The whole system of God's dealings with them in the wilderness was intended to promote their spiri- tual welfare. Moses, at the close of their wanderings there, says to them, " Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or nob." But the circumstance mentioned in my text was of very peculiar use :
1. To shew them what they were —
[Truly they were a rebellious and stiff-necked people, even from the first moment that God sent to take them under his more immediate protection0. The very moment that any thing obstructed their wishes, or disappointed their expec- tations, they murmured against the Lord. The mercies they received were altogether overlooked by them, and produced no effect to compose their minds, or to reconcile them to any thing which bore an untoward aspect. The wonders of Egypt, and the passage of the Red Sea, with the destruction of all their enemies in the mighty waters, were soon forgotten : " they were disobedient at the sea, even at the Red Sead." To such a degree did they rage against the dispensations of Heaven, that they frequently regretted that ever they had come out of Egypt, and occasionally proposed to make a captain over them, and return thither again.
Now the particular dispensation mentioned in my text had a strong tendency to elicit these unholy feelings. For some- times the cloud moved by day ; at other times it commenced its motions by night : and the whole people were compelled to follow it immediately, or to be left behind. Sometimes it continued its course for days and nights together without intermission ; at other times it stopped for days, and months, and even a whole year together, without ever moving from its place. These inequalities greatly irritated their rebellious spirit. On one occasion, we are told, " they departed from the mount of the Lord three days' journey : and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting-place for theme :" from whence it is evident, that they found no resting-place during those three days. And what was the effect of this upon their im- patient minds ? They so murmured against the Lord, as to provoke him greatly to anger. Moses says, " The people complained : and it displeased the Lord : and the Lord heard
b Deut. viii. 2. c Deut. ix. 7, 24. d Ps. cvi. 7. e Numb. x. 33.