A LESSON FROM THE PAST. Hebrews 3:9 The Israelites tested God when they were disobedient and complained about the provisions He had made for them. “Our soul loathes this light bread.” Then they doubted that God could give them the land He had promised. Instead, they believed the words of ten fearful men and ignored the reassurance and confidence of two proven men, Caleb and Joshua. The two were men of faith who believed God would do what He said. In their stubbornness, the Israelites hardened their hearts against God.
Such an attitude doesn’t develop overnight, but is the result of choices people make when they ignore God’s word. If we resist what God says, over time doubt and unbelief settle in, shaping how we think and act. Such disregard is both an insult and a rejection of God. When we don’t trust a person’s word or treat it as unimportant and of no relevance, we are rejecting the person.
Ten times, the Israelites tested God with their fears, murmuring, presumption, lust, idolatry, and disobedience. They had seen many times the mighty works of God and experienced daily the miracle of His full provision and mercy, yet they still doubted His power and love for them. They allowed thoughts of bitterness, challenged His faithfulness, and demanded more signs as if they had not already experienced the wonders of God.
At Kadesh-Barnea, the Israelites rebelled and ignored all the good deeds God had shown them, including His power at the Red Sea and many other acts of mercy, grace, and kindness daily. They listened to the report of cowardly, unfaithful spies despite the evidence they could see with their own eyes that this was where God wanted them to settle. They didn’t seem to believe that a holy God judges sinners, regardless of who they are, and shows mercy to repentant sinners. They didn’t believe the good news, the gospel, but believed the bad.
We need to understand what the Holy Spirit tells us was wrong with those people. It wasn’t worldliness, carelessness, or their lack of devotion to God, but it was their unbelief. “He that believeth not God, hath made Him a liar, and the truth of God is not in him.” Deliverance was the first part of their redemption, but without faith it is impossible to please God. They were without faith in God to claim what God had promised, and they died in their sins in the wilderness.
The Gospel message we must proclaim isn’t just about offering forgiveness of sins when we repent to God, but also about having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The hope we have in Christ and our commitment to follow Him demonstrate the reality of belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. God is a God of grace, and He is also a God of holy, just judgment.