Loving Egypt

Why did God punish Israel by having them wander the desert for forty years? He could have destroyed those who failed to believe Him in one fell swoop. He could have used a plague as He did at other times; had the ground open and swallow them all up; or send snakes into the camp. Why did He condemn them to wander? Wasn't He punishing everyone for the sins of just a portion of the people? What could have been His purpose? I think that there were probably many reasons, some that we won't know until heaven. Probably, He wanted to teach the people that sin has consequences, not just for ourselves. I think that there was also the practical part of not killing off the older generation and leaving just young people, think Lord of the Flies. The one idea that strikes closest to home for me today is this: What if God allowed the people to wander the wilderness for all those years to make them hungry? What if He wanted to change their appetites? If the people had gone from Egypt to Canaan , would they have appreciated the goodness of the land, or would their hearts have longed for the home that they had left? I would guess that after nearly forty years of eating manna, that the fruit of the land that God provided for them when they entered Canaan tasted pretty good. It makes me think that when hard things happen in my life, maybe God is trying to starve out my love for my "Egypt." Maybe He is longing for me to long for Him rather than the dainties that this world has to offer. Maybe He is trying to wean my appetites from the base to the exalted. A meditation on Joshua Chapter six.