Blame-shifting, most of us are tempted at times to blame others or various situations for our behavior. We blame our nationality, our temperament, our race, our financial situation, our social status, our lack of opportunities, and our lack of education. We blame our parents, our family of origin, our bosses, our spouses, and our children. And I’m sure we could all come up with other people and things that we’re tempted to blame. We even blame God. And if we don’t come up with our own excuses, there are plenty of so-called experts out there who will do it for us. But what does the Bible actually say about the subject?
Today’s Readings:
2 Kings 22,23 & 24
Psalm 74.18-23
Proverbs 19.3
Acts 2.22-47
The Truth about Blame-Shifting
2 Kings 22, 23 & 24:
It’s Their Fault!
It’s all too common for people today to play the “blame game” by blaming their problems or their spiritual condition on their parents and others, but here in today’s reading, we meet Josiah who had a horrible spiritual heritage. Both his father and his grandfather were wicked kings, yet 23.25 says:
Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.
Wow! In spite of his family of origin, Josiah loved and served the Lord.
Our tendency is to blame everyone and everything in sight. Yet, no matter who our parents or grandparents were, no matter who we are married to, no matter where we were born, we’re responsible for our choices. While other people can tempt us or give us the excuse we need, nothing they do can make us sin (1 Cor. 10.13; Ezek. 18.20)! And nothing in our lives can keep us from turning to God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our might, just as Josiah did!
But what might God have used in Josiah’s life to help point him to God?
A Mother’s Influence
Have you noticed that as the history of Judah’s kings is recounted, God includes the names of their mothers, as well as, their fathers? In Josiah’s case, he was only eight years old when he began to reign. It’s unlikely that he made the decisions he did without wise counsel. And who do you suppose was the most likely counselor of an eight-year-old boy? Perhaps, it was his mother.
While we don’t know for certain about Josiah, mothers and grandmothers can make a big difference in the lives of their children and grandchildren—for good or for evil. Remember Athaliah who had her own grandchildren put to death so she could seize control. It’s no wonder her son Ahaziah was a wicked king.
In the New Testament, Paul wrote to Timothy about “the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also” (2 Tim. 1.5).
I’m encouraged by so many of the mothers and grandmothers I know and by many of you in the blogging world, who are seeking to leave behind that kind of legacy. I pray you’ll stand fast in your determination to do what you can. Not the least of which is to pray for the next generation.
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Gal. 6.9).
Influential But Not Determinative
But while the people and circumstances in our lives are influential, they are not determinative. Timothy, Ahaziah, and Josiah all made choices to do good or to do evil. And it’s the same for us.
If the people God places in our lives fail us, they are accountable to Him and He will deal with them as He sees fit. But whether our parents, grandparents, or other people were good influences or terrible ones, we can choose how we respond. And we, too, are accountable for our decisions. We cannot blame anyone else (1 Cor. 10.13).
But other people are not the only ones we blame. Sometimes we blame God Himself.
Proverbs 19.3:
Blame-Shifting to God
The foolishness of a man twists his way, and his heart frets against the LORD.
It started in the Garden of Eden. When faced with their sin and its consequences, Adam said, the woman you gave me, she made me sin! So it’s her fault, and by the way, it’s Yours, Lord, because You gave her to me! We’ve been doing it ever since, blaming God, as well as others, for the results of our own choices. Even though James 1.13 says:
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone (NKJV).
Blame-Shifting & Our Circumstances
Even if we aren’t blaming God or the other people in our lives, we’re often tempted to blame our circumstances.
As I said in the introduction, sometimes we blame our nationality, our temperament, our race, our financial situation, our social status, or our lack of opportunities. And that’s just the shortlist.
But 1 Corinthians 10.12-14 says:
12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry (NKJV).
And Acts 17.24-27 says:
24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us (NKJV).
Everything in our lives, every circumstance, when we were born, where we were born, who our family of origin is, our nationality, our race, our level of education, everything was predetermined by a loving God. It was all designed to point us to our need for a Savior.
Taking Responsibility
Blame-shifting gets us nowhere and can keep us from seeing God’s sovereignty in our lives. It keeps us focused on the problem and not the solution. It keeps us bound up in bitterness and unforgiveness.
If you have found yourself blame-shifting, if you have bought into the culture’s excuses for sinful behavior, ask God to show you the truth (Ps. 139.23-24).
God’s freedom, peace, and joy begin with taking responsibility for our own sinful choices, asking for His forgiveness and grace, and stepping out in obedience and trust.
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion (Prov. 28.13).
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 74.18-23:
In Jesus Name
As the psalmist’s prayer continues, he says, “Have respect to the covenant” (Ps. 17.20). He came to God based on His covenant relationship with His people.
We, too, come to God, not based on anything we deserve, but on the New Covenant. That’s the reason we pray “in Jesus name.” We’re saying in effect, I come to you based on the finished work of Jesus Christ and because I’m in Him.
Acts 2.22-47:
Jesus, Whom You Crucified
One of our former pastors used to say, “You won’t see people saved until they see that they’re lost.” It’s one way that the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of unbelievers (Jn. 16.8-9).
Sometimes that means we must be direct with people by calling sin what it is and calling them to repentance. Most of us see ourselves as basically “good”—“Most men will proclaim each his own goodness …” (Prov. 20.6), but Scripture says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3.23).
Here is part of Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost:
Acts 2.36-39:
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (NKJV).
Talk about direct! “… Jesus, whom you crucified …” God has called us to love people enough to share the truth of the gospel with them, including the fact that they are sinners in need of a Savior. That sometimes means risking their friendship and favor in the short run, with a view to their eternal destiny.
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about the importance of godly friends, persecution, hypocrisy, and God’s timing.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our new sister site Joyful Marriage Ministries. While you’re there, click the “events” tab for information on our upcoming events and ministries, like our Marriage ICU© for couples who are experiencing problems that require one-on-one help.
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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
I recently read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.
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