indignant about their words as about the fickleness of the people.
After those many quite extraordinary experiences they had no right
to expect merely the natural and the probable, but should
cheerfully have trusted him; for, truly, in the sight of all, they had
been shown the most tangible proofs of his reliability. When, on
the other hand, Moses considered their distress, he forgave them;
for he told himself that a multitude is by nature fickle, and allows
itself to be easily influenced by impressions of the moment, which
cast the past into oblivion, and engender despair of the future. [91]

God also forgave the unworthy conduct of Israel, and instead of
being angry with them because they murmured against Him, when
it should have been their duty to pray to Him, He was ready to
grant them aid, saying to Moses, "They act according to their
lights, and I will act according to Mine; not later than to-morrow
morning manna will descend from heaven."

As a reward for Abraham's readiness, in answer to the summons to
sacrifice Isaac, when he said, "Here am I," God promised manna to
the descendants of Abraham with the same words, "Here I am." In
the same way, during their wanderings through the wilderness,
God repaid the descendants of Abraham for what their ancestor
had done by the angels who visited him. He himself had fetched
bread for them, and likewise God Himself caused bread to rain
from heaven; he himself ran before them on their way, and
likewise God moved before Israel; he had water fetched for them,
and likewise God, through Moses, caused water to flow from the
rock; he bade them seek shade under the tree, and likewise God
had a cloud spread over Israel. [92] Then God spoke to Moses: "I
will immediately reveal Myself without Jacob, 'I will rain bread