Genesis 3:13. The Blame Game: Everyone Plays and Nobody Wins.

Genesis 3:13 “And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”

Everyone plays the blame game, most without realizing that their chances of winning are far worse than winning the lottery. For the guilty, the blame game is un-winnable. The only One who can never lose is the Guiltless and Holy God,  and He limits His participation. Out of mercy He defers His win because it will be game of life over in the ultimate sense for all of us blameworthy people.

Although Adam tried to put as much blame as possible on his partner instead of owning his responsibility, God doesn’t berate or lecture him for his cowardice. Neither does God argue with Adam’s unjust attempt to blame Him. To argue could be construed as an acknowledgement of Adam’s excuse, and at the same time it would be participation in the spirit of self-justification, which is contrary to God's character. God has no problem assuming full responsibility for creating the woman, or the serpent for that matter, even if that means being misidentified as the author of evil. God is not afraid of what people think, although being so misunderstood must still hurt Him terribly. His character is self-sacrificing, self-forgetful love. 

And so, having received Adam’s admission of guilt, God simply ignores Adam’s accusation and self-justification and turns His attention to the woman. 

“What is this that you have done?” Again, He doesn’t reproach and censure, He asks a pointed question that drives home conviction, and Eve is ready to admit that she was tricked.

“The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” Some say that in this Eve also blames God for making the serpent, but it should be pointed out that unlike Adam, she doesn’t say “The serpent that you made” or “The serpent that you put in the garden.” 

What about you? Do you bitterly blame Adam and Eve for the mess we’re in instead of owning your own responsibility? Let such a response be a signal warning of your own guilt. As my mother always said when I was a kid, “When you point the finger at someone, three of your own fingers are pointing back at you!” Let us leave behind the spirit of accusation and self-justification and cast ourselves on the mercy of the Blameless One.