Complaining is dangerous business. It can damage or even destroy your relationship with God, your relationships with other people, and even with your relationship with yourself.
- Joyce Meyer
Discontent, blaming, complaining, self-pity cannot serve as a foundation for a good future, no matter how much effort you make. - Eckhart Tolle
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In working with people, one of the biggest problems I see is complaining. It’s one of the worst things you can do and yet most people do not see the serious of it. Let’s talk about it.
Do everything without complaining and arguing. Philippians 2: 14 (NLT)
What is complaining?
Mirriam-Webster: expression of grief, pain, or dissatisfaction - something that is the cause or subject of protest or outcry - a formal allegation against a party
Did people complain in the Bible?
The Israelites had left Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, saw many wonders and miracles from God. They had been at the the area of Mt. Sinai where God had given them his Law. Now it was time for them to move forward to God’s promised land for them. They would follow the leading of the Lord.
On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the covenant law. Then the Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran. - Numbers
10:11-12 (NIV)
The moved out and right away the people started complaining.
They complained about their hardships.
--- Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.. - Numbers 11:1-2 (NIV)
They complained about the food, no meat!
“Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed, “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” - Numbers
11:18-20 (NIV)
Then when the spied out the promised land, most believed they couldn’t take it. They said they were like grasshoppers in their enemies site. They said why have we come out here just to die by the sword. Didn’t God say he gave it to them? But some wanted to go back. Some even wanted to elect a leader to take them back.
Caleb said, “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” - Numbers
13:30
Joshua said in Numbers 14:“ 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” 10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them.
Some wanted to go back to Egypt. They even wanted to elect a leader to take them back.
God’s anger rose again.
Numbers 14: 11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.”
Moses interceded for the people asking God to spare them.
Numbers
14:20 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. 25 Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.”
26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years,suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.”
We need to be clear what is happening. Why was God angry with his people? Why were they not allowed to enter the promised land? The two main reasons were complaining and unbelief, or trusting God. They complained about their situation and didn’t believe God could or would deliver on his promise of the promised land.
More complaining..
Numbers 21:4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea,[
c] to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
Over and over again, people turned against God by unbelief which exhibited itself in disobedience and complaining.
How should we look at what happened to the Israelites?
1 Corinthians 10:1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.
We must choose to be a person of thankfulness so that we don't become a person of complaining.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas