38 Bible Verses about Rebellion, Of Israel

O how oft did they grieve him in the wilderness? How many a time did they provoke him in the desert?

And not to be as their forefathers, a faithless and stubborn generation, a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not true toward God.

For I know thy stubbornness and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been disobedient unto the LORD: and how much more after my death.

He sent darkness, and it was dark; for they were not obedient unto his word.

Our fathers regarded not thy wonders in Egypt, neither kept they thy great goodness in remembrance, but were disobedient at the sea, even at the reed sea.

because they were not obedient to the commandments of God, but lightly regarded the counsel of the most highest - he also brought down their hearts through heaviness.

But after they provoked him to wrath and vexed his holy mind, he was their enemy, and fought against them himself.

But they rebelled against me, and would not follow me: to cast away every man the abominations of his eyes, and to forsake the Idols of Egypt. Then I made me to pour my indignation over them, and to satisfy my wrath upon them: Yea, even in the midst of the land of Egypt.

But when they came to rest, they turned back again to do evil before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them. So they converted, and cried unto thee, and thou heardest them from heaven; and many times hast thou delivered them according to thy great mercy,

But our fathers were proud, and hard necked, so that they followed not thy commandments, and refused to hear, and were not mindful of the wonders that thou didst for them: but became obstinate and heady insomuch that they turned back to their bondage in their disobedience. But thou, my God, forgavest, and wast gracious, merciful, patient, and of great goodness, and forsookest them not. And though they made a molten calf, and said 'This is thy God, that brought thee out of the land of Egypt,' and did great blasphemies,read more.
yet thou forsookest them not in the wilderness, according to thy great mercy. And the cloudy pillar departed not from them in the daytime to lead them the way, neither the pillar of fire in the night season, to show them light in the way that they went. And thou gavest them thy good spirit to inform them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water when they were thirsty. Forty years long madest thou provision for them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing: their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not. And thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and partest them according to their portions, so that they possessed the land of Sihon king of Heshbon, and the land of Og the king of Bashan. And their children multipliedest thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land whereof thou hadst spoken unto their fathers, that they should go in to it, and have it in possession. And the children went in, and possessed the land, and thou subduedest before them the inhabiters of the land, even the Cananites, and gavest them into their hand, and their kings and the people of the land, that they might do with them what they would. And they won their strong cities, and a fat land, and took possession of houses that were full of all manner goods, wells digged out, vineyards, olive gardens, and many fruitful trees: and they ate and were filled, and became fat, and lived in wealth through thy great goodness. Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets, which exhorted them so earnestly, that they should convert unto thee, and did great blasphemies. Therefore gavest thou them over into the hand of their enemies that vexed them. And in the time of their trouble they cried unto thee, and thou heardest them from heaven and through thy great mercy thou gavest them saviours, which helped them out of the hand of their enemies. But when they came to rest, they turned back again to do evil before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them. So they converted, and cried unto thee, and thou heardest them from heaven; and many times hast thou delivered them according to thy great mercy, and testified unto them, that they should turn again unto thy law. Notwithstanding, they were proud, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned in thy laws, which a man should do and live in them, and turned the shoulder away, and were stiff-necked, and would not hear. And many years didst thou forbear them, and testified unto them through thy spirit, even by the office of thy prophets, and yet would they not hear. Therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the nations in the lands. But for thy great mercies' sake thou hast not utterly consumed them, neither forsaken them: for thou art a gracious and merciful God.

Many a time did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their own inventions, and were brought down in their wickedness.

Notwithstanding, ye would not consent to go up, but were disobedient unto the mouth of the LORD your God,

Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedest the LORD thy God in the wilderness: for since the day that thou camest out of the land of Egypt until ye came unto this place, ye have rebelled against the LORD.

Woe be unto them, for they have forsaken me. They must be destroyed, for they have set me at naught. I am he that have redeemed them, and yet they dissemble with me.

Woe to the abominable, filthy and cruel city:

Hear O heaven, and hearken O earth, for the LORD hath spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they are fallen away from me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the Ass his master's crib; but Israel knoweth nothing. My people hath no understanding. Alas for this sinful nation, which are expert in blasphemies; a seed of ungracious people, corrupt in their ways. They have forsaken the LORD; they have provoked the holy one of Israel unto anger, and are gone backward.read more.
Wherefore should ye be plagued any more? For ye are ever falling away. The whole head is sick, and the heart is very heavy.

But if ye be obstinate and rebellious, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for thus the LORD hath promised with his own mouth.

Alas, for those disobedient children," sayeth the LORD, "that will take counsel without me. Alas, that they will take a secret advice, and not out of my spirit: and therefore add they sin unto sin.

Moreover, there be some whereof thou hast neither heard nor know, neither have they been open unto thine ears afore time. For I know that thou wouldest maliciously offend, therefore have I called thee a transgressor, even from thy mother's womb.

For thus long have I ever holden out my hands to an unfaithful people, that go not the right way, but after their own imaginations: To a people that is ever defying me to my face. They make their oblations in gardens, and their smoke upon altars of brick;

For they are all unfaithful and fallen away, they hang upon filthy lucre; they are clean brass and iron, for they hurt and destroyed every man.

Wherefore then will ye go to law with me, seeing ye all are sinners against me, sayeth the LORD?

but on this condition, that thou know thy great blasphemy: Namely, that thou hast unfaithfully forsaken the LORD thy God, and hast made thyself partaker of strange gods under all green trees, but hast had no will to hear my voice, sayeth the LORD.

They shall give them warning in every place, like as the watchmen in the field. For they have provoked me to wrath, sayeth the LORD.

But this people hath a false and an obstinate heart, they are departed and gone away from me.

that whether they be obedient or no - for it is a froward household - they may know yet that there hath been a Prophet among them. "Therefore, thou son of man, fear them not; neither be afraid of their words: for they shall rebel against thee, and despise thee. Yea, thou shalt dwell among scorpions. But fear not their words, be not abashed at their looks: for it is a froward household. See that thou speak my words unto them, whether they be obedient or not, for they are obstinate.read more.
Therefore, thou son of man, obey thou all things, that I say unto thee, and be not thou stiffnecked, like as they are a stiffnecked household. Open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee."

so that thy forehead shall be harder than an Adamant or flint stone: that thou mayest fear them the less, and be less afraid of them, for they are a froward household."

"Thou son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a froward household: which have eyes to see, and yet see not; ears have they to hear, and yet hear they not. For they are an obstinate household. Therefore, O thou son of man, make thy gear ready to flit, and go forth by fair daylight, that they may see. Yea, even in their sight shalt thou go from thy place to another place: if peradventure they will consider that they be an unobedient household.

"Speak to that froward household, 'Know ye not, what these things do signify?' Tell them, 'Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king and his princes, and led them to Babylon.

Show that obstinate household a parable, and speak unto them, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Get thee a pot, set it on, and pour water into it:

And tell that obstinate household of Israel, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: O house of Israel: yea have now done enough with all your abominations,

"Hearken another similitude. There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and made a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a strange country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive the fruits of it, and the husbandmen caught his servants, and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.read more.
Again, he sent other servants more than the first, and they served them likewise. But last of all, he sent unto them his own son, saying, 'They will fear my son.' But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir: come on, let us kill him, and let us take his inheritance, to ourselves.' And they caught him, and thrust him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the Lord of the vineyard cometh, what will he do with those husbandmen?" They said unto him, He will cruelly destroy those evil persons; and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall deliver him the fruit at times convenient. Jesus said unto them, "Did ye never read in the scriptures? 'The same stone which the builders refused, the same is set in the principal part of the corner: this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.' Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to the Gentiles, which shall bring forth the fruits of it. And whosoever shall fall on this stone, he shall be alto broken. But on whosoever it shall fall upon, it will grind him to powder."

And he began to speak unto them in similitudes. "A certain man planted a vineyard, and compassed it with a hedge, and ordained a winepress, and built a tower in it, and let it out to hire unto husbandmen, and went into a strange country. And when the time was come, he sent to the tenants a servant that he might receive of the tenants of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him and beat him and sent him again empty.read more.
And moreover he sent unto them another servant, and at him they cast stones and brake his head, and sent him again all too reviled. And again he sent another, and him they killed: and many others, beating some, and killing some. "Yet had he one son whom he loved tenderly, him also sent he at the last unto them, saying, 'They will fear my son.' But the tenants said amongst themselves, 'This is the heir: come, let us kill him and the inheritance shall be ours.' And they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What shall then the Lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and let out the vineyard to others. Have ye not read this scripture? 'The stone which the builders did refuse, is made the chief stone in the corner: This was done of the Lord, and is marvelous in our eyes.'"

Then began he to put forth to the people this similitude, "A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to farmers, and went himself into a strange country for a great season. And when the time was come, he sent a servant to his tenants, that they should give him of the fruits of the vineyard. And the tenants did beat him: and sent him away empty. And again he ceased not thereby but sent yet another servant. And they did beat him, and foul entreated him also, and sent him away empty.read more.
Moreover, he sent the third, too: And him they wounded, and cast him out. Then said the Lord of the vineyard, 'What shall I do? I will send my dear son, him peradventure they will reverence, when they see him.' But when the farmers saw him, they thought in themselves, saying, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.' And they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now what shall the Lord of the vineyard do unto them? He will come and destroy those farmers, and will let out his vineyard to others." When they heard that, they said, "God forbid." And he beheld them and said, "What meaneth this then that is written, 'The stone that the builders refused, the same is made the head cornerstone?' Whosoever stumble at that stone, shall be broken: but on whosoever it fall upon, it will grind him to powder."

He put forth this similitude, "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he to the dresser of his vineyard, 'Behold, this three years have I come and sought fruit in this fig tree, and find none. Cut it down. Why cumbereth it the ground?' And he answered and said unto him, 'Lord let it alone this year also, till I dig round about it, and dung it,read more.
to see whether it will bear fruit: and if it bear not, then after that, cut it down.'"

These are examples to us that we should not lust after evil things, as they lusted.

Brethren I would not that ye should be ignorant of this, how that our fathers were all under a cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptised under Moses in the cloud and in the sea: and did all eat of one spiritual meat,read more.
and did all drink of one manner of spiritual drink. And they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, Which rock was Christ. But in many of them had God no delight. For they were overthrown in the wilderness. These are examples to us that we should not lust after evil things, as they lusted. Neither be ye worshippers of images as were some of them according as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up again to play." Neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed fornication, and were destroyed - in one day, twenty three thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them tempted and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye as some of them murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. All these things happened upon them for examples, and were written to put us in remembrance, whom the ends of the world are come upon. Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.

For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hands. Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works.read more.
Forty years long was I grieved with that generation, and said, "They ever err in their hearts, they verily have not known my ways." Therefore I said unto them in my wrath, that they should not enter into my rest.