‘Take for example the sons of Ephraim; though they were well equipped warriors carrying their weapons and ran away in fear. They didn’t really believe the promises of God. They simply refused to trust Him and move forward in faith.’ Psalm 78:9 Passion Translation
Now what’s sad about this is that this tribe was entrusted with the very presence of God. The Tabernacle in the wilderness was set up in Shiloh where the very ark of God’s presence was. Many years later King David brought the ark to Jerusalem where later King Solomon built the temple to put the ark in. But the tribe of Ephraim were the ones assigned to look after the ark. There were consequences for what they did. It tells us in v67 of the same psalm.
He rejected Josephs family the tribe of Ephraim but he chose instead the tribe of Judah and Mt Zion there he built His towering temple.
Sobering thought. There are consequences for unbelief and giving into fear and not trusting in God. He will give His presence to another people who will trust and believe in Him. We can see that played out today.