Gods Sabbath

K ADESH B ARNEA

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God Himself asserts that He is not inconsistent. Rather, His behavior is based on consistent and unchanging principles. “I the L ORD do not change.” Malachi 3:6. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8. Therefore, there must be a difference between these apparently inconsist ent situations. When this difference is understood, God’s behav ior will be readily seen as consistent. We need to understand the following difference. In some situ ations the people formed a definite plan of action which they in tended to carry out themselves, in the face of a thorough educa tion to the contrary. In other cases they were simply presenting their request to God for Him to give them what they wanted. Note the difference in these two approaches: At Kadesh the Israelites brought their already formulated plan before God and were not willing to hear His plan. They de clared: “We will send men before us.” Deuteronomy 1:22 (KJV). Whereas in Samuel’s time they asked God Himself to fulfil their wishes: “[You] give us a king to lead us.” 1Samuel 8:6. Therefore, God’s lack of protest against the people’s decision to send spies into Canaan, does not in any sense indicate that He approved of their plan. If they had come requesting that He send the spies, then He would have objected, but not when they came announcing their own intention to execute a plan they had already devised. Under those circumstances, it is God’s way to accept their choice, remain silent and let the people carry out their own plans in which they have placed their trust. Some might argue that the plan at Kadesh Barnea was sim ply following precedence. Management committees had been formed previously when Jethro advised Moses on camp organi zation (see Exodus 18:13–27). Because such a committee was right in that instance, was it not also correct to choose a commit tee of twelve people to survey the land of Canaan? It is not God’s way to issue general orders and then leave the formulation of the specific details to church committees, boards of directors, or individuals themselves. Careful study of Jethro’s Why not a Committee?