Not all of the journeys of God’s people have been to a place of grace. Physical movement is also valuable in teaching about the consequences of poor decisions, and we often use it in sending a child into timeout or separating two kids who can’t be quiet otherwise. As their history progressed, the children of Israel, became more and more disobedient to God’s Word. God sent prophets to teach his people, he sent famine and drought to turn them back to him, but they persisted in their wickedness. As a result, God finally and sorrowfully allowed them to be conquered and taken away into exile. The idea of sending a child to the corner for timeout captures the basic nature of this punishment but falls far short in describing its severity. God allowed his people to really suffer the horror of refugee camps and bloody conquest. As any good father, God does discipline those he loves, even when that discipline must be severe. The hard road into exile that the Israelites suffered should remind us that our adoption as children of God does not give us the freedom to live anyway we please; it gives us the privilege of having a Father who cares enough about us to lovingly enforce good rules for our benefit even when we don’t like them.