Responsibility Series

“Responsibility, therefore, is something we struggle with as humans…”

“And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it.

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.”

— Exodus 32:19-24

Explanation:

Moses has just witnessed something miraculous as he received the law on the mountaintop from God himself. One cannot imagine the jubilance he must have felt as he descended the mountain, only to be quickly horrified by what he saw his fellow Israelites participating in. Moses confronts his brother Aaron regarding the gross idolatry they were all engaged in. Yet, Aaron deflects the responsibility, putting it upon the rest of the Israelites and lies about what happened by saying the idol spontaneously appeared as opposed to fashioning it himself (Ex 32:4-5).

Connection:

Many of us could list out a myriad of sins that we are guilty of each and every day. Yet, when we reflect further, we come to realize that each of these vices have something in common. They all are rooted in some kind of refusal to be accountable to God and to one another. Responsibility, therefore, is something we struggle with as humans. Indeed, even from the account of our first parents, sin is intimately wedded to our inability to take responsibility for our own actions and confront our own thoughts, actions, and behaviors. Instead of owning up to the things we do, we run and hide or we cast off the responsibility to someone else.

We can see this from the very beginning. Adam and Eve partake of the forbidden tree, and they are immediately ashamed and aware they are naked, and so they run and hide. But God finds them, and he accuses Adam, and Adam deflects to Eve. And then, Eve deflects to the serpent (Gen 3:12-13). Here the natural roles of responsibility are inverted - and man becomes alienated from God, from one another, and from creation. And so, it becomes difficult for each of us to take responsibility - as we fear the consequences of our own actions. Aaron here is no exception, and lies to evade the shame of being exposed. Yet, even in the midst of this, God has sent his only Son into the world to bear our guilt, shame, and alienation, that through him we may no longer be estranged - but brought back into his embrace. He has taken responsibility for our irresponsibility.

Action:

1. No Excuses -
When we sin or fail, we tend to come up with a list of justifications for why something happened as opposed to acceptance and repentance. Instead of excuses, make an attempt to confront your mistakes and learn from them.

2. Don't Shift Blame -

The quickest way to lose credibility and integrity in your relationships is to blame others for your failures. Aaron blames his kinsmen for his own participation in idolatry (Ex 32:22). Adam and Eve blamed everything but themselves (Gen 3:12-13). When we pass off the responsibility to others, we rob them of their innocence and rob ourselves of our opportunity to repent.

3. Receive Forgiveness -

Taking responsibility is important for our relationships because it allows us to experience the forgiveness found in Christ. Only when we take responsibility for our own sins does the work of Christ come into focus. Only then can we truly appreciate and experience the grace of God in Christ Jesus.