GOD'S DISCIPLINE IS HIS MERCY
"As we will see, [God's] discipline is his mercy... [W]e understand that the manna revolt and the discipline do not occur at the beginning of the Israelites' journey. They have been rescued from a pursuing army at the Red Sea and rescued from their thirst and hunger with God's provision in the desert...
"They are now nearing the gateway to the land promised to their forefathers. They are no longer at the beginning of their journey, yet they are still behaving like beginners. They seem no closer to actually trusting their God than at the beginning of the wilderness experience. Their repeated refrain remains, "We don't trust you."
"This is a critical point. The Israelites do not seem to have changed over the course of two years in the wilderness... the dissonant tune repeats itself over and over: 'Hardship intended to build trust results instead in contemptuous complaint.' The harsh discipline of the quail plague is not severity for its own sake -- it is intended to dislodge the Israelites from the rut of their lethal, faith-destroying groove. As is true in our lives, here with the Israelites, God is at work to rescue."
~ Jeff Manion, in his book The Land Between
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