Bible Challenge - On the way to the Promised Land

The section that we have from the book of Numbers is basically the journey of the people of Israel from Mount Sinai.

This is before the 40 years in the wilderness.

I don't know if you noticed but the people of Israel seem to complain a lot.  God is providing for them, but they want meat - so they complain.  Aaron and Miriam are jealous of Moses, so they complain.  Moses is fed up with the complaining so he disobeys God and strikes a rock in anger rather than speaking to it.

I've been thinking about this.  God is giving the people what is best for them.  He is leading them to freedom and a land that will be fertile for them. They are heading to a place where they can establish their families and their nation - and yet, they seem to be dragging their heals and complaining the whole way.

I suspect this comes from two sources.  The first is that a new land means new ways and new things and that means change and human beings resist change instinctively.  The second is that getting to the good things requires some effort, they have to travel, they have to scope out the land, they have to fight some wars. If we are really honest, we would rather have the good things handed to us without having to do any work for them.

So - what is the promised land that God is leading us to?  What are we complaining about along the way?