And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:
Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, to come before him, and they insolently refused in open defiance of his authority and leadership in the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.
Their refusal was not merely against a man, for in rejecting Moses and Aaron of God's appointment they revolted against the Lord Himself as their leader and against Christ their invisible leader.
It sprang from pride and ambition, as Satan worked upon them to arouse desire for self-exaltation and position and honor, with envy, discontent, distrust and rebellion, while they deemed themselves righteous and thought they opposed only a human leader.
God vindicated His appointed order by terrible judgment, swallowing up the wrongdoers and striking their company with plague, yet even afterward the survivors blamed Moses and remained deceived.
The history was faithfully chronicled to stand as admonition for those upon whom the ends of the world are come, warning against following that same unbelief, murmuring and resistance to the message and testimony God sends.
Historical Setting and Refusal
The verse belongs to the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram against Moses and Aaron and against Jehovah, and their refusal to come when summoned illustrates the unbelief and rebellious spirit that stands as instruction and warning for later generations not to oppose the authority God has appointed. Their refusal was part of a revolt against the Lord in which, by rejecting the leadership God had given Moses and Aaron, they justly suffered God's wrath.
Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and they answered that they would not come up before him, rejecting his authority and leadership in an insolent act of open defiance. They accused Moses of bringing Israel out of Egypt to kill them in the wilderness, of using divine guidance as a pretext to rule over them, and blamed him for their exclusion from Canaan, though that exclusion was punishment for their own sins. That same refusal is the spirit of those who think themselves misused, speak hasty unadvised words, foster self-esteem, bear false witness against brethren, leaven minds with distrust, weaken faith in God's instrumentalities, and yield to questioning and doubting that plants a seed of doubt not easily uprooted.
The rebellion extended far beyond two men and was led by two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation, men of renown, with Korah joining Dathan and Abiram in complaining and influencing the people to stand with them. Genuine rebellion of this kind is hardly ever curable and must be called by its right name as rebellion and apostasy, and the history was faithfully chronicled to stand as admonition for those upon whom the ends of the world are come.
The rebels justly suffered divine wrath when God stretched forth His hand and swallowed up the wrongdoers while the people fled to their tents in horror, and their company died by plague before the Lord. Their destruction was a terrible manifestation of divine judgment by which God sustained Aaron in the holy office of the priesthood conferred on Aaron's family and honored by his consecration as high priest. Even after God's judgments destroyed the leaders and princes, the survivors remained deceived, stubbornly trusted their own judgment, considered Moses harmful to Israel, and blamed Moses for the deaths. Nearly forty years later at Kadesh in the desert of Zin the thirsting Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron for lack of water and wished they had died with that rebellious company.
On a narrower stage this rebellion worked out the same spirit that led to Satan's rebellion in heaven. Their refusal came from pride and ambition, with Satan working on their minds to arouse desire for self-exaltation and position and honor, and to excite envy, discontent, distrust, and rebellion. By rejecting Moses and Aaron, the men of God's appointment, they rejected God as their leader and in murmuring against them blasphemed God, yet they were so deluded as to think themselves righteous and to regard those who faithfully reproved their sins as actuated by Satan.
Charges Against Moses' Leadership
Dathan and Abiram charged Moses with bringing Israel out of Egypt only to kill them in the wilderness. They accused him of using divine guidance as a pretext to rule over them and of acting for his own power and gain. That grasping for power was a scheme to seize the possessions of the people.
They denied that the Lord had declared they would die before entering Canaan, insisting that Moses had said it himself. They blamed him for their exclusion from Canaan, though that exclusion was punishment for their own sins. Their words turned Egypt into a land of abundance and ignored Israel's suffering there.
They judged their own position superior to Moses' and believed he was harming Israel. They stubbornly trusted their own judgment and refused his summons. They told a deceptive story that they were misused and abused men, when the abuse was on their own side.
Rebellion Against God Himself
Refusing the summons was revolt against the Lord Himself, for in rejecting Moses and Aaron, the men of God's appointment, they rejected God as their leader. In murmuring against those He had appointed they blasphemed God, and their rebellion with its consequences stands as a warning against opposing authority God has appointed. Their resistance to God's appointed leadership and plans made their refusal an illustration of opposition whose result is disastrous and which justly suffered divine wrath.
In rejecting God's chosen instrument they rejected Christ, their invisible leader, and insulted the Holy Spirit, though they believed they were serving God. Satan's wizard-like power worked over minds that did not implicitly trust and obey God as a moral infatuation that steels the heart against the influence of the Holy Spirit. Judgments followed close upon that sin, for they were deceived by Satan but by their own consent, because they placed themselves in his power.
Their refusal came from pride and ambition, with Satan working on their minds to arouse desire for self-exaltation and for position and honor. That included desire for honor and recognition alongside Moses, and Satan's work excited envy, discontent, distrust, and rebellion. Pride and ambitious opposition of this kind can revive the same rebellious spirit, and their case warns against self-exaltation and seeking credit as though one's role made one equal to the person God had chosen for a particular work.
They were so deluded as to think themselves righteous while opposing God's order. They thought they opposed only a human leader, a man like themselves, and regarded those who faithfully reproved their sins as actuated by Satan.
The refusal reveals firm self-complacency, pride, and prejudice, with unwillingness to accept and acknowledge heaven-sent light. Spiritual eyesight was obscured and judgment perverted by Satan, and the spirit at work despises not the man but the messengers and the message God sends. It shows contempt for the word of the Lord, mockery and disgust at God's word, and unsanctified independence doing insult to the Spirit of God. It is also rebellious ingratitude toward God's appointed workers, receiving precious points of truth all prepared to hand at no cost to self while others toiled and sacrificed much to bring them out, taking the Sabbath and then returning reproach instead of gratitude.
The chapter to which the refusal belongs warns that work done from self will not endure, while work done in God will endure.
Warning for the Last Days
The refusal to come when summoned belongs to the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, a history faithfully chronicled to stand as admonition for those upon whom the ends of the world are come and as instruction for God's people in the last days. It warns not to follow their unbelief and rebellious spirit, not to tempt Christ and murmur, and not to resist the message and testimony God sends, since resisting that counsel is rebellion against God with disastrous result. That rebellion extended far beyond two men, being led by two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation, men of renown, and genuine rebellion of this kind is hardly ever curable and must be called by its right name as rebellion and apostasy. Those who have knowledge of the truth and long light are warned not to take the great leader of apostasy and name him Christ our Righteousness, not to let themselves be undeceived by two men and their wives into rejecting God's servants, but to sink deep into the mines of truth to distinguish precious ore from base material, the false from the genuine, the voice of the true Shepherd from that of a stranger, and prophets by their fruits, humbling themselves before God and sincerely repenting for being so easily led astray. Resistance to testimony from God, contempt for His word, and self-willed independence repeat the spirit of that rebellion and, if unrepented, lead into spiritual darkness.
Satan leads persons living near the close of time to imitate Korah, Dathan, and Abiram by raising insurrection among God's people. That imitation means rising in opposition to plain testimony, becoming self-deceived, thinking those upon whom God has laid the burden of His work are exalted above the people and that their counsels and reproofs are uncalled for, and opposing the testimony God would have His servants bear in rebuking wrongs among God's people. It includes resisting testimony against hurtful indulgences such as tea, coffee, snuff, and tobacco, and choosing appetite and self-indulgence over entire sacrifice and self-denial. It raises a wall of separation from those cleansing themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit and perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord, wars against straight testimonies and calls them untrue, and unfurls a rebellious banner around which all the disaffected and the spiritually defective, the lame, the halt, and the blind rally to scatter and sow discord.
The same spirit appears just as soon as a person separates from God so that the heart is not under the subduing power of the Holy Spirit. Then Satan's attributes are revealed in beginning to oppress fellow men, with an influence contrary to truth, justice, and righteousness. It is seen when workers oppress one another and when one institution desires to control all others, and when men entrusted with weighty responsibilities but having no living connection with God do despite to the Holy Spirit. It is the same spirit persisted in by the Jews in the days of Christ, persisting in the same course after warnings from God again and again are cast aside. The history is repeated when people distort and misapply God's warnings to defend their own ideas. It is repeated when people who themselves need converting refuse to change thought and attitude in every way in order to work in Christ's lines and instead criticize and find mistakes in management the Lord is guiding, talking so as to make it appear that mistakes exist, and when a spirit of criticism, distrust, and resistance to those God is leading revives the same pattern.
The refusal is repeated by unsanctified men who first gain sympathy and confidence, then insinuate against leaders in whom God would have the people have confidence. They tell a deceptive story that they are abused and misused men when the abuse is on their own side, bear false witness against their brethren, speak hasty, unadvised words, and foster self-esteem and self-importance. They sow seeds of doubt that are received by many sympathizers, leaven minds with distrust, and weaken faith in God's instrumentalities. They draw away from the body and join a party that accuses others and uses their errors to build itself up. It was seen when some at the publishing house resisted authority with self-importance and self-sufficiency, and yielding to that spirit of questioning and doubting God's appointed leaders plants a seed not easily uprooted and brings about an experience like theirs.
Confronting and Forsaking Rebellion
In an emergency decisive action may be required to separate evil workers from God's work. Genuine rebellion is hardly ever curable and must be called by its right name as rebellion and apostasy. Disaffection and resistance cannot defeat a work that is of God.
Accusing and holding up to ridicule those God has appointed, arising from within among God's own people, is an offense to God. The refusal warns against condemning those entrusted with the work and against separating from the agents God is leading. Such accusing work must not be met with silence, for silence does injustice to the accusers and to those misled by them and leaves people to think trusted brethren are no longer worthy of love and fellowship. Every charge must be met openly, accusers must be called on every point to bring proof, and every charge must be carefully investigated so nothing is left uncertain.
Those who claim to believe the truth must not judge from human feeling, sympathize with the wrongdoer, or stand between the offender and God when God's servants do the disagreeable duty of correcting the erring. They must hold peace and let the arrows fall just where God directs to pierce souls insensible to sin. God's people must take a clear stand for Him and the truth rather than give support to rebellion that others may be deceived into following. Disaffection so deep was not cured even when God stretched forth His hand and swallowed up the wrongdoers and the people fled to their tents in horror.
Refusing to come means refusing to hear the voice of the Lord and going on year after year according to one's own mind and judgment in the face of all warnings. That course includes threatening to sever all connection and trying to make brethren afraid by threatenings of separation so they will consent to dishonoring terms. Brethren should meet this with firm rectitude and determination that is not made afraid, for separation is better than consent to such terms. This is the ground of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and the Lord warns to keep off that ground and calls to come to senses.
Those in this course forfeit all right to claim sacredness of power or to be respected as the voice of God, even while claiming great light and special exaltation. Professing to believe and respect light without fully obeying it, mingling God's work for years with human devisings and selfishness, hurting God's servants, and sustaining men God cannot favor strips leaders of any right to entrench behind sacred office.
Refusing what God sends through His messenger and laboring to make His testimonies of none effect is being deceived while deceiving others. Such influence strengthens the hands and minds of many who then quote and follow the rebel. Both a person's own course of rebellion and the result of that influence on other minds are charged in the books of heaven and must be met in the day of final accounts. To be found among gainsayers means strengthening the gainsayer and doing Satan's work by unsettling faith in the testimonies and sowing unbelief that cannot be removed even if one's own faith is later recovered, a course especially perilous when light, power, and faith are needed.
The defiant, self-serving spirit in refusing the summons may be hidden in selfish and fraudulent conduct, but God sees it and will reward each according to deeds. Open defiance gathers sympathizers who cling to rebellious leaders even while drawn into darkness, with the heart at war with the third angel's work and with visions, despising them. The same refusal marks those who reject truth, call light darkness, and treat the third angel's message as error.
To be left as they were is to be left by God for rejecting given light and evidence and turning others from it. Whoever walks not in the Lord's light but in sparks of one's own kindling will lie down in darkness and sorrow, with the candlestick removed. Those who cherish that spirit will not again have clear light to discern truth's preciousness until they humble pride, confess they were not actuated by God's Spirit, sincerely repent for being so easily led astray, and be converted that God should heal backslidings. They need to sink deep into truth to distinguish precious ore from base material, the true Shepherd's voice from a stranger's, and prophets by fruits, while God places His faithful messenger in proper position and stays with him, sustaining by grace and power though testimony is unacknowledged.
Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, to come before him, and they insolently refused in open defiance of his authority and leadership in the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.
Their refusal was not merely against a man, for in rejecting Moses and Aaron of God's appointment they revolted against the Lord Himself as their leader and against Christ their invisible leader.
It sprang from pride and ambition, as Satan worked upon them to arouse desire for self-exaltation and position and honor, with envy, discontent, distrust and rebellion, while they deemed themselves righteous and thought they opposed only a human leader.
God vindicated His appointed order by terrible judgment, swallowing up the wrongdoers and striking their company with plague, yet even afterward the survivors blamed Moses and remained deceived.
The history was faithfully chronicled to stand as admonition for those upon whom the ends of the world are come, warning against following that same unbelief, murmuring and resistance to the message and testimony God sends.
Historical Setting and Refusal
The verse belongs to the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram against Moses and Aaron and against Jehovah, and their refusal to come when summoned illustrates the unbelief and rebellious spirit that stands as instruction and warning for later generations not to oppose the authority God has appointed. Their refusal was part of a revolt against the Lord in which, by rejecting the leadership God had given Moses and Aaron, they justly suffered God's wrath.
Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and they answered that they would not come up before him, rejecting his authority and leadership in an insolent act of open defiance. They accused Moses of bringing Israel out of Egypt to kill them in the wilderness, of using divine guidance as a pretext to rule over them, and blamed him for their exclusion from Canaan, though that exclusion was punishment for their own sins. That same refusal is the spirit of those who think themselves misused, speak hasty unadvised words, foster self-esteem, bear false witness against brethren, leaven minds with distrust, weaken faith in God's instrumentalities, and yield to questioning and doubting that plants a seed of doubt not easily uprooted.
The rebellion extended far beyond two men and was led by two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation, men of renown, with Korah joining Dathan and Abiram in complaining and influencing the people to stand with them. Genuine rebellion of this kind is hardly ever curable and must be called by its right name as rebellion and apostasy, and the history was faithfully chronicled to stand as admonition for those upon whom the ends of the world are come.
The rebels justly suffered divine wrath when God stretched forth His hand and swallowed up the wrongdoers while the people fled to their tents in horror, and their company died by plague before the Lord. Their destruction was a terrible manifestation of divine judgment by which God sustained Aaron in the holy office of the priesthood conferred on Aaron's family and honored by his consecration as high priest. Even after God's judgments destroyed the leaders and princes, the survivors remained deceived, stubbornly trusted their own judgment, considered Moses harmful to Israel, and blamed Moses for the deaths. Nearly forty years later at Kadesh in the desert of Zin the thirsting Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron for lack of water and wished they had died with that rebellious company.
On a narrower stage this rebellion worked out the same spirit that led to Satan's rebellion in heaven. Their refusal came from pride and ambition, with Satan working on their minds to arouse desire for self-exaltation and position and honor, and to excite envy, discontent, distrust, and rebellion. By rejecting Moses and Aaron, the men of God's appointment, they rejected God as their leader and in murmuring against them blasphemed God, yet they were so deluded as to think themselves righteous and to regard those who faithfully reproved their sins as actuated by Satan.
Charges Against Moses' Leadership
Dathan and Abiram charged Moses with bringing Israel out of Egypt only to kill them in the wilderness. They accused him of using divine guidance as a pretext to rule over them and of acting for his own power and gain. That grasping for power was a scheme to seize the possessions of the people.
They denied that the Lord had declared they would die before entering Canaan, insisting that Moses had said it himself. They blamed him for their exclusion from Canaan, though that exclusion was punishment for their own sins. Their words turned Egypt into a land of abundance and ignored Israel's suffering there.
They judged their own position superior to Moses' and believed he was harming Israel. They stubbornly trusted their own judgment and refused his summons. They told a deceptive story that they were misused and abused men, when the abuse was on their own side.
Rebellion Against God Himself
Refusing the summons was revolt against the Lord Himself, for in rejecting Moses and Aaron, the men of God's appointment, they rejected God as their leader. In murmuring against those He had appointed they blasphemed God, and their rebellion with its consequences stands as a warning against opposing authority God has appointed. Their resistance to God's appointed leadership and plans made their refusal an illustration of opposition whose result is disastrous and which justly suffered divine wrath.
In rejecting God's chosen instrument they rejected Christ, their invisible leader, and insulted the Holy Spirit, though they believed they were serving God. Satan's wizard-like power worked over minds that did not implicitly trust and obey God as a moral infatuation that steels the heart against the influence of the Holy Spirit. Judgments followed close upon that sin, for they were deceived by Satan but by their own consent, because they placed themselves in his power.
Their refusal came from pride and ambition, with Satan working on their minds to arouse desire for self-exaltation and for position and honor. That included desire for honor and recognition alongside Moses, and Satan's work excited envy, discontent, distrust, and rebellion. Pride and ambitious opposition of this kind can revive the same rebellious spirit, and their case warns against self-exaltation and seeking credit as though one's role made one equal to the person God had chosen for a particular work.
They were so deluded as to think themselves righteous while opposing God's order. They thought they opposed only a human leader, a man like themselves, and regarded those who faithfully reproved their sins as actuated by Satan.
The refusal reveals firm self-complacency, pride, and prejudice, with unwillingness to accept and acknowledge heaven-sent light. Spiritual eyesight was obscured and judgment perverted by Satan, and the spirit at work despises not the man but the messengers and the message God sends. It shows contempt for the word of the Lord, mockery and disgust at God's word, and unsanctified independence doing insult to the Spirit of God. It is also rebellious ingratitude toward God's appointed workers, receiving precious points of truth all prepared to hand at no cost to self while others toiled and sacrificed much to bring them out, taking the Sabbath and then returning reproach instead of gratitude.
The chapter to which the refusal belongs warns that work done from self will not endure, while work done in God will endure.
Warning for the Last Days
The refusal to come when summoned belongs to the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, a history faithfully chronicled to stand as admonition for those upon whom the ends of the world are come and as instruction for God's people in the last days. It warns not to follow their unbelief and rebellious spirit, not to tempt Christ and murmur, and not to resist the message and testimony God sends, since resisting that counsel is rebellion against God with disastrous result. That rebellion extended far beyond two men, being led by two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation, men of renown, and genuine rebellion of this kind is hardly ever curable and must be called by its right name as rebellion and apostasy. Those who have knowledge of the truth and long light are warned not to take the great leader of apostasy and name him Christ our Righteousness, not to let themselves be undeceived by two men and their wives into rejecting God's servants, but to sink deep into the mines of truth to distinguish precious ore from base material, the false from the genuine, the voice of the true Shepherd from that of a stranger, and prophets by their fruits, humbling themselves before God and sincerely repenting for being so easily led astray. Resistance to testimony from God, contempt for His word, and self-willed independence repeat the spirit of that rebellion and, if unrepented, lead into spiritual darkness.
Satan leads persons living near the close of time to imitate Korah, Dathan, and Abiram by raising insurrection among God's people. That imitation means rising in opposition to plain testimony, becoming self-deceived, thinking those upon whom God has laid the burden of His work are exalted above the people and that their counsels and reproofs are uncalled for, and opposing the testimony God would have His servants bear in rebuking wrongs among God's people. It includes resisting testimony against hurtful indulgences such as tea, coffee, snuff, and tobacco, and choosing appetite and self-indulgence over entire sacrifice and self-denial. It raises a wall of separation from those cleansing themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit and perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord, wars against straight testimonies and calls them untrue, and unfurls a rebellious banner around which all the disaffected and the spiritually defective, the lame, the halt, and the blind rally to scatter and sow discord.
The same spirit appears just as soon as a person separates from God so that the heart is not under the subduing power of the Holy Spirit. Then Satan's attributes are revealed in beginning to oppress fellow men, with an influence contrary to truth, justice, and righteousness. It is seen when workers oppress one another and when one institution desires to control all others, and when men entrusted with weighty responsibilities but having no living connection with God do despite to the Holy Spirit. It is the same spirit persisted in by the Jews in the days of Christ, persisting in the same course after warnings from God again and again are cast aside. The history is repeated when people distort and misapply God's warnings to defend their own ideas. It is repeated when people who themselves need converting refuse to change thought and attitude in every way in order to work in Christ's lines and instead criticize and find mistakes in management the Lord is guiding, talking so as to make it appear that mistakes exist, and when a spirit of criticism, distrust, and resistance to those God is leading revives the same pattern.
The refusal is repeated by unsanctified men who first gain sympathy and confidence, then insinuate against leaders in whom God would have the people have confidence. They tell a deceptive story that they are abused and misused men when the abuse is on their own side, bear false witness against their brethren, speak hasty, unadvised words, and foster self-esteem and self-importance. They sow seeds of doubt that are received by many sympathizers, leaven minds with distrust, and weaken faith in God's instrumentalities. They draw away from the body and join a party that accuses others and uses their errors to build itself up. It was seen when some at the publishing house resisted authority with self-importance and self-sufficiency, and yielding to that spirit of questioning and doubting God's appointed leaders plants a seed not easily uprooted and brings about an experience like theirs.
Confronting and Forsaking Rebellion
In an emergency decisive action may be required to separate evil workers from God's work. Genuine rebellion is hardly ever curable and must be called by its right name as rebellion and apostasy. Disaffection and resistance cannot defeat a work that is of God.
Accusing and holding up to ridicule those God has appointed, arising from within among God's own people, is an offense to God. The refusal warns against condemning those entrusted with the work and against separating from the agents God is leading. Such accusing work must not be met with silence, for silence does injustice to the accusers and to those misled by them and leaves people to think trusted brethren are no longer worthy of love and fellowship. Every charge must be met openly, accusers must be called on every point to bring proof, and every charge must be carefully investigated so nothing is left uncertain.
Those who claim to believe the truth must not judge from human feeling, sympathize with the wrongdoer, or stand between the offender and God when God's servants do the disagreeable duty of correcting the erring. They must hold peace and let the arrows fall just where God directs to pierce souls insensible to sin. God's people must take a clear stand for Him and the truth rather than give support to rebellion that others may be deceived into following. Disaffection so deep was not cured even when God stretched forth His hand and swallowed up the wrongdoers and the people fled to their tents in horror.
Refusing to come means refusing to hear the voice of the Lord and going on year after year according to one's own mind and judgment in the face of all warnings. That course includes threatening to sever all connection and trying to make brethren afraid by threatenings of separation so they will consent to dishonoring terms. Brethren should meet this with firm rectitude and determination that is not made afraid, for separation is better than consent to such terms. This is the ground of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and the Lord warns to keep off that ground and calls to come to senses.
Those in this course forfeit all right to claim sacredness of power or to be respected as the voice of God, even while claiming great light and special exaltation. Professing to believe and respect light without fully obeying it, mingling God's work for years with human devisings and selfishness, hurting God's servants, and sustaining men God cannot favor strips leaders of any right to entrench behind sacred office.
Refusing what God sends through His messenger and laboring to make His testimonies of none effect is being deceived while deceiving others. Such influence strengthens the hands and minds of many who then quote and follow the rebel. Both a person's own course of rebellion and the result of that influence on other minds are charged in the books of heaven and must be met in the day of final accounts. To be found among gainsayers means strengthening the gainsayer and doing Satan's work by unsettling faith in the testimonies and sowing unbelief that cannot be removed even if one's own faith is later recovered, a course especially perilous when light, power, and faith are needed.
The defiant, self-serving spirit in refusing the summons may be hidden in selfish and fraudulent conduct, but God sees it and will reward each according to deeds. Open defiance gathers sympathizers who cling to rebellious leaders even while drawn into darkness, with the heart at war with the third angel's work and with visions, despising them. The same refusal marks those who reject truth, call light darkness, and treat the third angel's message as error.
To be left as they were is to be left by God for rejecting given light and evidence and turning others from it. Whoever walks not in the Lord's light but in sparks of one's own kindling will lie down in darkness and sorrow, with the candlestick removed. Those who cherish that spirit will not again have clear light to discern truth's preciousness until they humble pride, confess they were not actuated by God's Spirit, sincerely repent for being so easily led astray, and be converted that God should heal backslidings. They need to sink deep into truth to distinguish precious ore from base material, the true Shepherd's voice from a stranger's, and prophets by fruits, while God places His faithful messenger in proper position and stays with him, sustaining by grace and power though testimony is unacknowledged.