Remember, the Israelites carried idols with them throughout their time in the wilderness (Amos 5:25-26; Acts 7:42-43). Their idols seemed good to them, but the true God did not. God's way of life undoubtedly seemed devilish - it was chaffing and constraining, which is one reason they always complained. They did not see the true God as a force for good in their lives. They believed He was bent on their destruction (Deuteronomy 1:27-28). Joshua rebuked Israel because, as he said, serving the true God seemed evil to them (Joshua 24:15)! The Israelites accepted Baal, Molech, and other demons, and yet, as Stephen told the council during his trial, the fathers always resisted the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51).
