Unbelief. It is at the root of all sin. Unbelief in the faithfulness of God. Unbelief in his promises. Unbelief in his sovereignty. Unbelief in his goodness. Israel was guilty of it – all of us have been guilty of it.
Chapter 13 tells of the sending of the spies into the promised land. One man from each of the twelve tribes was sent to scope out the new land that God had promised them and bring back a report. Ten out of the twelve gave a bad report. Their report was rooted in unbelief because their heart was rooted in unbelief and fear. Joshua and Caleb stood their ground and tried to convince the people that the land was good, and all that God had promised it would be. Their report was grounded in belief because their heart was rooted in the Truth of God. But the people didn’t believe them and rebelled against God, demanding a new leader that would take them back to Egypt.
Where is your heart rooted?
Israel serves as an example of what not to do in most cases. It is a reflection of our own sinfulness. But Christ is our example of how we are to live. He was perfectly obedient – even in the wilderness for 40 days (a representation of Israel’s time in the wilderness) as he was tempted but did not sin (Matthew 4:1-10). The author of Hebrews warns against the unbelief of Israel for those of us who are now in Christ (Hebrews 3:7-4:3) and calls us to faithfulness.
Do you struggle with unbelief? (if you answer no, you are lying). The key word in that question is struggle. It indicates resistance. It indicates that one is vigilant over their heart and fights against the sin of unbelief. Far too often we say we “struggle with (insert a sin here)” yet we aren’t struggling with it at all, but have been overcome by it.
Let us not harden our hearts in unbelief. Let us be constantly aware and vigilant over our hearts and minds, reminding ourselves of the truth of the gospel and the promises of God. Let us reflect and meditate on the goodness of God in our lives. Let us immerse ourselves in his Word that we might grow in our humility and our sensitivity to his conviction and correction in our lives.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Leave a Reply