Gods Sabbath

F AITH W ITHOUT W ORKS IS D EAT

93

Canaan, once their faith had died, was to deliver them to slaugh ter. God loved them far too much to allow that. Israel’s faithless response to the spies’ report only compound ed an already difficult situation. Their problems were growing like cancers, which, if not rapidly cured, would result in their ut ter ruin. God alone could effect the desired solution, but they fol lowed the usual fallacy of believing that if so much human plan making had not solved the problem, then more of it would. The real fact was that if a certain amount of human devising had generated a proportionate amount of trouble, then more of the same devising would only make matters worse. In their blind unbelief, the Israelites decided that they could not enter Canaan and it was equally evident that they could not survive forever in the barren place where they were then camped. As they were now trusting themselves instead of God to make their plans, they felt they had to solve the problem in their own way. They would not trust this to Moses or Aaron, for they had come to regard them as sadistic devils who had deliberate ly led them into such a miserable trap. The only other place with which they were acquainted was Egypt, where they could at least be sure of food and shelter. The freedom which had been gained through God’s mighty power no longer seemed important to them, and, in direct opposition to God’s planning, they determined to return to the land of bond age where they knew they would be welcomed back as slaves. But the people also knew that this solution would be doomed to failure while Moses and Aaron were still in command, with the faithful spies Caleb and Joshua supporting them. To remove this obstruction to their plan, the people determined to murder Joshua and Caleb by stoning, after which they would no doubt have done away with Moses and Aaron. They were advancing on God’s faithful servants when the Lord intervened by manifest ing His presence in the sanctuary. “And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the L ORD appeared in the tabernacle of meeting be fore all the children of Israel.” Numbers 14:10 (NKJV). “The unfaithful spies were loud in denunciation of Caleb and Joshua, and the cry was raised to stone them. The insane mob seized missiles with which to slay those faithful men. They