The narrative of the Jewish people throughout the Bible often highlights a recurring theme of distrust and wavering faith in God, despite His continuous acts of deliverance and provision. This characteristic is evident in various episodes throughout the Old Testament, where the Israelites frequently struggled to maintain their trust in God’s promises and commands.

One of the earliest instances of this distrust is found in the wilderness journey after the Exodus from Egypt. Despite witnessing the miraculous plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and the provision of manna, the Israelites repeatedly doubted God's ability to provide and protect. In Exodus 16:2-3 , the Israelites grumble against Moses and Aaron, expressing their fear of dying from hunger: "The entire congregation of the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, 'If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread! But you have brought us into this wilderness to starve this whole assembly to death.'"

This pattern of distrust continued as the Israelites approached the Promised Land. In Numbers 13-14, the spies sent to Canaan returned with reports of the land's bounty but also of formidable inhabitants. The people’s fear overshadowed their faith in God’s promise to give them the land. Numbers 14:1-4 records their reaction: "Then the whole congregation lifted up their voices and cried out, and that night the people wept. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, 'If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?' So they said to one another, 'Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.'"

The era of the Judges further illustrates this national character of distrust. The cyclical pattern of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance underscores the Israelites' repeated failure to trust in God’s covenant. Judges 2:11-12 states, "And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them."

Even during the monarchy, the Israelites' trust in God was often compromised by their reliance on political alliances and idolatry. The prophets frequently rebuked the nation for turning away from God and placing their trust in foreign powers and false gods. Isaiah 30:1-2 captures this sentiment: "Woe to the obstinate children, declares the LORD, who carry out a plan that is not Mine, forming an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin. They set out to go down to Egypt without consulting Me, to seek help from Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade."

The Babylonian exile serves as a culmination of the consequences of this distrust. Despite numerous warnings from prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the people continued to place their trust in their own wisdom and the strength of their fortifications rather than in God. Jeremiah 17:5 warns, "This is what the LORD says: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes the flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.'"

Throughout these narratives, the Bible portrays the Jewish people as a nation that, despite being chosen and loved by God, often struggled with a national character marked by distrust. This theme serves as a poignant reminder of the human tendency to doubt and the need for steadfast faith in God’s promises.Numbers 14:11
And the LORD said to Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have showed among them?
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 78:22
Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

In the House of his Heavenly, and in the Home of his Earthly ...
... Generally only one side of the character of Hillel has ... the policy of Herod to suppress
all national aspirations. ... attempt to kill the King of the Jews among the ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter x in the house.htm

The Ordination of Paul and Barnabas; their Missionary Tour in Asia ...
... Many of the converted Jews were by no means prepared ... be connected with the extension
of their national ceremonies. ... ever since been held, to the character of a ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter v the ordination of.htm

The Census of Israel
... by no means a wrong or a dangerous national arrangement. ... The Jews have a tradition
that when he was called ... at length, yet we discover no flaw in his character. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/the census of israel.htm

A Traveler's Note-Book
... oppressor which gave to the national voice that ... their words were accepted by both
Jews and Christians ... the prophecies to which this character originally belonged ...
/.../merriam/the chief end of man/iii a travelers note-book.htm

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