As anyone familiar with the mentality and tactics of the abuser knows, false repentance is a common ploy of such people. They can be very convincing. They have changed. What they did was wrong, but they are finished with it forever. If their victim will only forgive them, all will be well. So it is vital that all of us – victims, Christians, pastors, counselors – become wise and discerning rather than naive and foolishly trusting.
King Saul was an abusive man. I think that is safe to say. Anyone so jealous that he would launch a spear at one of their most loyal subjects certainly qualifies for the abuser label. And Saul played the “repentance” card very well. It didn’t work, of course, because he was trying to deceive the Lord Himself by deceiving the prophet Samuel.
