Playing the Blame Game

Write From My Heart

August 21, 2020

Playing The Blame Game

Jeremiah 31:29-30 (NLT)

“The people will no longer quote this proverb: ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste.’ All people will die for their own sins—those who eat the sour grapes will be the ones whose mouths will pucker.”

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NLT)

“The day is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant…

“I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the LORD. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”

            Understanding the message of Old Testament prophets can be a little daunting, but actually I find so much truth appropriate for us today. Perhaps this is making the message too simple, but Jeremiah is basically telling God’s people to stop blaming their current circumstances on their ancestors. He warns them each person is responsible for their own actions. This message is just as true today. Quit blaming others for our problems—be responsible for our own actions.

            The second part of the message is equally true. Through Jesus Christ we are no longer under the old covenant but under a new covenant of grace where each one is responsible for accepting Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. This scripture text gets a little tricky for us to understand because I think we ARE supposed to be evangelistic in spreading the Good News to all people—family, friends, and neighbors alike. But I think the heart of this message speaks directly to God’s people; that is, to those who have accepted him and follow him. We already know the Lord, and we know when he forgives our sins he remembers them no more.

            The bottom line seems to be: You cannot keep blaming your troubles on others. You need to be responsible for your own actions. Likewise, you cannot enter the Kingdom based on the goodness of your ancestors, spouse, family, whomever. You need to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, no one else can do it for you. However, unlike people who tend to hold grudges, God truly knows how to “forgive and forget.” God is never more than a prayer away.