Discipline for Success

In verse 5, Moses envisages Israel as a child of God whom God disciplines on the basis and for the sake of love. In the wilderness, God was training and preparing Israel for the valleys and the peaks that awaited them on the other side of the Jordan. Israel needed to be made fit for both the wars and conquests of Joshua and the peace and prosperity of Canaan. King Richard (directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, Warner Bros., 2021) recounts the development of the Williams sisters, the tennis phenoms trained by their father, Richard Williams. The movie displays how “King Richard,” beloved by both Venus and Serena, instilled discipline in his daughters, preparing them for the successes and travails of tennis superstardom. Like Richard, God was preparing his children in the desert so that they might be sufficiently equipped to navigate the challenging road ahead.