It’s very easy to try and pin blame on others or to act like it was out of our control when something goes wrong. Sometimes there’s even a hint of truth in those things. Maybe someone else did do something wrong and it caused you to not do very well on a project.
In any case, the way that we deal with these situations is important. The people who make excuses or blame things on others are almost always repeat offenders.
I was reminded of this as I was reading in 1 Samuel today. In chapter 15, Samuel gives very specific instructions from the Lord to Saul, who had become king just a couple years before. “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
So Saul goes out to conquer the Amalekites. However, later it says this: “But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs and all that was good and would not utterly destroy them.”
Saul and the people directly disobeyed what God had said to do. They kept the good parts and got rid of the bad instead of getting rid of everything.
When Samuel later confronts Saul about this, Saul acts like everything he did was right and anything wrong that was done was the people.
“And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
Saul completely tries to put off any blame that could be put on himself. For one, his excuse doesn’t completely excuse him because as king, he represents the people to the Lord. Even if the people had done evil completely out of the sight of Saul, he would still be held partially accountable for that because he is the ruler of the people.
Even worse, that’s not the situation here. In fact, it seems like Saul was a large part of keeping these things that the Lord commanded to destroy. At the very least, Saul knew what was happening and allowed it to happen.
This wasn’t the first time Saul didn’t own up to his mistakes. Two chapters before he had offered a burnt offering when he was not supposed to and blamed it on Samuel, the people, and everyone but himself.
Not owning his mistakes was a huge theme in Saul’s life. Deeply rooted in pride and people pleasing, he couldn’t bear the thought of others thinking he made a mistake. His time ruling suffered because of this and was ultimately cut short because of it.
A quick look at David, the king directly after him shows a complete contrast to this. David wasn’t sinless and made some mistake that might make Saul’s seem minute, but the way he handled them was what allowed him to continue ruling Israel his entire life and to be called a man after God’s own heart.
After David kills Uriah and commits adultery with Bathsheba, Nathan the prophet confronts him about it and he doesn’t make any excuses. He doesn’t blame it on anyone else, he simply says, “I have sinned against the Lord.” He understood his mistake and was mortified by it. He took full responsibility, and because of that, Nathan then says to him, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.”
This doesn’t mean that David suffered no consequences after this. Because of this, his son died. But by owning up and taking responsibility, David was able to continue on as king. He humbled himself and understood where his faults were.
Owning your mistakes can be hard. The consequences might be high. But the freedom in admitting them and learning from them is a huge push in becoming better and improving.