Failure to trust another, or a tendency to be suspicious of others' abilities or intentions. Though sometimes justifiable towards other human beings, such an attitude is never acceptable towards God.
Distrust between human beings
Genesis 50:15–17 Joseph's brothers distrusted him because they could not believe he had forgiven them. See also Genesis 32:6–8 Jacob distrusted Esau because he thought he was seeking revenge; Judges 11:19–20 Sihon distrusted Israel because he suspected a trick; Acts 15:37–38 Paul distrusted John Mark, having been let down by him.
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge? Then he will surely repay us for all the evil that we did to him.” So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Before he died, your father commanded, ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I beg you, please forgive the transgression and sin of your brothers, for they did you wrong.’ So now, Joseph, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
Distrust of God
Israel distrusted God
Zephaniah 3:2 See also Deuteronomy 1:32–33, Deuteronomy 9:23–24 Because that generation distrusted God, they failed to enter the promised land; Psalm 78:7, Psalm 78:22 Israel distrusted God in spite of the miracles he had done for her.2 Kings 17:14–15; Jeremiah 13:25
She heeded no voice; she accepted no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she has not drawn near to her God.
Other examples
Distrust in God involves failure to trust God's promises and placing trust in other things: Jeremiah 13:25; Ezekiel 33:13; Malachi 3:6–10; Matthew 19:22 parallel Mark 10:22
Distrust by God
Job 4:18 See also Job 15:15; John 2:24
If God puts no trust in His servants, and He charges His angels with error,
Distrust is sometimes justified
Psalm 118:8 See also Job 39:12; Psalm 5:9, Psalm 44:6, Psalm 146:3; Jeremiah 7:4, Jeremiah 9:4, Jeremiah 12:6; Micah 7:5; Habakkuk 2:18
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.