Perhaps Moses and Yahweh should have been prepared more for the awful human behavior exhibited by the Hebrews in this week's "tales from the script." After all, this was the same crowd that watched the 10 plagues descend on Egypt, escaped slavery, received a personal escort service of a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night only to stand on the edge of the Red Sea and wail, "What have you done to us? ... Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians" (Exodus 14:11,12). Once again God would intervene in their journey not only saving them but destroying Pharaoh's army as well.

Perhaps Moses and Yahweh excused this spineless ambivalence because the special relationship between these former slaves and the one true God had not yet been formalized. Maybe the Hebrews were afraid that like some …