It was not an easy thing to hold the hosts of Israel in waiting before the Lord. They were excited and full of terror. They lacked discipline and self-control. Impressed by the horrors of their situation, they became violent and unreasonable. They expected speedily to fall into the hands of their oppressors, and their wailings and recriminations were loud and deep. The wonderful pillar of cloud had accompanied them in their wanderings, and served to protect them from the fervid rays of the sun. All day it had moved grandly before them, subject neither to sunshine nor storm; and at night it had become a pillar of fire to light them on their way. They had followed it as the signal of God to go forward; but now they questioned among themselves if it might not be the shadow of some terrible calamity that was about to befall them, for had it not led them on the wrong side of the mountain into an impassable way? Thus the angel of God appeared to their deluded minds as the harbinger of disaster. {4T 23.2}

Det var ikke en let sag at holde Israels hære i venteposition for Herren. De var ophidsede og fulde af rædsel. De manglede disciplin og selvkontrol. Påvirket af deres afskyelige situation, blev de voldelige og ubesindinge. De forventede at falde hurtig i deres modstanderes hænder og deres jammer og modbeskyldninger blev høje og dybtfølte. Den underfulde skystøtte havde ledsaget dem på deres vandringer og tjente som beskyttelse mod solens varmestråler. Hele dagen havde den bevæget sig så mægtigt for dem og undertvunget sollys og storm; og om natten blev den til en ildstøtte der lyste for deres vej. De havde fulgt den som Guds signal til at gå fremad; men nu betvivlede de for sig selv om det ikke kunne være skyggen af en frygtelig ulykke der var ved at komme over dem, for havde den ikke ført dem på den forkerte bjergside ind i en ufarbar vej? Således viste Guds engel sig for deres bedragede tanker som ulykkens forløber.