In commanding them to retire from the land of their enemies, God tested their apparent submission and found that it was not real. They knew that they had deeply sinned in allowing their rash feelings to control them and in seeking to slay the spies who had urged them to obey God; but they were only terrified to find that they had made a fearful mistake, the consequences of which would prove disastrous to themselves. 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. {4T 153.2}

Ved at befale dem at vende tilbage fra deres fjenders land, prøvede Gud deres tilsyneladende underdanighed og fandt at den ikke var virkelig. De vidste at de havde begået dybe synder ved at lade deres ubesindighed styre dem og forsøge at slå de spejdere ihjel, som bad dem adlyde Gud; men de var kun forfærdede over at de havde gjort en frygtelig fejltagelse, konsekvenserne af det ville vise sig som katastrofale for dem selv. Deres hjerter var uforandrede og de behøvede blot et påskud for at kunne gøre et lignende udbrud. Dette viste sig da Moses, under Guds myndighed, befalede dem at gå tilbage til ørkenen.