208 The Land Between: Discipline and Growth

When the Lord brought His people out of slavery in Egypt, He promised to bring them up to Canaan – the “Promised Land.” But before they were ready to step into their inheritance, they had to spend time in the Land Between – the wilderness where God wanted to develop and mature them so He could display them to the world.

However, after two years in the Land Between, they had yet to learn to trust and depend on God. They whined and complained about food, so God gave them manna. But soon, they whined and complained about that!

We need to understand that they weren’t just whining about the food being served. This was a rejection of God Himself. They were saying, “God, we were better off back in Egypt…without you!”

So, when they started to whine and complain that they had no meat, God said, “Fine. I’ll give you meat! So much meat it will come out of your nose!” (Nu. 11:19-20)

God literally blew quail into their camp. Tens of thousands of birds! The Israelites were thrilled! They gathered up so much meat they spread it out in the sun to dry for future meals.

But the quail started to rot, and soon, disease began to spread through the camp. And at God’s hand, in an act of severe discipline, people died. Why?

Before we talk about that, let’s talk a bit about discipline in general.

First of all, wise parents know that discipline is not the opposite of love. Rather, it is a function of love.

Proverbs 13:24 says, “A refusal to correct is a refusal to love; love your children by disciplining them.” (MSG)

We sometimes forget our goal is not to raise happy children. It’s to raise mature adults. Wise parents recognize that as painful as discipline may be to administer and for that child to receive, failure to discipline can be costly in the long run. Love requires discipline.

Could it be that when God disciplines us in ways that seem harsh or difficult to bear, He is actually trying to rescue us? To save us?

If so, what could God have been trying to save his people from back in Numbers 11?

Perhaps that answer is found a few chapters later in Numbers 13. The Israelites are at the border of the Promised Land. Moses sends 12 men into the land to spy out the situation. They came back with a mixed report. Joshua and Caleb said that it was everything God had promised! A land flowing with milk and honey. But the other 10 spies were filled with fear, not faith. They saw the walled cities and giants in the land and said, “We can’t conquer this land!”

After two years in “trust school,” God’s people had failed completely. He was ready to be done with them. Wipe them all out! But Moses pleaded with God and He relented. Instead, He handed down a harsh discipline. They would wander in the wilderness until every one of that generation perished (except Joshua and Caleb). Only their children would enter the Promised Land.

Could it be that the discipline of Numbers 11 was God’s last-ditch effort to rescue this generation? A loving Father’s attempt to get His children’s attention and teach them to trust Him?

I believe it was. Sadly, they didn’t learn that lesson.

The Land Between can be a place where God can discipline you – correct your self-destructive behavior, and keep you from something far more painful. It can be a place of growth… if we will let it.

Text: Nu. 11, 13, 14

Originally recorded on October 27, 2013, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN

With thanks for this resource:

The Land Between: Finding God in Difficult Transitions by Jeff Manion