Gods Sabbath

F AITH W ITHOUT W ORKS IS D EAT

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they were only terrified to find that they had made a fearful mis take, the consequences of which would prove disastrous to them selves. Their hearts were unchanged, and they only needed an excuse to occasion a similar outbreak. This presented itself when Moses, by the authority of God, commanded them to go back into the wilderness.” Patriarchs and Prophets , 391.4. As their alternative plans failed and they heard the divine sentence condemning them to death in the desert, they regret ted the consequences of their refusal to obey God, without re penting of the sin which had caused those consequences. Their steadfast refusal to learn God’s ways is reflected in their errone ous reasoning that, if they were to embark on a crusade against the enemy, they would redeem their failure. “‘We have sinned against the L ORD ,’” they cried. “‘We will go up and fight, as the L ORD our God commanded us.’” Deuteron omy 1:41. They probably thought that the command to return to the wil derness was a threat designed to enforce their obedience, just as parents threaten their children with woes they never intend to inflict. But this was to misjudge God, for He had not spoken from such motives. A return to the desert had become the only available solution. Their unbelief and wrong procedures had made it impossible to lead them into Canaan, and it was point less to take them back to Egypt. The desert in between was the only alternative. The command to enter the promised land had been superseded by another, as a result of their disobedience. Yet, so thoroughly self-deceived had they become that they be lieved they were obeying Jehovah by invading the land, when He was expressly bidding them to do something else. In plan ning the overthrow of the Canaanites, they were still following the same procedure which had denied them possession. They were seeking by their own devisings to carry forward God’s com mands. Therefore, their enterprise had no hope of success. Without the divine presence symbolized in the ark and with out their visible leader Moses in their midst, they went forward (see Numbers 14:42–44). Their enemies were ready for them, having entrenched themselves in a natural mountain fortress from which they exacted a fearful toll on the miserable Israe lites. “The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against