During these years the people were constantly reminded that they were under the divine rebuke. In the rebellion at Kadesh they had rejected God, and God had for the time rejected them. Since they had proved unfaithful to His covenant, they were not to receive the sign of the covenant, the rite of circumcision. Their desire to return to the land of slavery had shown them to be unworthy of freedom, and the ordinance of the Passover, instituted to commemorate the deliverance from bondage, was not to be observed.

I disse år blev folket stadig mindet om, at de havde pådraget sig Guds mishag. I opstanden ved Kadesj havde de forkastet Gud, og Gud havde for en tid forkastet dem. Fordi de havde været utro over for hans pagt, skulle de ikke modtage pagtens tegn, omskærelsens anordning. Deres ønske om at vende tilbage til slaveriets land havde vist, at de ikke var værdige til friheden, og påskens anordning, der var indstiftet til minde om udfrielsen fra trældommen, skulle ikke fejres.