Topical Bible: The Jews: National Character of Ungrateful to God

◄ The Jews: National Character of Ungrateful to God ►

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The narrative of the Jewish people throughout the Bible is one marked by a complex relationship with God, characterized by moments of profound faithfulness and instances of notable ingratitude. This duality is evident in the historical and prophetic books of the Old Testament, where the Israelites' recurring ungratefulness towards God is a recurring theme.

Historical Context

The Israelites, chosen by God as His people, were delivered from slavery in Egypt through miraculous interventions, including the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22). Despite these divine acts, the Israelites frequently exhibited a lack of gratitude. In the wilderness, they quickly forgot God's deliverance and provision, grumbling against Moses and Aaron, and by extension, against God Himself. In Exodus 16:2-3 , the Israelites lamented, "If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, where 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."

Prophetic Rebukes

The prophets of Israel often rebuked the nation for their ingratitude and unfaithfulness. The prophet Isaiah, for instance, conveyed God's lament over Israel's forgetfulness and rebellion: "I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me" (Isaiah 1:2). This ingratitude was not merely a failure to remember past blessings but was often accompanied by idolatry and a turning away from God's commandments.

Jeremiah also highlighted this theme, expressing God's words: "My people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols" (Jeremiah 2:11). The prophet's message underscores the ingratitude of a people who, despite witnessing God's glory and receiving His law, chose to pursue other gods.

Covenantal Relationship

The ungratefulness of the Jewish people is particularly poignant given the covenantal relationship established between God and Israel. This covenant, initiated with Abraham and reaffirmed through Moses, was based on promises of blessing, land, and a special relationship with God. Yet, the Israelites often failed to uphold their part of the covenant, as seen in their repeated disobedience and lack of trust in God's promises.

In Deuteronomy 32:18 , Moses reminds the people of their forgetfulness: "You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth." This ingratitude is depicted as a betrayal of the intimate relationship God desired with His people.

Consequences of Ingratitude

The Bible records that the Israelites' ingratitude had significant consequences. Their failure to trust and thank God led to periods of judgment and exile. The Babylonian exile, for instance, is portrayed as a direct result of the nation's persistent unfaithfulness and ingratitude. Despite these consequences, God's enduring mercy and willingness to restore Israel remained evident, as seen in His promises of return and renewal through the prophets.

New Testament Reflections

In the New Testament, the theme of Jewish ingratitude is revisited, particularly in the context of their response to Jesus Christ. The Gospels recount instances where Jesus lamented the lack of faith and gratitude among His own people. In Luke 17:17-18 , after healing ten lepers, Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where then are the other nine? Was no one found except this foreigner to return and give glory to God?"

The Apostle Paul also reflects on this theme, noting in Romans 10:21 , "All day long I have held out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people." Yet, Paul emphasizes that God's promises to Israel remain irrevocable, highlighting the tension between human ingratitude and divine faithfulness.

Conclusion

The biblical portrayal of the Jewish national character as ungrateful to God serves as a profound reminder of the human tendency to forget divine blessings and the importance of cultivating a heart of gratitude. This theme, woven throughout the Scriptures, underscores the need for continual remembrance of God's faithfulness and the call to live in obedience and thankfulness.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 32:15
But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: you are waxen fat, you are grown thick, you are covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 1:2
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD has spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

A Kingdom's Epitaph
... is the exposition of the causes of the national ruin. ... which were needed to keep the
Jews from becoming ... for a more glorious display of God's character and heart ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/a kingdoms epitaph.htm

Chapter i
... The character of the new institution was, in other respects ... As if the frustration
of the national hope was not ... was to be decried, and that by Jews preaching to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/paley/evidences of christianity/chapter i.htm

Paul in Corinth.
... decide concerning the interpretation of their national law, and ... The Jews who heard
the voice of Moses and ... sinners of the most worthless character, are "washed ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xxi paul in corinth.htm

The Temple Cleansed Again
... acknowledged ignorance in regard to the character of John's ... of God in the withdrawal
of their national privileges, which ... with special force to the Jews, it has ...
/.../white/the desire of ages/chapter 65 the temple cleansed.htm

Paul in Athens.
... in vain applied for relief to their national Gods, were ... Among the Jews themselves,
he dwelt in thick darkness ... having no knowledge of his real character, nor of ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xx paul in athens.htm

The Morality of the Gospel.
... person relieved by him was the national and religious ... administration, when he told
the Jews, (what, probably ... mildness and lenity of his character is discovered ...
/.../paley/evidences of christianity/chapter ii the morality of.htm

Jesus at Capernaum.
... These edifices, which had nothing of the character of a ... mind which has always
characterized the Jews, such an ... separate worlds, in which the national spirit was ...
/.../renan/the life of jesus/chapter viii jesus at capernaum.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

The Christ of the Gospels. By Rev. Professor Schaff.
... The particular and national in him is always duly ... hatred and prejudice of the Jews,
including his own ... yet not contradictory traits of character, as similar to ...
/.../the christ of the gospels.htm

The Holy See and the Wandering of the Nations.
... of the people of the Jews," he "went to ... suit a great society, councils provincial,
national, general, the ... in the acquired greatness of character, greatest of ...
/.../allies/the formation of christendom volume vi/chapter i the holy see.htm