The Story of Patriarchs and Prophets
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 33: From Sinai to Kadesh
The building of the tabernacle was not begun for some time
after Israel arrived at Sinai; and the sacred structure was
first set up at the opening of the second year from the Exodus.
This was followed by the consecration of the priests, the celebration
of the Passover, the numbering of the people, and the completion
of various arrangements essential to their civil or religious
system, so that nearly a year was spent in the encampment at
Sinai. Here their worship had taken a more definite form, the
laws had been given for the government of the nation, and a
more efficient organization had been effected preparatory to their
entrance into the land of Canaan.
The government of Israel was characterized by the most thorough
organization, wonderful alike for its completeness and its
simplicity. The order so strikingly displayed in the perfection
and arrangement of all God's created works was manifest in the
Hebrew economy. God was the center of authority and government,
the sovereign of Israel. Moses stood as their visible leader,
by God's appointment, to administer the laws in His name. From
the elders of the tribes a council of seventy was afterward chosen
to assist Moses in the general affairs of the nation. Next came
the priests, who consulted the Lord in the sanctuary. Chiefs, or
princes, ruled over the tribes. Under these were "captains over
thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties,
and captains over tens," and, lastly, officers who might be
employed for special duties. Deuteronomy 1:15.
The Hebrew camp was arranged in exact order. It was
separated into three great divisions, each having its appointed
position in the encampment. In the center was the tabernacle, the
abiding place of the invisible King. Around it were stationed [p. 375] the priests and Levites. Beyond these were encamped all the other
To the Levites was committed the charge of the tabernacle
and all that pertained thereto, both in the camp and on the
journey. When the camp set forward they were to strike the
sacred tent; when a halting place was reached they were to set it
up. No person of another tribe was allowed to come near, on pain
of death. The Levites were separated into three divisions, the
descendants of the three sons of Levi, and each was assigned its
special position and work. In front of the tabernacle, and nearest
to it, were the tents of Moses and Aaron. On the south were
the Kohathites, whose duty it was to care for the ark and the
other furniture; on the north Merarites, who were placed in
charge of the pillars, sockets, boards, etc.; in the rear the
Gershonites, to whom the care of the curtains and hangings was
The position of each tribe also was specified. Each was to
march and to encamp beside its own standard, as the Lord had
commanded: "Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by
his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far
off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch."
"As they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his
place by their standards." Numbers 2:2, 17. The mixed multitude
that had accompanied Israel from Egypt were not permitted
to occupy the same quarters with the tribes, but were to abide
upon the outskirts of the camp; and their offspring were to
be excluded from the community until the third generation.
Deuteronomy 23:7, 8.
Scrupulous cleanliness as well as strict order throughout the
encampment and its environs was enjoined. Through sanitary
regulations were enforced. Every person who was unclean from
any cause was forbidden to enter the camp. These measures were
indispensable to the preservation of health among so vast a multitude;
and it was necessary also that perfect order and purity be
maintained, that Israel might enjoy the presence of a holy God.
Thus He declared: "The Lord thy God walketh in the midst of
thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before
thee; therefore shall thy camp he holy."
In all the journeyings of Israel, "the ark of the covenant of
the Lord went before them, . . . to search out a resting place [p. 376] for them." Numbers 10:33. Borne by the sons of Kohath, the
sacred chest containing God's holy law was to lead the van. Before
it went Moses and Aaron; and the priests, bearing silver
trumpets, were stationed near. These priests received directions
from Moses, which they communicated to the people by the
trumpets. It was the duty of the leaders of each company to give
definite directions concerning all the movements to be made, as
indicated by the trumpets. Whoever neglected to comply with the
directions given was punished with death.
God is a God of order. Everything connected with heaven is
in perfect order; subjection and thorough discipline mark the
movements of the angelic host. Success can only attend order
and harmonious action. God requires order and system in His
work now no less than in the days of Israel. All who are working
for Him are to labor intelligently, not in a careless, haphazard
manner. He would have his work done with faith and exactness,
that He may place the seal of His approval upon it.
God Himself directed the Israelites in all their travels. The
place of their encampment was indicated by the descent of the
pillar of cloud; and so long as they were to remain in camp, the
cloud rested over the tabernacle. When they were to continue
their journey it was lifted high above the sacred tent. A solemn
invocation marked both the halt and the departure. "It came to
pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord,
and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that late Thee
flee before Thee. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord,
unto the many thousands of Israel." Numbers 10:35, 36.
A distance of only eleven days' journey lay between Sinai and
Kadesh, on the borders of Canaan; and it was with the prospect
of speedily entering the goodly land that the hosts of Israel
resumed their march when the cloud at last gave the signal for an
onward movement. Jehovah had wrought wonders in bringing
them from Egypt, and what blessings might they not expect now
that they had formally covenanted to accept Him as their Sovereign,
and had been acknowledged as the chosen people of the
Yet it was almost with reluctance that many left the place
where they had so long encamped. They had come almost to
regard it as their home. Within the shelter of those granite walls [p. 377] God had gathered His people, apart from all other nations, to
repeat to them His holy law. They loved to look upon the sacred
mount, on whose hoary peaks and barren ridges the divine glory
had so often been displayed. The scene was so closely associated
with the presence of God and holy angels that it seemed too
sacred to be left thoughtlessly, or even gladly.
At the signal from the trumpeters, however, the entire camp
set forward, the tabernacle borne in the midst, and each tribe in
its appointed position, under its own standard. All eyes were
turned anxiously to see in what direction the cloud would lead.
As it moved toward the east, where were only mountain masses
huddled together, black and desolate, a feeling of sadness and
doubt arose in many hearts.
As they advanced, the way became more difficult. Their route
lay through stony ravine and barren waste. All around them was
the great wilderness—"a land of deserts and of pits," "a land of
drought, and of the shadow of death," "a land that no man passed
through, and where no man dwelt." Jeremiah 2:6. The rocky
gorges, far and near, were thronged with men, women, and
children, with beasts and wagons, and long lines of flocks and
herds. Their progress was necessarily slow and toilsome; and the
multitudes, after their long encampment, were not prepared to
endure the perils and discomforts of the way.
After three days' journey open complaints were heard. These
originated with the mixed multitude, many of whom were not
fully united with Israel, and were continually watching for some
cause of censure. The complainers were not pleased with the
direction of the march, and they were continually finding fault
with the way in which Moses was leading them, though they
well knew that he, as well as they, was following the guiding
cloud. Dissatisfaction is contagious, and it soon spread in the
Again they began to clamor for flesh to eat. Though
abundantly supplied with manna, they were not satisfied. The Israelites,
during their bondage in Egypt, had been compelled to
subsist on the plainest and simplest food; but then keen appetite
induced by privation and hard labor had made it palatable.
Many of the Egyptians, however, who were now among them,
had been accustomed to a luxurious diet; and these were the [p. 378] first to complain. At the giving of the manna, just before Israel
reached Sinai, the Lord had granted them flesh in answer to
their clamors; but it was furnished them for only one day.
God might as easily have provided them with flesh as with
manna, but a restriction was placed upon them for their good.
It was His purpose to supply them with food better suited to
their wants than the feverish diet to which many had become
accustomed in Egypt. The perverted appetite was to be brought
into a more healthy state, that they might enjoy the food originally
provided for man—the fruits of the earth, which God gave
to Adam and Eve in Eden. It was for this reason that the Israelites
had been deprived, in a great measure, of animal food.
Satan tempted them to regard this restriction as unjust and
cruel. He caused them to lust after forbidden things, because he
saw that the unrestrained indulgence of appetite would tend to
produce sensuality, and by this means the people could be more
easily brought under his control. The author of disease and
misery will assail men where he can have the greatest success.
Through temptations addressed to the appetite he has, to a large
extent, led men into sin from the time when he induced Eve
to eat of the forbidden fruit. It was by this same means that he
led Israel to murmur against God. Intemperance in eating and
drinking, leading as it does to the indulgence of the lower
passions, prepares the way for men to disregard all moral obligations.
When assailed by temptation, they have little power of
God brought the Israelites from Egypt, that He might establish
them in the land of Canaan, a pure, holy, and happy people. In
the accomplishment of this object He subjected them to a course
of discipline, both for their own good and for the good of their
posterity. Had they been willing to deny appetite, in obedience
to His wise restrictions, feebleness and disease would have been
unknown among them. Their descendants would have possessed
both physical and mental strength. They would have had clear
perceptions of truth and duty, keen discrimination, and sound
judgment. But their unwillingness to submit to the restrictions
and requirements of God, prevented them, to a great extent,
from reaching the high standard which He desired them to
attain, and from receiving the blessings which He was ready to
bestow upon them. [p. 379]
Says the psalmist: "They tempted God in their heart by asking
meat for their lust. Yea, they spake against God; they said,
Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, He smote
the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed;
can He give bread also? can He provide flesh for His people?
Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth." Psalm 78:18-21.
Murmuring and tumults had been frequent during the journey
from the Red Sea to Sinai, but in pity for their ignorance and
blindness God had not then visited the sin with judgments. But
since that time He had revealed Himself to them at Horeb.
They had received great light, as they had been witnesses to the
majesty, the power, and the mercy of God; and their unbelief and
discontent incurred the greater guilt. Furthermore, they had
covenanted to accept Jehovah as their king and to obey His authority.
Their murmuring was now rebellion, and as such it must receive
prompt and signal punishment, if Israel was to be preserved from
anarchy and ruin. "The fire of Jehovah burnt among them, and
consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp."
The most guilty of the complainers were slain by lightning from
The people in terror besought Moses to entreat the Lord for
them. He did so, and the fire was quenched. In memory of this
judgment he called the name of the place Taberah, "a burning."
But the evil was soon worse than before. Instead of leading
the survivors to humiliation and repentance, this fearful judgment
seemed only to increase their murmurings. In all directions
the people were gathered at the door of their tents, weeping and
lamenting. "The mixed multitude that was among them fell a
lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who
shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did
eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks,
and the onions, and the garlic: but now our soul is dried away:
there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes." Thus
they manifested their discontent with the food provided for them
by their Creator. Yet they had constant evidence that it was
adapted to their wants; for notwithstanding the hardships they
endured, there was not a feeble one in all their tribes.
The heart of Moses sank. He had pleaded that Israel should
not be destroyed, even though his own posterity might then become
a great nation. In his love for them he had prayed that his [p. 380] name might be blotted from the book of life rather than that
they should be left to perish. He had imperiled all for them, and
this was their response. All their hardships, even their imaginary
sufferings, they charged upon him; and their wicked murmurings
made doubly heavy the burden of care and responsibility
under which he staggered. In his distress he was tempted even to
distrust God. His prayer was almost a complaint. "Wherefore
hast Thou afflicted Thy servant? and wherefore have I not found
favor in Thy sight, that Thou layest the burden of all this people
upon me? . . . Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this
people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we
may eat. I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is
too heavy for me."
The Lord hearkened to his prayer, and directed him to summon
seventy men of the elders of Israel—men not only advanced
in years, but possessing dignity, sound judgment, and experience.
"And bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation," He
said, "that they may stand there with thee. And I will come
down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which
is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the
burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself
The Lord permitted Moses to choose for himself the most
faithful and efficient men to share the responsibility with him.
Their influence would assist in holding in check the violence of
the people, and quelling insurrection; yet serious evils would
eventually result from their promotion. They would never have
been chosen had Moses manifested faith corresponding to the
evidences he had witnessed of God's power and goodness. But he
had magnified his own burdens and services, almost losing sight
of the fact that he was only the instrument by which God had
wrought. He was not excusable in indulging, in the slightest
degree, the spirit of murmuring that was the curse of Israel. Had
he relied fully upon God, the Lord would have guided him
continually and would have given him strength for every emergency.
Moses was directed to prepare the people for what God was
about to do for them. "Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow,
and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord,
saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in
Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. [p. 381] Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten
days, nor twenty days; but even a whole month, until it come out
at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye
have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept
before Him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?"
"The people, among whom I am," exclaimed Moses, "are six
hundred thousand footmen; and Thou has said, I will give them
flesh, that they may eat a whole month. Shall the flocks and the
herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of
the sea be gathered together for them?"
He was reproved for his distrust: "Is the Lord's hand waxed
short? thou shalt see now whether My word shall come to pass
unto thee or not."
Moses repeated to the congregation the words of the Lord,
and announced the appointment of the seventy elders. The great
leader's charge to these chosen men might well serve as a model
of judicial integrity for the judges and legislators of modern
times: "Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge
righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger
that is with him. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but
ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid
of the face of man; for the judgment is God's." Deuteronomy
Moses now summoned the seventy to the tabernacle. "And
the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took
of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy
elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon
them, they prophesied, and did not cease." Like the disciples on
the Day of Pentecost, they were endued with "power from on
high." It pleased the Lord thus to prepare them for their work,
and to honor them in the presence of the congregation, that
confidence might be established in them as men divinely chosen to
unite with Moses in the government of Israel.
Again evidence was given of the lofty, unselfish spirit of the
great leader. Two of the seventy, humbly counting themselves
unworthy of so responsible a position, had not joined their brethren
at the tabernacle; but the Spirit of God came upon them
where they were, and they, too, exercised the prophetic gift. On
being informed of this, Joshua desired to check such irregularity,
fearing that it might tend to division. Jealous for the honor of [p. 382] his master, "My lord Moses," he said, "forbid them." The answer
was, "Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the
Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His
Spirit upon them."
A strong wind blowing from the sea now brought flocks of
quails, "about a day's journey on this side, and a day's journey
on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits
above the face of the earth." Numbers 11:31, R.V. All that day
and night, and the following day, the people labored in gathering
the food miraculously provided. Immense quantities were
secured. "He that gathered least gathered ten homers." All that
was not needed for present use was preserved by drying, so that
the supply, as promised, was sufficient for a whole month.
God gave the people that which was not for their highest good,
because they persisted in desiring it; they would not be satisfied
with those things that would prove a benefit to them. Their
rebellious desires were gratified, but they were left to suffer the
result. They feasted without restraint, and their excesses were
speedily punished. "The Lord smote the people with a very great
plague." Large numbers were cut down by burning fevers, while
the most guilty among them were smitten as soon as they tasted
the food for which they had lusted.
At Hazeroth, the next encampment after leaving Taberah, a
still more bitter trial awaited Moses. Aaron and Miriam had occupied
a position of high honor and leadership in Israel. Both were
endowed with the prophetic gift, and both had been divinely
associated with Moses in the deliverance of the Hebrews. "I sent
before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam" (Micah 6:4), are the
words of the Lord by the prophet Micah. Miriam's force of
character had been early displayed when as a child she watched
beside the Nile the little basket in which was hidden the infant
Moses. Her self-control and tact God had made instrumental in
preserving the deliverer of His people. Richly endowed with the
gifts of poetry and music, Miriam had led the women of Israel
in song and dance on the shore of the Red Sea. In the affections
of the people and the honor of Heaven she stood second only to
Moses and Aaron. But the same evil that first brought discord
in heaven sprang up in the heart of this woman of Israel, and
she did not fail to find a sympathizer in her dissatisfaction.
In the appointment of the seventy elders Miriam and Aaron [p. 383] had not been consulted, and their jealousy was excited against
Moses. At the time of Jethro's visit, while the Israelites were on
the way to Sinai, the ready acceptance by Moses of the counsel
of his father-in-law had aroused in Aaron and Miriam a fear that
his influence with the great leader exceeded theirs. In the organization
of the council of elders they felt that their position and
authority had been ignored. Miriam and Aaron had never known
the weight of care and responsibility which had rested upon
Moses; yet because they had been chosen to aid him they
regarded themselves as sharing equally with him the burden of
leadership, and they regarded the appointment of further assistants
as uncalled for.
Moses felt the importance of the great work committed to him
as no other man had ever felt it. He realized his own weakness,
and he made God his counselor. Aaron esteemed himself more
highly, and trusted less in God. He had failed when entrusted
with responsibility, giving evidence of the weakness of his
character by his base compliance in the matter of the idolatrous
worship at Sinai. But Miriam and Aaron, blinded by jealousy
and ambition, lost sight of this. Aaron had been highly honored
by God in the appointment of his family to the sacred office of
the priesthood; yet even this now added to the desire for
self-exaltation. "And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only
by Moses? hath He not spoken also by us?" Regarding themselves
as equally favored by God, they felt that they were entitled to the
same position and authority.
Yielding to the spirit of dissatisfaction, Miriam found cause
of complaint in events that God had especially overruled. The
marriage of Moses had been displeasing to her. That he should
choose a woman of another nation, instead of taking a wife from
among the Hebrews, was an offense to her family and national
pride. Zipporah was treated with ill-disguised contempt.
Though called a "Cushite woman" (Numbers 12:1, R.V.), the
wife of Moses was a Midianite, and thus a descendant of Abraham.
In personal appearance she differed from the Hebrews in
being of a somewhat darker complexion. Though not an Israelite,
Zipporah was a worshiper of the true God. She was of a timid,
retiring disposition, gentle and affectionate, and greatly distressed
at the sight of suffering; and it was for this reason that Moses,
when on the way to Egypt, had consented to her return to Midian. [p. 384] He desired to spare her the pain of witnessing the judgments that
were to fall on the Egyptians.
When Zipporah rejoined her husband in the wilderness, she
saw that his burdens were wearing away his strength, and she
made known her fears to Jethro, who suggested measures for his
relief. Here was the chief reason for Miriam's antipathy to
Zipporah. Smarting under the supposed neglect shown to herself
and Aaron, she regarded the wife to Moses as the cause,
concluding that her influence had prevented him from taking them
into his counsels as formerly. Had Aaron stood up firmly for the
right, he might have checked the evil; but instead of showing
Miriam the sinfulness of her conduct, he sympathized with her,
listened to her words of complaint, and thus came to share her
Their accusations were borne by Moses in uncomplaining
silence. It was the experience gained during the years of toil
and waiting in Midian—the spirit of humility and long-suffering
there developed—that prepared Moses to meet with patience the
unbelief and murmuring of the people and the pride and envy
of those who should have been his unswerving helpers. Moses
"was very meek, above all he men which were upon the face of
the earth," and this is why he was granted divine wisdom and
guidance above all others. Says the Scripture, "The meek will He
guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way." Psalm
25:9. The meek are guided by the Lord, because they are teachable,
willing to be instructed. They have a sincere desire to know
and to do the will of God. The Saviour's promise is, "If any man
will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine." John 7:17. And
He declares by the apostle James, "If any of you lack wisdom, let
him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth
not; and it shall be given him." James 1:5. But His promise is
only to those who are willing to follow the Lord wholly. God
does not force the will of any; hence He cannot lead those who
are too proud to be taught, who are bent upon having their
own way. Of the double-minded man—he who seeks to follow his
own will, while professing to do the will of God—it is written,
"Let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the
Lord." James 1:7.
God had chosen Moses, and had put His Spirit upon him;
and Miriam and Aaron, by their murmurings, were guilty of [p. 385] disloyalty, not only to their appointed leader, but to God Himself.
The seditious whisperers were summoned to the tabernacle, and
brought face to face with Moses. "And Jehovah came down in the
pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and
called Aaron and Miriam." Their claim to the prophetic gift
was not denied; God might have spoken to them in visions and
dreams. But to Moses, whom the Lord Himself declared "faithful
in all Mine house," a nearer communion had been granted. With
him God spake mouth to mouth. "Wherefore then were ye not
afraid to speak against My servant Moses? And the anger of the
Lord was kindled against them; and He departed." The cloud
disappeared from the tabernacle in token of God's displeasure,
and Miriam was smitten. She "became leprous, white as snow."
Aaron was spared, but he was severely rebuked in Miriam's
punishment. Now, their pride humbled in the dust, Aaron confessed
their sin, and entreated that his sister might not be left to perish
by that loathsome and deadly scourge. In answer to the prayers
of Moses the leprosy was cleansed. Miriam was, however, shut
out of the camp for seven days. Not until she was banished from
the encampment did the symbol of God's favor again rest upon
the tabernacle. In respect for her high position, and in grief at
the blow that had fallen upon her, the whole company abode in
Hazeroth, awaiting her return.
This manifestation of the Lord's displeasure was designed to
be a warning to all Israel, to check the growing spirit of discontent
and insubordination. If Miriam's envy and dissatisfaction
had not been signally rebuked, it would have resulted in great
evil. Envy is one of the most satanic traits that can exist in the
human heart, and it is one of the most baleful in its effects. Says
the wise man, "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who
is able to stand before envy?" Proverbs 27:4. It was envy that
first caused discord in heaven, and its indulgence has wrought
untold evil among men. "Where envying and strife is, there is
confusion and every evil work." James 3:16.
Find out more today how to get a special discount when you purchase a
copy of Patriarchs and Prophets.
It should not be regarded as a light thing to speak evil of
others or to make ourselves judges of their motives or actions.
"He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother,
speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge
the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge." James 4:11.
There is but one judge—He "who both will bring to light the [p. 386] hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels
of the hearts." 1 Corinthians 4:5. And whoever takes it upon
himself to judge and condemn his fellow men is usurping the
prerogative of the Creator.
The Bible specially teaches us to beware of lightly bringing
accusation against those whom God has called to act as His
ambassadors. The apostle Peter, describing a class who are
abandoned sinners, says, "Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are
not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are
greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against
them before the Lord." 2 Peter 2:10, 11. And Paul, in his instruction
for those who are placed over the church, says, "Against an
elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses."
1 Timothy 5:19. He who has placed upon men the heavy
responsibility of leaders and teachers of His people will hold the
people accountable for the manner in which they treat His
servants. We are to honor those whom God has honored. The judgment
visited upon Miriam should be a rebuke to all who yield
to jealousy, and murmur against those upon whom God lays
the burden of His work.
Click here to read the next chapter:
"The Twelve Spies"