Gods Sabbath

F AITH W ITHOUT W ORKS IS D EAT

91

dark unbelief. They were so desperate in their disappointment and despair that they let out a wail of agony mingled with the confused murmur of voices. In their stirred emotions they even went so far as to suggest the appointment of a leader to take them back to the land of slavery. “That night all the people of the community raised their voi ces and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the L ORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ And they said to each other, ‘We should choose a lead er and go back to Egypt.’” Numbers 14:1–4. A fitting description of those reactions is given in the follow ing paragraphs: “Hope and courage gave place to cowardly despair, as the spies uttered the sentiments of their unbelieving hearts, which were filled with discouragement prompted by Satan. Their un belief cast a gloomy shadow over the congregation, and the mighty power of God, so often manifested in behalf of the chosen nation, was forgotten. The people did not wait to reflect; they did not reason that He who had brought them thus far would cer tainly give them the land; they did not call to mind how wonder fully God had delivered them from their oppressors, cutting a path through the sea and destroying the pursuing hosts of Phar aoh. They left God out of the question, and acted as though they must depend solely on the power of arms. “In their unbelief they limited the power of God and distrust ed the hand that had hitherto safely guided them. And they re peated their former error of murmuring against Moses and Aar on. ‘This, then, is the end of our high hopes,’ they said. ‘This is the land we have traveled all the way from Egypt to possess.’ They accused their leaders of deceiving the people and bringing trouble upon Israel.” Patriarchs and Prophets , 388.1–388.2. Such were the reactions of the people of Israel when their faith died as a result of joining it to their own works. By electing themselves as the plan makers, they transferred their faith in God to faith in themselves. They no longer trusted God as their Plan Maker, but instead trusted in their own plans.