The real cause of our Disobedience

‘So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.’ Hebrews 3:19

It’s tragic to see how the Israelites failed to truly trust and believe in God in spite of experiencing His love and faithfulness and being witnesses to so many signs and wonders that He performed among them.

You would think that they did not enter God’s rest because of disobedience but as seen in v18, disobedience was an outgrowth of the unbelief. Disobedience was sin exhibited at the surface level (behavioural sin) whereas the root cause of that (motivational sin) was really unbelief.

In the midst of adversity instead of trusting God, the Israelites became hard and unbelieving and did not trust God’s goodness – to lead and protect and provide and satisfy, just like He always did.

Though it’s really easy to point a finger at the Israelites’ stubbornness and shake my head in disgust, the Holy Spirit gently reminded me of my own sin.

There are instances that I too don’t truly believe that Christ’s work is sufficient for me. When I struggle with something and feel like a failure, it is because I don’t really believe what He has said about me and the promises He has given me in His word. 

When things don’t go the way I planned or if I’m frustrated that I messed up, it’s because I don’t really believe that God is good at ‘all’ times, that He is faithful and will work out everything for my good in His time. 

Instead, I get deceived and fall for the lies and accusations that the enemy feeds into my head. The result? Depression, anxiety, fear, hopelessness, anger, discouragement and so on. 

“A life of true living is a life of faith in Jesus, a life of believing in Jesus in the everyday stuff of life.” – Jeff Vanderstelt

I need to believe and speak the truths of the gospel – What is true of Jesus, of what He accomplished through His life, death and resurrection and what is true of me as I put my faith in Him, in the struggles I face and the everyday stuff of life.

But I do need help to battle my unbelief. I’m so grateful that I find it in the believers around me who pray for me, exhort me and strengthen me in my faith. 

When our belief centres on the superiority of Jesus Christ and His atoning work for me as a faithful High Priest, as mentioned in Hebrews 2:17, we can enter God’s rest.

May we hold fast to our confidence and boast of our hope in Jesus Christ firm to the end!