Blameshifting
WRITTEN BY DREW MATZ
3 Biblical Examples of Blame-shifting
We are peculiar creatures. When we do something good, we want all the credit. Yet when we do something bad, we want none of the responsibility. This shouldn’t come as a shock, for this has been the tune of humanity since the fall of creation. We love glory, but hate accountability – and will do anything to gain praise and will equally do anything to avoid the consequences of our sins, even when this means casting the blame off to others for our own failures. Because of this sinful inclination, it often creates difficulties in our relationships as we struggle to trust one another – and even ourselves.
Here are three Biblical examples of blame-shifting, and how it can be avoided in our own life:
Genesis 3:12-13
He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
The story of the fall of Adam and Eve demonstrates the inherent tendency to avoid consequences embedded deep within our nature. Immediately after sin enters the world, so too does blame-shifting. Adam passes the buck to Eve who then pitches the blame to the serpent. In reality, they had nowhere to hide, as God saw the whole thing. His question to them “Where are you” (3:9) was rhetorical. He knew exactly what happened. There is no hiding from the sight of God, and attempting to pass the blame only entrenches us in our hard-heartedness.
Exodus 32:21-24
And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”
The story of Aaron’s idolatry is almost comical in the lengths Aaron is willing to go to avoid responsibility. Even though he himself fashioned the calf and created an altar for it (v. 4-5), he fancifully concocts a story wherein he plunders all the gold from his people and throws it in the fire. Once the gold melts, a calf magically exits the flames! Rather, Aaron should have been honest with Moses about his own failings, and repented of his idolatry. If he had done such, he may have avoided the plague that God sent (v.35).
Genesis 27:36
Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
Esau’s story is tragic in the sense that he lost what was his because he was only concerned with his present and immediate desires as opposed to what was right or wrong. In the heat of his passions, he sold his cherished birthright to his brother for a bowl of stew. His lack of control over his desires allowed him to part with the only thing that mattered, and he can’t bear to own up to the mistake he made. He resorts to accusing his brother of theft, when in actuality he made a lopsided trade of his own free will, and in his bitter regret shifted the blame.
Cautionary Tales
The above examples are just a few of many instances in scripture where blame is shifted to others. Yet, the truth is that we can see much of ourselves in each of these scenarios. The lesson to be gleaned is that repentance is far better than being unaccountable. When we shirk responsibility for our own actions, we neglect our opportunity to repent of our own sins and heap the burdens of guilt onto others. Accountability to ourselves for our own actions can help our relationships to grow past our own vices and allow true fruit to be produced.