Joel Question 2 - Israel kept sinning

Why did the Israelites time after time rebel against the Lord and sin? Did they simply not learn from the past or did the younger generations not care?

The people of Israel are in a sense no different to anyone else; for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). Sin is the reality for each of us in our fallen world.

In thinking of the Israelites, God had chosen, called and revealed himself to them. Specifically (looking at Exodus 16 ff after their rescue from Egypt where they saw all the power of God at work in the crossing of the red sea), they soon (within days) began to doubt God’s power, plan, provision and presence (Ex 16ff), grumbling against him (Ex 16:2), longing for things as they were (Ex 16:3), refusing to keep the command of the Lord (16:28) and accusing Him of of leaving them (Ex 17:7). They showed a lack of trust in the Lord, and a constant bent to idolatry.

Yet, although, God had done all this, they did not listen. Judges 2:16 ff 16 Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the LORD's commands.

Psalms 105, 106 summarise the Lord’s faithfulness and the peoples rebellion. Psalm 95 tells us that they had hardened their hearts.

Here are a couple of other thoughts.

1/ These things happened to the people of Israel, that we might lean from them, be warned by them, and take courage in out temptations. 1 Cor 10:11ff 11These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

2/ these things happened to warn us also not to have hardened hearts towards God (Ps 95:8, Heb 3:7)

Some closing thoughts.

Sin is deceptive – it might even feel good or normal, hence 1 Cor 6:9 ‘do not be deceived’. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit - therefore , honour God with your body. (1 Cor 6:19).

We need to remember that if we do sin, the blood of Jesus washes away every sin.

Finally, we need each other in this Hebrew 2:7-12. (see v 12 below).

7So, as the Holy Spirit says:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
8do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the desert,
9where your fathers tested and tried me
and for forty years saw what I did.
10That is why I was angry with that generation,
and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.'
11So I declared on oath in my anger,
'They shall never enter my rest.' "
12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

Col