The Scapegoat

SCRIPTURE
"He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat." (Leviticus 16:8-10)

OBSERVATION
We all have them, don't we - "scapegoats" that we allow to run wild in our pastures. While the sacrificing of goats may be a thing of the past (thank goodness - I'm sure the goats and sheep are happy about that), "scapegoats" are alive and well in today's world, aren't they? They respond to a variety of names: "Not Me;" "It's not my fault;" "They;" "I don't know." We'll even give 'them' the devil's name claiming "the devil made me do it."

Our scapegoats may resemble our parents who we claim as the source of "generational sins" that have shaped us to be who we are today. Scapegoats have even taken the shape of our co-workers and our boss for our failures in the workplace, or our spouse and kids for our failures in home. But, the funny thing is that whenever our 'scapegoats' are present, they tend to hide, cloud and obscure the real reason for failures - ourselves.

We play the blame game with our scapegoats and never realize the responsibility we carry for our own shortfalls. We point our finger away from ourselves and directly at others or at the pace of life, but fail to see our own three other fingers pointing straight back at us.

APPLICATION
Responsibility can't be pinned to a scapegoat if I am ever to succeed in life - with my family, as a husband and father, and even with my ministry call. Will I fail? Absolutely; we all fall short. But, will I be mature enough, will I have the level of integrity and degree of character to take responsibility for my failures, rather than toss my ring in the blame game? Will I learn the lessons that I must learn through my mistakes, even if it means accepting the consequences and discipline that flow from it? Prov. 24:16 reminds me that "a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again." How am I to gain righteousness, to understand what it means to stand righteously before my God? I must be willing pick myself up off the ground when I fall; to avoid playing the blame game, to rid my life of scapegoats, and to accept responsibility for my actions. My application is for me to take responsibility for what I own in the problem.

PRAYER
Father, it's always easier to stick blame on others, than to accept full responsibilities for my own shortfalls. But, like the righteous man in Proverbs, may I never quit getting up, even after I fall and so that I might learn the lessons through my failures and be better because of it.