Despite His protection and blessings, the Israelites rebelled against God in the desert. The Psalmist vividly describes their disobedience and God’s response—allowing His wrath to serve as a means to draw them back to Him. However, the people misunderstood God’s discipline, viewing it as fury rather than merciful correction. Could the same God who delivered His people from 400 years of slavery truly intend to enslave them again? Some even believed that God might become powerless, allowing their enemies to capture His ark. To dispel these misunderstandings, one must draw close to God and develop a personal relationship with Him.
Like Our Ancestors
And so he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country his right hand had taken. He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes. But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes. Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow. – Psalms 78:54-57 (NIV)
God delivered His people from the bonds of slavery so they could worship Him in freedom. When Moses asked Pharaoh to release the Israelites to worship God, Pharaoh assumed it would be for a day or two, after which they would return. To prevent them from even considering worshipping God, he increased their workload. Today, many perceive worship as merely singing praises for an hour before a church service. However, God set us free to worship Him in spirit and truth. As Paul urges in his letter to the church in Rome,
In view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. – Romans 12:1 (NIV)
Perhaps the Israelites also thought of worship as Pharaoh did, which may explain their struggle to fully submit to God even after gaining freedom. God gave land to the former slaves who toiled under harsh masters, yet they tested Him and failed to keep His commandments. Tragically, obeying God seemed harder to them than the slavery they had endured.
While the mighty works of God were shared with the younger generations, so too were the accounts of their ancestors’ disobedience. Sadly, the younger generations chose to replicate that disobedience rather than embrace the mercy and love of God that had sustained their forebears. Today, we too often adopt the traditions and myths of our ancestors—rooted in ignorance—rather than the truth of God’s Word.
God Rejected Israel
They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. When God heard them, he was furious; he rejected Israel completely.
He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among humans.
He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy. He gave his people over to the sword; he was furious with his inheritance. Fire consumed their young men, and their young women had no wedding songs; their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep. – Psalms 78:58-64 (NIV)
The Psalmist recounts how God rejected Eli and his sons, allowing them to fall by the sword and even permitting His Ark to be taken into captivity. The people had begun to treat the Ark as though it were God Himself. Even their enemies trembled at the sight of the Ark on the battlefield. To correct their misunderstanding—that the Ark was merely a symbol to remind them to call upon Him—God allowed the Ark to be captured. Instead of turning back to God, the people focused on recovering the Ark, assuming they were its guardians. They believed their God endured captivity as they had during their 400 years of slavery and saw themselves as offering Him assistance.
Similarly, people today create religions and denominations, often believing they must act as their protectors and help God uphold their traditions. However, our God is a jealous God, and we must not turn religion or its structures into idols. By doing so, we risk confining God, hindering His love from reaching others. Instead, let us approach Him with the heart of a child running to their Father, seeking His presence above everything else.
The people of God disobeyed Him and assumed He had rejected them. Despite knowing that their God is a jealous God who commanded them not to give His glory to any other, they could not refrain from bowing to other gods and goddesses. As a consequence, God showed favour to their enemies, leaving them confused. They believed their God ruled over them alone and had no authority over other nations. Similarly, today, many assume God is exclusively for Christians and is indifferent to others until they adopt the label of Christianity.
The Tribe Of Judah
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
He beat back his enemies; he put them to everlasting shame. Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. He built his sanctuary like the heights,
like the earth that he established forever. He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them. – Psalms 78:65-72 (NIV)
We often diminish God, viewing Him as a mere human figure and assuming He rests, withdraws, or acts out of anger. However, the prophet Isaiah reminds us that it is our iniquities that separate us from God (Isaiah 59:1-20), not His absence or inactivity. indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep (Psalms 121:4). When the priests of Baal cut themselves to summon their god to consume their offering, Elijah mocked them, suggesting Baal might be sleeping (1 Kings 18:27).
In justifying our mistakes, we sometimes reduce God to the status of lifeless idols. The Psalmist’s imagery of God as a warrior intoxicated with stupor illustrates this tendency to dethrone Him. The Psalmist also highlights how God chose Judah above all other tribes, imbuing this Psalm with prophetic significance. This choice ties back to Jacob’s special blessing over Judah. Although the blessing was not for Judah himself but for the tribe that bore his name, it foretold Judah’s leadership in Israel’s military victories. Upon deeper reflection, the ultimate object of this blessing becomes evident: the Lion of the Tribe of Judah—the Messiah.
Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, Judah;
you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his. – Genesis 49:8-10 (NIV)
The Psalmist skips over the narratives of Samuel and Saul, concluding with the reign of David. This deliberate choice underscores David’s critical role in the lineage of Jesus, emphasizing the prophetic connection between the shepherd boy and the coming Messiah.
Heavenly Father, strengthen us to safeguard our faith and integrity when we witness the shortcomings of others. Help us to refrain from rejoicing in their fall or adopting the behaviors that led to it. Instead, guide us to walk closely with You in every step of our lives. Amen.
The Jordan Valley 
Reply