Gods Sabbath

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E NTERING INTO G OD ’ S S ABBATH R EST

outworking is the same and demonstrates the truth that faith without God’s works is dead. The voice of Caleb supported by Joshua, Moses, and Aaron, was a minority expression of faith at this point, and his speech failed to carry the minds of the majority back to the root of the problem. Caleb did not outline before them the change in proce dure that they had initiated when they chose the spies. But, un til the basic problem was rectified, there was no possibility of success. Forty years and a generation were to pass before the matter was set straight. But the moment it was rectified, they successfully achieved possession of the land. Another beautiful contrast to the dark picture of unbelief is pro vided in the spirit and attitude of Moses, Aaron, Caleb, and Joshua when these men were called upon to suffer with the rest of the peo ple. Despite their disappointment, these four men bore the divine judgment without a murmur, even though they were innocent of the unbelief and rebellion which had caused the sentence to be im posed. While the others refused to accept the judgment pronounced until they had deprived themselves of any alternatives, the faithful four humbly accepted the divine solutions from the first. “The decree that Israel was not to enter Canaan for forty years was a bitter disappointment to Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua; yet without a murmur they accepted the divine de cision.” Patriarchs and Prophets , 392.1. The Israelites could have entered into rest at Kadesh Barnea if they had recognized in their rising unbelief and riotous spirit a revelation that wrong procedures existed and corrective meas ures were necessary. Initially, they would not have known exact ly what the problem was, nor could they have determined this through their own resources, for only God was capable of show ing them where the difficulties lay. Meanwhile, they should have realized that they had generated a serious problem which re quired an immediate solution. It was their responsibility to recognize their helpless insuffi ciency, and, by giving God the problem, commit to Him the work An Opportunity Lost