Who played the blame game in the Bible?
The Bible is full of stories about blame and taking responsibility. We’re going to take a closer look at the different people and events that show us how blame shifts around.
1. Adam and Eve
The story of Adam and Eve is a reminder that our earliest ancestors were akin to us in attitude for they grapple to take responsibility for their ill choices just as we do today. When God created Adam and Eve, He made them live in the Garden of Eden. There were many trees in the garden. In the middle of the garden, there were two trees. One is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which God commanded them not to eat.
Though they obeyed, along the line, they disobeyed and ate from the tree leading to their moral consciousness and fall. When God questioned them for what they had done, they shifted the blame. Adam said it was Eve who gave him the fruit to eat. Eve said that it was the serpent who deceived her into eating the forbidden fruit. So Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. However, the blame game did nothing to save them for God punished them all, Adam, Eve, and the serpent. Genesis 3
2. Job’s friends
Job, a righteous man, was hit with calamities. Eventually, he became impoverished and diseased. His friends came to visit him in his suffering. Unable to comprehend Job’s situation, they tried to decipher the source of his suffering. Job’s friends believed his suffering was a result of his sins. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar argued that Job must have done something wrong to deserve such hardships. They urged Job to repent and seek forgiveness from God to end his suffering.
Despite Job’s protests of innocence, his friends continued to blame him for his misfortunes. Eliphaz accused Job of being wicked (Job 4:7-8), Bildad says much the same thing as Eliphaz, and Zophar insisted that Job needed to change his ways to be restored by God (Job 11:14-15, 17). Job’s friends’ accusations added to his emotional distress. Their relentless blaming further isolated Job in his suffering, highlighting the importance of empathy and support in times of hardship.
3. Aaron
Prophet Moses went up to Mt. Sinai to collect the Ten Commandments. When the Israelites saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and demanded that he should make gods who would lead them to the Promised Land. Aaron had them bring golden earrings and he used them to make a golden calf for them to worship. Then he built an altar in front of the calf and announced that there would be a festival the next day.
The next day, Moses returned to see a wild festive mood and idolatry. When he confronted Aaron about what he had done, Aaron shifted the blame to the people. He said the people are prone to evil and that they pressed him to make an idol for them to worship. His excuse was far from enough to justify his actions. God would have killed Aaron had it not been for Moses’ intercession (De 9:20). Reference Exodus 32:21-24
4. Saul
Saul, the first king of Israel, blamed others for his disobedience to God’s commands. When Saul was made the king of Israel, Prophet Samuel told him to go to Gilgal and wait for him for seven days and he would came to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings (1Sa 10:8). At that time, there was war between Israel and the Philistines. Saul went to Gilgal as instructed and the army of Israel was with him. However, they panicked with the fear that the Philistine army would attack them there.
When the seven days were up and Samuel had not yet come, King Saul took matters into his own hands and offered the sacrifices to the Lord. Samuel arrived shortly after and confronted Saul about his disobedience. Saul blamed Samuel’s lateness, the fear of the Philistine attack, and his soldiers’ desertion for his disobedience. Reference 1 Samuel 13:1-15
Later, King Saul was commanded by God to destroy all the Amalekites and their livestock. However, Saul spared the Amalekite king, Agag, and the best of the livestock. When Samuel confronted him about his disobedience, he shifted the blame to his soldiers saying that it was his soldiers who spared the livestock of the Amalekites to sacrifice them to the Lord (1Sa 15:15). This act of disobedience offended God, leading to Samuel informing Saul that God had rejected him as king of Israel. Saul’s unwillingness to accept his fault makes him a master of the blame game. Reference 1 Samuel 15:1-15
Conclusion
You’ll find plenty of tales in the Bible about blame, who’s responsible for what, and being held accountable. From Adam and Eve’s mistake in the Garden of Eden to King Saul’s disobedience, these stories teach us a lot about people’s actions and blame shifting. As we deal with our own challenges, we should remember the lessons from these old stories and do our best to be honest and brave when it’s our turn to face the music of life’s ups and downs.