In Hebrews 4:16-19 the writer points out that these ancestral Hebrews of the exodus refused to trust God and instead compromised. The result was all but two of the whole number of those who left Egypt under Moses compromised and perished before ever entering into the Land of Promise.
This was the same group of Hebrews who had obeyed the prescribed symbol of deliverance, by killing the Passover lamb, and sprinkling its blood over the doorposts. They had followed Moses out of Egypt passed through the Red Sea. Yet, with all of those reasons to continue to trust God and “hold fast firm to the end” they didn’t.
The real test of their faith would come for the first time when they were asked to trust God to obey against the Giants that could destroy their life in the land of promise, their failure to do so revealed the truth that they never had any true faith! They had never really believed in God they had stopped at believing of God. They were only acting as they did to escape the damage, death, and danger of Egypt. But they had no intention of coming into having to trust and obey God in dealing with the conflict of possessing what God had for them if it meant they had to deal with the persistent giants in the land. They had only intended to leave the effects of Egypt without having to enjoy the walk in obedience with God!
The application for Christians and the church is the same as for these profession Hebrews: Our security isn’t based upon “intellectual” agreement but upon spiritual commitment!