Did you ever try to work out a problem with a business only to have the representative pass the blame? “It’s not our fault, it’s our supplier.” Or it’s company policy, or it’s some employee who’s no longer there, or it’s the computer, the phone company, the postal service, the … you get the picture. It’s someone else’s fault. It’s fairly rare that you don’t experience some kind of finger pointing.
Did you ever do that? It’s my brother’s fault the lamp was broken. It’s my children’s fault there’s mud tracked in the house. It’s the cat’s fault the trash is spilled. Now that the children are all growing up and moving away I have less people to point the finger at.
Did you know that the bible talks about finger pointing?
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” (Isaiah 58:9b–10, NIV)
Do away with pointing fingers. Do away with malicious talk. It’s no good to blame our own mistakes or wrong choices on others, says the Lord. When we point the finger of blame, we place a yoke of oppression on those we accuse. Rather than being agents of the gospel that brings life and freedom, we become agents of burdening oppression.
Instead, do things for the needy. Spend yourself, says the Lord. He doesn’t say give money (though that’s implied), we are to spend ourselves. The KJV says, “If you draw out your soul …” Let heart go out to the oppressed. Rather than pass blame, pass yourself. Rather than gossip about someone, personally step in to help.
And then what happens? We will be like light in the darkness. When we act in the ways of the Lord, we become powerful and strong in the Lord.
