If they had only been patient, and waited for Moshe. Patience is a big Yesod in Avodas Hashem. A gentile needs instant gratification, like Eisav; you can’t tell him that there is another world Olam HaBah to wait for. A general Yesod: Even when you feel compelled to do something that you shouldn’t do, try to hesitate! People who work on Ta'avas A'chila (their desire for food) just hesitate for one minute till they eat.
And this makes a major difference. That “one-minute wait” makes them no longer a Baal Ta'ava’nik. They have control!
STORY
When the Steipler Zatzal was in the army, he was forced to stand guard all night at the border. It was freezing cold, and whoever stood guard was provided with a pelt coat to withstand the elements. One Shabbos, it was the Steipler’s turn to stand guard, and he found the pelt coat hanging from a tree, where the previous guard had left it. Removing it off the tree involved an Issur D'rabanan (of: אֵּין מִּשְּתַמְּשִּ ין בְּאִּילָן using a tree on Shabbos). Without wearing the pelts, a person would freeze to death in the Russian winter, Chas V'shalom.
So he decided to wait 10 minutes before putting them on, since 10 minutes wouldn’t kill him. After 10 minutes, he decided to wait another 10 minutes. This continued again and again, until the entire night passed and he survived! Waiting and hesitating and taking things one step at a time is a holy Midda, like Menuchas HaNefesh and Bitachon.
