The Blame Game

"He did it!" "No, she did it!" "It's his fault!" "It's her fault!"

Hey GEM girls! Have you ever fallen into the pit of the Blame Game? To be honest, it happens to the best of us. Even people we look up to in the Bible have blamed others at least once during their lifetime.

Have you ever been peer pressured into making a decision, then blamed it on someone else? There are several examples of this scenario happening in the Bible. Let's take Aaron, the high priest and Moses' older brother, for example. He was peer pressured into creating a golden calf for the rebellious Israelites. Here is the story:

Moses had been on Mt. Sinai for almost forty days and the Israelites started getting worried. They feared that he had died on the mountain and that God had forsaken them in the wilderness. Then, they started wishing (again) for the things they had back in Egypt. They even started wishing for the gods of Egypt, hoping that they would bring them back to safety.

So, they waltzed over to Aaron and complained. And guess what they asked for? And idol. A gold idol carved in the likeness of a calf, to be specific. Now here's the thing with Aaron: he didn't really have a backbone. He was used to Moses being in charge and really didn't know what to do when faced with opposition. Aaron should have stayed firm and trusted that God hadn't led Moses to abandon them. Instead, he collected all of the gold jewelry in the camp, melted it, and sculpted it into a calf. Then the Israelites worshipped the idol, held a feast, and danced around it.

When Moses finally came down from the mountain, he saw everyone partying as if they were not God's chosen people. In a fit of holy rage, he threw the tablets of stone that God had given him against the mountain, and they shattered. He took the golden calf, melted it, ground it into powder, and poured it into the water the Israelites drank. When he confronted Aaron, the man acted as if he had been forced to make the golden calf. "You know how prone these people are to evil. They said to me, 'Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him.' So, I told them, 'Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.' Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!" (Exodus 32:22-24)

Aaron's poor decision impacted everyone in the camp. Moses had to ask the people to ask God for forgiveness and to reconsecrate themselves to Him.

The point of the story is not to compromise your values even when those around you try to sway your beliefs. Trust God, stick to His plans for your life, and you will end up in a better place than if you listen to those around you.

So, GEM girls, have you ever been peer-pressured into doing something you didn't want to do? Did giving in to their "advice" go well? Let me know in the comments below! 😊

With Love,