When Trust becomes Mistrust
The arrival of quails quells the unrest but the problems don’t go away. There is worse to come. Step Three is when trust becomes mistrust, beginning with Aaron (chap12). Time for democracy.
Twelve men, one from each tribe, are assigned to spy out the land and off they go. On their return, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb who present a minority report, their overall view is that attempting entry to the land would be disastrous. The reaction of the people is violent (v 1). The whole expedition has been a disaster. A new leader is a called for. Even Moses is feeling the heat. Whether they are simply shying at the fence or shivering on the brink, a not uncommon response by the masses when given an opportunity to go for change, this moment calls for that delicate judgement which all leaders have to face.
In crisis the cry for a strong leader to steady the nerves is understandable and makes good sense, but the issue now has moved on from food shortage to fear of what lies ahead. For this the leaders need more than strength. They also need diplomacy and the capacity to deliver, and there is little evidence of either.
Churchill faced a similar situation in 1940. Food shortage was a critical problem then but secondary to the threat of Nazism. Churchill might have got somewhere had he suggested that the German forces were ‘no more than bread (meat and drink) for us’ (v 9) but had he failed he would have been ‘bread‘ to his people, and even after victory was still rejected. Tough words may stir the masses (for a time), whether in office and workshop, church and club, Westminster or Washington, but if leaders are to carry their people three requisites are needed.
One, they have to have the trust of the people, not simply those immediately around them. Two, they must provide evidence for their hope even if only a shred. Three, they must avoid all bravado and excess and not claim more than they can deliver, or they will quickly be tested and if found wanting just as quickly discredited.