for this reason the world does not know

I've written on several different occasions on the potential long-term consequences for sin. It is difficult to mesh our view of an all-forgiving God with a God that penalizes people with consequences even years after they might have repented. In today's reading of 1Sam15, Saul is actively repenting in v24-25. Sammy rejects his repentance, so Saul repeats his repentance in v30. Doesn't matter. Sammy tells Saul that God has rejected his kingship over Israel. Two repentances and it doesn't matter.

I don't have the solution on how to mesh these two views. Certainly, from an eternal perspective, all sins are forgiven through Christ, so ultimately, no one can argue that God isn't forgiving. And certainly, some long-term consequences for sin make sense to us. An idiot who decides to drive drunk and loses his ability to walk when his car crashes into a pole will certainly not get a lot of sympathy for his idiocy.

I think the issue is that some times we mistakenly think that somehow, we are more forgiving than God. We feel like in the Saul situation, after two repentances, he seems sincere enough, let's go back and bless his kingship. But the Lord sees the heart of a man and knows when these repentances are meaningless. Did you see the small detail in 1Sam15:30? Saul tells Sammy that he wants to worship "the Lord your God". Saul doesn't even make God his own. No wonder the Lord rejects his kingship. A reminder that without the infinite knowledge of God, our capacity to make sense of things is limited and narrow. Consequences -- long-term or otherwise -- proceed from that infinite mind of God.