Attached to the top of the golden chest was a golden lid called the mercy seat or atonement cover. Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest of Israel sprinkled on this cover the blood of a sacrificial animal. By this symbolic ritual, God showed us that He would live among His people on the basis of mercy. He knew that His people would sin against His values and ways. He knew that His people would break His laws, doubt His provisions, and ignore His leaders and prophets.
History tells the story.
Our forefathers did resist the prophets. They grumbled and complained about what God had provided for them. They got tired of the manna, of God's laws, and of those He empowered to lead them. We do the same thing. After a while, God's provisions become old to us.