Genesis 3:1-7 Playing the Blame Game

In 3:1-5 the Serpent enticed Eve to eat the fruit that God had commanded them not to eat. His main focus was to attack God’s word.

In 2:17 God had warned, “From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.“ In 3:4 the serpent challenges God’s word by saying, “You surely shall not die!”

Then the Serpent tantalized Eve, “In the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

We all know what happened next. The woman ate the fruit and gave it to her husband who also ate.

The world has never been the same.

Adam tried to get off the hook by passing the blame, “The woman whom Thou gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate” (3:12).

He mentions that the woman is the one who cause the problem. She gave him the fruit. Then he adds that this is the woman “You gave me.” Indirectly, Adam is saying that this problem could be attributed to God. If He had not given Adam this particular woman, Adam would not be in hot water.

Notice the relationship between 2:17 and 2:18. In 2:17 God warns Adam not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In the next verse, God makes a helper suitable for him.

How can it be said that this woman was suitable if she caused Adam to sin? She was anything but helpful on that occasion.

Isn’t it the same in our lives too? We get involved in wrongdoing and try to pass the blame to someone else, perhaps our spouse. “If I wasn’t married to Mary, this never would have happened; it’s all her fault.”

We must be willing to take responsibility for our own errors and not look to blame others.

During the Civil War battle of Gettysburg, General Pickett made a serious blunder resulting in the death of thousands of men. Following that disaster the survivors straggled back to safety.

Just then General Robert E. Lee rode to meet them on his favorite horse Traveler. He told them how brave they were. He told them that it was his entire fault. He took full responsibility and apologized to them.

The untold part of the story is that General Lee knew nothing about Pickett’s charge in advance of the attack. In addition, General Lee did not particularly like Pickett. Nevertheless, General Lee did not try to pass the buck by blaming Pickett.

In our day, people seem quick to transfer blame and not as eager to assume responsibility.

The next time we are facing blame, whose example will we follow? Will we be like Adam blaming our spouse, or will we be like General Lee shouldering all the criticism?