Gods Sabbath

D EPENDENT R ECEIVERS

55

hovah has the capacity to know all that is to transpire, both good and bad, without risk to Himself. But we are not in this position. We cannot bear the complete revelation of our future. Therefore, God, in His wisdom, love, and mercy has ordered our ways in ac cordance with our limitations. If we deviate from this divine or ganization, we will inevitably bring disaster upon ourselves. It was not only because the Israelites made themselves plan makers in God’s place, that their faith failed at Kadesh. They al so wanted a full survey of the land before they would move for ward. These two sins go together. Once we determine to under take the role of plan maker, we must obtain as much informa tion as possible to formulate what we hope will be a successful scheme or solution. Therefore once the Israelites had committed the first sin of making themselves plan makers in God’s place, the next logical step was to accumulate as much data as possi ble about what lay before them. Prior to their arrival at Kadesh, Israel had been given ample evidence of God’s ways as their Plan Maker. When they departed from Egypt, God did not supply them with a detailed briefing on the route to be followed, or the perils to be encountered on the way. When they awoke each morning, they did not know what course they would follow, how far they would travel, or when they would break camp. All they could do was to watch the cloud for in structions on a daily basis. If it lifted, they prepared to march on. If it did not, they remained where they were for the time being. “Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the L ORD ’ S command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. When the cloud remained over the tab ernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the L ORD ’ S order and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle on ly a few days; at the L ORD ’ S command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the Evidence of God’s Plans