54 GOD WITH HIS PEOPLE.

Saturday they could gather enough for Sunday, and it
would keep; for God had given the Sabbath as a day to
be kept holy, and they were not allowed to do any work
on that day. Here in the wilderness they scon found
that they were without water also. This God gave them
by another wondrous miracle.

He told Moses to go into a certain place, and strike
a great rock with his rod, and the water should gush out
to satisfy all their thirst. He did as God told him, anda
great stream ran out of the rock, and flowed down the
valley. O, how glad the people were to see the water,
and how eagerly they dipped their cups, and drank, for
some of them were nearly famished, and little children
almost ready to die for want of water.

These people not only had bread and water given
them directly from the hand of God, but God told them
just where to go, by a pillar of cloud going before them
by day, and a pillar of fire by night. When God wanted
them to’stand still, the cloud would stand still, but when
he wanted them to march, then the cloud would move for-
ward. How nice it was, not to have any care, but to trust
the Lord for everything.

Would you not think that such a people would be
very good and obedient to the Lord? But it was not so.
They were often disobedient, provoking the anger of the
Lord, and bringing the judgments of God upon them.