Rebellion and Sin!

So, as the Holy Spirit says:
"Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts

as you did in the rebellion,

during the time of testing in the desert,

where your fathers tested and tried me

and for forty years saw what I did.

That is why I was angry with that generation,

and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray,

and they have not known my ways.'

So I declared on oath in my anger,

'They shall never enter my rest.' “

Hebrews 3:7-11



The “time of testing in the desert” was not a time when the Children of Israel were tested. It was a time when they “tested and tried” God!

It is a total misconception to believe that God tests you and me to see if we are good enough to meet His standards. We are not good enough. We never were good enough and we never will be. God knows your every thought, motive and action. No tests are needed to see what is in your heart.

When the refugees from Goshen were wandering in the desert for forty years they followed a common cycle of repentance and then a new commitment with loud proclamations that they will be faithful forever! But then when difficulty arose they would fall once again into disbelief!

If you would like to use the word “fickle” then construct a sentence about the Children of Israel. They not only wandered in the desert, but they also had wandering hearts!

The Prodigal Son wandered away once and returned but the Israelites wandered away from God over and over again! The enticement of sin can cause you to wander away like the Prodigal Son, but the Israelites wandered off because of their own rebellion against God and the hardness of their hearts.

There is an important difference. The Bible says all have sinned. Sin is going to happen in your life. You will be enticed by its deceitfulness and fall. Then you will be convicted by the Spirit and brought to repentance. But hardening your heart in rebellion against God is different. When you harden your heart against God and rebel against Him you do sin, but it is sin that comes from rebellion not temptation.

Of course, I will tell myself that I have simply given in to temptation and go through the motions of repentance. But my problem is much deeper. I sinned not because of weakness but because of strength. I sinned because I am strong in my rebellion against the “ways of God.”

The Bible says that His ways are not my ways! Look at your life. Is the way you are going your way or God’s Way? Are you forging ahead on your self appointed path and asking God to protect you on the journey? Or are you being guided by His Spirit as you take the next step in life?