I think the Israelites in the old testament get a bum rap….or maybe more precise criticized by people who should take a look in the mirror themselves.
We tend to look at them and say, "how could you guys be so stupid. How
could you on one day see God do these amazing miracles to bring you out
of slavery in Eygpt, and the next day be complaining that God has
abandoned you." Perhaps the greatest moment where we look down on the
Israelites is when Moses goes up on the mountain and the Israelites,
with Aaron's help, build I giant golden calf…an idol. It is at that
moment that we say, "how could you guys put anything between you and
God, how could you let your attention fall on something else. You know that he parted the Red Sea for you, you know that he has
been providing food and water for you in the dessert, how could you
ever build an idol and put it in the place of God in your life?"

Here
is the reality though….we do the same thing every day. No, most of us
our not running off and melting down our gold necklaces and earrings to
make an idol, but almost every day we let our attention fall of our God
and on to other things. We let God slip down to a number 2 or 3
priority in our life. We let important things like family, our jobs,
our friends, become not just important things, but the most important
thing.

The truth is we are not much different from the Israelities at all.  Our attention focuses on an idol, that thing we put between us and God.