When a person firmly refuses to listen to the voice of God, the most severe consequence is not necessarily an active punishment from heaven. Instead, the ultimate penalty is a divine withdrawal, granting the individual absolute and destructive freedom.
The primary approach among commentators is that God responds to this refusal by removing His divine protection and guidance. He stops rebuking the people, essentially abandoning them to follow their own chosen path [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מאירי, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This reflects a deep spiritual reality: if someone is determined to pursue a corrupt path, God opens the door for them and does not forcefully prevent them from carrying out their sinful desires [אלשיך]. Alternatively, this divine release is understood in a much more physical sense, serving as a prophecy about the actual expulsion and exile of the nation from their land [מצודת דוד, מאירי].
Left entirely to their own devices, the people are driven by their internal impulses, though the exact nature of this drive is understood in several ways. It can mean they simply follow whatever catches their eyes, chasing outward appearances [רש״י, מצודת ציון, מאירי]. Others view it as a deep-seated stubbornness and hardness of the heart [אבן עזרא, מאירי]. It can also represent their innermost personal desires and thoughts [מאירי, ביאור שטיינזלץ], or even the actual commitment of crimes and sins [מאירי].
As a result of this divine withdrawal, the people proceed according to their own plans and ideas rather than following God's ways [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. They are guided by the poor advice they give themselves [רד״ק], or by the misleading influence of others, much like the negative impact of the strangers who incited the Israelites during the sin of the Golden Calf [אלשיך]. Ultimately, walking this independent path without God's support and direction forces the people to bear the bitter consequences of their actions, leading directly to a destruction they brought upon themselves [רד״ק, מאירי, ביאור שטיינזלץ].