17. And they sinned yet more against him. Outdoing
former sins, going into greater deeps of evil: the more they had, the more
loudly they clamored for more, and grumbled because they had not every luxury
that pampered appetites could desire. It was bad enough to mistrust their God
for necessaries, but to revolt against him in a greedy rage for superfluities
was far worse. Ever is it the nature of the disease of sin to proceed from bad
to worse. In the case before us the goodness of God was abused into a reason
for greater sin. If he had wrought fewer miracles before, they would not have
been so inexcusable in their unbelief, so wanton in their idolatry. By provoking the Most High in the wilderness. Although they were in a position
of obvious dependence upon God for everything, being in a desert, they were
graceless enough to provoke their benefactor by hankering after false gods,
then challenging his power, slandering his love, rebelling against his will.
For them the heavens dropped manna, and they returned grumbling; the rocks gave
them rivers, and they replied with floods of wickedness. Israel in the
wilderness acted out, as in a drama, all the story of human conduct towards
God.
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