Does God condemn Moses? No, no; the great goodness of God pardons the rashness and zeal of Moses, because it was all on account of his fidelity and his disappointment and grief at the sight of his eyes in the evidence of Israel’s apostasy. The man who might have saved the Hebrews in the hour of their peril is calm. He does not show indignation because of the sins of the people, neither does he reproach himself and manifest remorse under the sense of his wrongs; but he seeks to justify his course in a grievous sin. He makes the people accountable for his weakness in yielding to their request. He was unwilling to bear the murmuring of Israel and to stand under the pressure of their clamors and unreasonable wishes, as Moses had done. He entered into the spirit and feelings of the people without remonstrance, and then sought to make them responsible. {3T 341.2}

Fordømte Gud Moses? Nej, nej; Guds store godhed tilgiver Moses overilelse og iver, fordi den kun var på grund af hans troskab og hans skuffelse og sorg i hans øjne, ved at se Israels frafald. Det menneske som kunne have frelst hebræerne i deres farlige stund er roligt. Han viser ikke vrede på grund af folkets synder, han irettesætter heller ikke sig selv og viser samvittighedsnag under fornemmelsen af hans fejl; men han forsøger at retfærdiggøre sin handlemåde over for en forfærdelig synd. Han gør folket ansvarlig for sin svaghed ved at overgive sig for dem. Han var uvillig til at bære Moses knurren og stå under pres for deres klantern og ubegribelige ønsker, som Moses gjorde. Han påtog sig folkets følelser og ånd uden protest og forsøgte derfra at drage dem til ansvar.