situation. His initial responses to Samuel’s questions show that he did not consider his actions sinful. Now that he heard about the Lord’s response, he was suddenly penitent1 and realized that the consequences would be far more drastic than what he had imagined.2 Even so, he did not consider the sin itself to have been particularly serious, confident that amends could quickly be made with attendance at worship.3 In this, Saul’s confession is very different from that of David (see 2 Samuel 12:9; Psalm 51:1–19).
24 Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.