Moses told the people...
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Moses told the people what the Lord wanted them to do, and they said, “We will do it.” But they didn't. In precarious circumstances, with their backs to the wall, they made their glib promises, which they later forgot. It happens often.
In 1951, comedian Red Skelton was flying with a party of friends over the Swiss Alps when three of the plane's four engines failed. The situation appeared grave, and many passengers began to pray. Skelton went into one of his best comic routines to distract the party from the threatening danger. The plane lost altitude, coming closer and closer to the ominous-looking mountains. At the last moment the pilot located a large field and made a perfect landing. Skelton broke the ensuing silence by saying, “Now, ladies and gentlemen, you may return to all the evil habits you gave up twenty minutes ago.”
And, of course, this is what many people do. It's the old cliche about “the sick man's resolve to go straight.”
— Mann
