Excuses are often given when a person is reluctant or does not want to do that which is required. There are millions of excuses used every day by individuals who do not want to go to work, who desire to get a day or two off of work, and others who do not want to go to church. Reasons given with our excuses run the entire gamut, from the weather to other people to a lack of resources, to a lack of sleep, to a lack of motivation.
Other commonly used reasons include lack of time, not being ready yet, waiting for the new year, and the last-resort excuse, which is used when all others fail, the devil made me do it. Thus, the responsibility for not doing, not being present, not paying and not obeying is generally passed on to other persons, or circumstances, while self is thereby justified in a course of action, other than what is required.
Excuses are also used for cheating on one’s spouse, for lying in certain adverse situations, for not being baptized, for not returning to God that which is due, for not attending church, for arriving late, or for not exercising and for a million and one reasons to keep us from doing that which ought to be done. But it is only when it is virtually impossible for one to fulfill a requirement or pledge that reasons are justifiable.
There’s also a big difference between a valid reason and an excuse, for the former is based on facts, but the latter is based on perceived, or made up facts. Thus, it is important that we be reminded of what an excuse really is. According to the dictionary: It is an attempt to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offense); seeking to defend or justify.
Excuses had their beginnings on our planet at the time sin entered the garden of Eden, when the devil tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. Then, after succumbing to his wiles, a lot of excuses were given to justify themselves, in a vain effort to relinquish the responsibility for their actions, when questioned by God. Let’s read:
Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Ever since that fateful day, every son and daughter of Adam has fallen prey to the syndrome of excuse making, some more or less. The tendency to blame others, conditions, the weather, and circumstances makes us creatures of circumstance, and if we don’t gain the victory over this sinful habit, it would prove our ruin in this life, and can eventually keep us from the new earth.
The tendency to make excuses is what caused God to reprove Moses when he had given him assurance that He would be with him as he was to go on his mission to Egypt. With every excuse he raised, God then gave a valid reason why it should not be any concern of his. Yet Moses continued to fabricate excuses until God became weary of listening.
Several aspects and varieties of excuses will be seen as we study Moses’ conversation with God. We will also observe that when we are reluctant to do some required or necessary duty, there is no stopping the amount of excuses which we can come up with. And some of the so-called reasons given range from the seemingly plausible to those which make no sense. Let’s read:
[1] Humble Excuses
Exodus 3:7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.
10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
This first reason may seem to savor of humility, for Moses may have considered himself as not being worthy to be sent on such a mission. To go in unto the king of Egypt to ask for the release of the work- force was no small matter. But the very fact that the order came from God should have relieved his mind of any valid concerns, for it is possible to be humble yet willing.
On the contrary, when the prophet Isaiah was given a vision of The Most-High God, he also realized that he was utterly unworthy, for according to his own confession, he was a man of unclean lips. Yet he trusted in God to take care of his shortcomings, so that when the call was made for a messenger, Isaiah was willing, humble, and ready to go on The Lord’s errands. Let’s read:
Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
There are times when persons are asked to serve, to go on The Lord’s errands or to take up some needed responsibility at church, and like Moses, and Isaiah, persons may feel unworthy of the calling. Yet, even though none of us is worthy, we should avoid the pitfall of giving humble excuses because none of the twelve disciples were worthy when they were sent out.
It’s not our worthiness that God is looking for, it’s our willingness.
Exodus 3:12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
[2] Excuses based on perceived circumstances.
Exodus 4:1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.
The claim that the people would not believe him was unfounded, for Moses had no such knowledge. To claim that he would not be believed would be to pre-judge the situation, and the outcome, which shows that his faith in God was wavering. There are times when we too may prejudge the outcome of a certain situation, without having hard facts to back up our premonitions.
And even if those facts are true, we may be prone to doubt God’s ability to do the impossible. It is a fact that perceived difficulties are often greater in anticipation than in reality, and excuses that are made on such premises can cause the blessings of God to be turned aside.
The Hebrew’s premonition of the giants in Canaan caused them to wander in the desert for forty years even though God had gone before them and had in fact weakened the resolve of the Canaanites. Thus, the perceived foreboding of an unpleasant outcome prevented the Jews from taking the land, when God was ready and willing to grant them the blessing, a situation that is too often repeated in our own lives. Let’s read:
Numbers 13:31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Numbers 14: 6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
8 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.
Exodus 4:2 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
5 That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
6 And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
So far, the Lord has removed any cause for concern or doubt on the part of Moses, for He has given him concrete evidence that supernatural power will be with him on his mission. Yet for some reason Moses is still reluctant to go. Thus, he resorts to what may seem as a logical excuse, one that is often used in a number of situations, right here in Miami.
[3] Excuses of Language barriers.
Exodus 4:10 And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
Language barriers are notoriously used as excuses in the sunshine state, and some folks even get upset when individuals from other countries do not speak fluent English. Now, while it is good to be fluent in the nationally recognized language, there isn’t any reason to use language barriers as excuses for not doing that which needs to be done.
There are several ways and means to overcome this common hurdle, for not only do we have God as our Guide in all matters, but we also have several tools at our disposal such as Babbel, and many English to Spanish translations, or, translations to most of the world’s prominent languages, right at our fingertips. With ready access to the internet, there can be no excuse to use language barrier as an excuse for not doing anything.
Exodus 4:11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord?
12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
And now, having run out of any plausible excuses, Moses reveals his reluctance in words which show that there is a deeper problem bothering him, that is fueling all of the excuses and reasons he is giving, why he should not be sent. God has taken care of the language barrier issue, He has resolved all the issues of perceived unbelief by the Hebrews, and his issue with unworthiness has been laid to rest. So, what’s next? Let’s read:
Exodus 4:13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.
14 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against
Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
15 And thou shalt speak unto him and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
It was not the ideal will of God that Aaron should be a co-leader with Moses, for looking into the future, God saw that his influence with the people would lead them into idolatry. Yet, because of the excuse-making on Moses’ part, God allowed what He was not in favor of. The use of secondary methods is a common occurrence with us as Christians, when we fail to discern, and readily obey God’s ideal will.
Aaron became the spokesperson for Moses, but he also became the spokesperson for those who were bent on returning to Egypt. In the idolatry that took place at Mt. Sinai, it was Aaron who gave the go-ahead, for it was discovered that under pressure he became a creature of circumstance, and in his turn, he used excuses for his refusal to do the right thing. Let’s read:
Exodus 32:1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears and brought them unto Aaron.
4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made
it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.
6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink and rose up to play.
21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?
22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
There are very important lessons for us Christians living in the 21st century, as it pertains to the habit of making excuses. We are living in a time where, for the most part, conditions and circumstances do not favor spiritual growth, and character building. We are surrounded with a plethora of attractions, and distractions which clamor for our best energies, our best time, and resources.
And every apparently plausible reason is given, so that the good that needs to be done is somehow left on the back-burner. For every good and upright instruction God has given in His word, there can be found a million and one excuses why we cannot or shouldn’t comply. And as a result, we often live our lives excusing the good and cultivating the evil.
Then again, those of us who have set weight-loss goals, will discover that we have a mortal conflict on our hands, because it takes very little effort to gain but tremendous effort to lose. In fact, our bodies often become quite stubborn in resisting any effort in a good direction, and as we get older, the cycle of gaining and then losing will become more difficult to break.
In fact, the habit of making excuses has been shown to be one of the greatest inhibitors of growth in the lives of many. There are individuals who have great potential that lies untapped, because of the habit of making excuses. Others falter in their aspirations, as they attempt little, because of perceived hindrances or because circumstances may not be ideal.
However, if we can only grow, or do our best when circumstances are ideal, then, whenever an adverse situation arises we will buckle and stumble, because the moral fabric of a person’s character is not often revealed in ideal circumstances but in those adverse situations, that stretch us to the limit. This principle applies to both spiritual, and physical training. Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
But there is hope. One of the very important steps in retracing our steps is to stop making excuses, for as was stated before, even though some excuses we make may seem valid, in most instances they’re still excuses. Therefore, it is important for us not to live our Christian lives, being creatures of circumstance, for this can, and will greatly impede those victories and successes God is willing to grant us.
This will call for stern discipline, resolve, resilience, consistency, unwavering faith in God, and faithful obedience to His every word, even when it may go against the gravitational pull of human nature. It is still possible for us to live like conquerors, for it was never God’s will that His people should be lacking in any aspect of Christian living. Godly aspirations and goals may be achieved and realized by all who take hold of Divine power. Let’s read:
2nd Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us therefore take up the mantle of duty, being careful to follow all the instructions and principles given in God’s word, for His blessings will attend us when we make well-directed and consistent efforts by His grace. We therefore end with a quote from the pen of inspiration. Let’s read:
[Christ Object Lessons pp 331>332] Christ has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of character is an easy matter. A noble, all-round character is not inherited. It does not come to us by accident. A noble character is earned by individual effort through the merits and grace of Christ. God gives the talents, the powers of the mind; we form the character.
It is formed by hard, stern battles with self. Conflict after conflict must be waged against hereditary tendencies. We shall have to criticize ourselves closely and allow not one unfavorable trait to remain uncorrected. Let no one say, I cannot remedy my defects of character. If you come to this decision, you will certainly fail of obtaining everlasting life.
Many whom God has qualified to do excellent work accomplish very little, because they attempt little. reach. Remember that you will never reach a higher standard than you yourself set. Then set your mark high, and step by step, even though it be by painful effort, by self-denial and sacrifice, ascend the whole length of the ladder of progress.
Let nothing hinder you. Opposing circumstances should create a firm determination to overcome them. The breaking down of one barrier will give greater ability and courage to go forward. Press with determination in the right direction, and circumstances will be your helpers, not your hindrances.
God Bless!