39 They defiled themselves by their evil deeds, and their love of idols was adultery in the Lord’s sight. ~ Psalm 106:39 NLT
The Scripture comes right out and says, “They defiled themselves…” It wasn’t that they were tripped up or deceived into going that way. It wasn’t that someone tricked them, and they had no idea what was going on. It wasn’t even that they were innocent in all of this. But rather, God said they had defiled themselves.
There was no one to blame. They could lay the blame at no one’s feet except their own because it was they themselves who had knowingly defiled their own souls with their evil deeds. It was their own actions that defiled them, not somebody else’s, but their own. And it is the same with us today; we defile ourselves with our actions and with our words, but yet consider ourselves innocent. It’s not our fault, we say. I’m innocent in all of this.
In today’s society, no one wants to take responsibility for his or her actions, and our government and social media encourage it. It’s not your fault; you had a hard life. It’s not your fault; you were mistreated as a child. It’s not your fault; it’s your parents’ fault. It’s not your fault; your childhood was victimized. It’s not your fault; you were born that way. It’s not your fault; it is a disease. It’s not their fault; they are just acting out because they’ve been held down for so long. It’s not their fault; they’re the victim in all of this.
But the Scripture says that they did it themselves. They had defiled their own selves by their evil deeds. There was no one to blame. It is not someone else’s fault for you defiling your own self. Everyone has the responsibility to acknowledge his or her own deeds. Nobody else can accept responsibility for you; you must accept your own responsibility.
The Psalmist said, if I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the LORD would not have listened. It gives God no pleasure in punishing the guilty. He wants everyone to recognize and accept their own wrongdoing and repent and turn away.
Dear LORD, help me to take accountability for my actions. Help me not to blame others for my own mistakes and shortcomings. Help me not to cherish iniquity in my heart but to cherish Your Word in my heart. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
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