"Sin is a brat that nobody cares to have laid at his doors" - Matthew Henry

I came across this quote from Matthew Henry in his commentary on the failure of Saul to fully obey God in I Samuel 15 as Saul attempts to deflect the responsibility for his own actions onto others.  It is an astute and memorable way to speak about mankind's propensity to try to avoid blame.  Trying to hide from responsibility or blame others is a tactic that children do not need to be taught, they hope to avoid the negative consequences of their actions, and thus are not above lying to blame others, or pretending ignorance.  That parents can see through this charade is clear to adults, and yet as adults, most people continue to try these same sorts of deceptions when trouble comes from a spouse, family member, boss, or the authorities.  Saul soon learned from Samuel that such half-repentance is worth nothing with God as he looks upon the heart and knows if true repentance lies within.  In that same passage, Matthew Henry also wrote, "it is common for sinners, in excusing their faults, to plead the thoughts and working of their own minds, because those no man can dispute; but they forget that God searches the heart."  Seeking to avoid blame is almost an art form in the business and political spheres, and utilizes well paid consultants and lawyers to shape the narrative and massage the truth.  It may keep you in office following a scandal, or out of jail after an arrest, but it won't matter a bit when standing before Almighty God.  On that day, the only thing that will save us is to have already acknowledged, without reservation, that we are a sinner saved by grace.  The brat is ours, the sooner we own up to it, the sooner God can forgive us and begin to transform us.