Excuses, Excuses - Adam - The One Year Men of the Bible

“Who told you that you were naked?” the LORD God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

Genesis 3:11-12

Following the release of photographs depicting the shocking abuse of Iraqi prisoners of war, former secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld told the Senate Armed Services Committee, “These events occurred on my watch. As secretary of defense, I am accountable for them. I take full responsibility.”

Though Rumsfeld’s words did little to quiet his critics, many observers found them refreshing because they demonstrated an uncommon willingness to take responsibility for the deplorable environment he had allowed to develop.

Every failure seems to attract a corresponding excuse. The murderer says, “I’m really not a bad person,” or the embezzling CEO insists, “I didn’t know,” but excuse making is nothing new. It goes as far back as the dawn of human history when Adam began making excuses for his willful disobedience.

When God uncovered Adam’s sin, the man offered a “sort of” admission: “Well . . . it was the woman . . . the woman you gave me, I might add. She gave me the fruit, and . . . well . . . yeah, I guess I ate it. But I mean, look at her, Lord! I mean c’mon! I’m only human!”

Excuses! Excuses!

Adam led the blame-shifting parade that so many of us have marched in ever since, faulting God and others for our own shortcomings. What would have happened if Adam had owned up to his failure? We’ll never know.

The far more relevant question is whether we will own up to ours.

When you sin or err in any way, you need to come clean with God without offering alibis or excuses as Adam did. That’s the way to receive God’s forgiveness and restoration.