DANGER OF BUCK PASSING

Buck passing is one of the major road blocks to rendering an

excellent service, either to God or humanity. Buck passing, or passing the
buck is the act of attributing to another person or group of persons the
blame for your mistake(s), thereby absolving yourself from taking due
responsibility. It is popularly referred to as the ‘blame game’. Buck
passing could be described as one of the earliest & costliest mistakes of
man from creation till date. The first man, Adam blamed the woman, Eve
for disobeying God’s instruction concerning the forbidden tree (Gen.
3:12), and in turn, the woman passed the buck (blame) to the serpent
(Gen. 3:13). If Adam had apologized immediately instead of passing the
buck, God would’ve forgiven and perhaps, we would be reading a
different Bible today!

Buck passing has an element of destruction. It destroys

relationships, marriages, careers, families and even our service to God.
In the Scriptures, everyone that engaged in buck passing instead of
apologizing and taking responsibility either lost their glorious positions or
were destroyed. King Saul’s reign was instantly truncated when he
blamed the people for inciting his disobedience against God by sparing
the best of the sheep and oxen of the Amalekites; including Agag, the king
of Amalek (1 Sam. 15). Bulk passing also has an element of pride and fear,
which could make us lose opportunities!
 In contrast, King David apologized immediately and took prompt
responsibility for his grave mistakes after he killed Uriah while lusting
after his wife, and also when he took census of the Children of Israel (2
Sam. 11 & 2 Sam. 24 respectively). David’s fate would’ve ended like Saul’s
if he passed the buck instead of taking prompt responsibility. No wonder
David was a man after God’s heart! Take note of the word ‘prompt’ being
used in the context because ‘delayed’ apology/taking responsibility
aggravates the mistake(s), heightens tension and attracts punishment.

To err is human, to forgive is divine. But, the path from error to

receiving forgiveness must be rid of all forms of BUCK PASSING.

God bless you

J.K. Elebiyo.