No Complaining
Complaining and arguing is harmful to us, it causes stress; Philippians 2:14-16
says “do all things without murmurings and disputings. That you may be
blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a
crooked and perverse nation, among whom you sine as lights in the world.
holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have
not run in vain, neither labored in vain”. Our life should be characterized by
moral purity, patience, and peacefulness, so that we will shine brightly in a dark
and perverse world. a transformed life is an effective witness to the power of
God’s word (Matthew 5:16) Jesus tells us “let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”.
Psalms 100:4-5 says “enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts
with praise; be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord Yahweh is
good, His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations”. This
means that when we murmur and complain, you are leaving His presence. II
Corinthians 4:13-15 says “we having the same spirit of faith, according as it is
written, I believed and therefore have I spoken, we also believe and therefore
speak. Knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also
by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that
the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the
glory of God”.
Complaining is actually limiting God (Psalms 78:40-42) “how often did they
provoke Him in the wilderness, and grieve Him in the desert. Yea, they turned
back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered
not His hand, nor the day when He delivered them from the enemy”.
Dissatisfaction comes when our attention shifts from what we have to what we
don’t have. The people of Israel didn’t seem to notice what God was doing for
them, setting them free, making them a nation, giving them a new land. They
were so wrapped up in what God wasn’t doing for them. They could think of
nothing but the delicious Egyptian food they had left behind. Somehow they
forgot that the brutal whip of Egyptian slavery was the cost of eating that food.
Now before we judge the Israelites too harshly, it’s helpful to think about what
occupies our attention most of the time. Are we grateful for what God has
given us, or are we always thinking about what we would like to have? We
should not allow our unfulfilled desires to cause us to forget God’s gifts of life.
Our redemption cost Jesus His life.
God looks at murmuring and complaining as unbelief with. Every morning the
Israelites came out of their tent and witnessed a miracle. The ground was
covered with “manna”, on the ground was white, fluffy manna, food from
heaven, but soon that wasn’t enough. Feeling it was their right to more, they
forgot what they already had. They didn’t ask God to fill their need; instead
they demanded meat, and they stopped trusting God to care for them. “Oh, for
some meat”, they complained to Moses as they reminisced about the god food
they had in Egypt. God gave them what they asked for, but they paid dearly for
it when a plague stuck the camp; (Numbers 11:18-20; 31-33) “and say you to
the people, sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and you shall eat flesh; for
you have wept in the ears of the Lord Yahweh, saying, who shall give us flesh
to eat, for it was well with us in Egypt; therefore the Lord Yahweh will give you
flesh, and you shall eat. You shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days,
neither ten days, nor twenty days. But even a whole month, until it come out at
your nostrils, and it be loathsome to you; because that you despised the Lord
Yahweh which is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, why came we
forth out of Egypt? And there went forth a wind from the Lord Yahweh and
brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s
journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high
upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that
night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails; he that gathered least
gathered ten homers; and they spread them all abroad for themselves round
about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was
chewed, the wrath of the Lord Yahweh was kindled against the people, and the
Lord Yahweh smote the people with a great plague”.
As the Israelites encountered danger, shortages, and inconvenience, they
complained bitterly and longed to be back in Egypt. But as always, God
provided for their needs. Difficult circumstances often lead to stress, and
complaining is a natural response. The Israelites’ lack of trust in God, they
could only think about the what they didn’t have. When pressure comes your
way, resist the temptation to make a quick escape, instead, focus on God’s
power and wisdom to help you deal with the cause. James 3:10-16 says “out of
the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing, My brethren these things
ought not so to be. Does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water
and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? Either a vine,
figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man,
and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good
conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envying
and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom
descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying
and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work”.
When you feel you have anything to complain about, cast that care on the Lord
and trust Him. Some complaints seem valid. The Israelites complained to
Moses, and then Moses complained to God. God responded positively to
Moses and negatively to the rest of the people. Many people ask why? The
people complained to one another, and nothing was accomplished, but Moses
took his complaint to God, who could solve any problem. Many of us are good
at complaining to each other, but we need to learn to take our problems to the
One who can do something about them.
We are told to “casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you (I Peter 5:
7); and in Philippians 4:6-7 says “be careful for nothing; but in every thing by
prayer and supplications with thanksgiving let your request be made known to
God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.
Jesus warns that it is our words that will condemn us (Matthew 12:37) “for by
your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned”.
Look at how the Israelites murmured and complaining caused then to die in the
wilderness (Numbers 13-14); God had given the Israelites the promise land,
and told them to go in and possess it; lets look at verses 13:1-2 “And the Lord
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying. Send you men, that they may search the land
of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel; of every tribe of their fathers
shall you send a man, every one a ruler among them”. They went out as the
Lord Yahweh had commanded them. In verses 25-33 we see what happened
as they returned; it says “and they returned from searching of the land after
forty days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the
congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kedesh;
and brought back word to them, and to all the congregation, and showed them
the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, we came to the land where
you sent us, and surely it flows with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.
Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are
walled, and very great; and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. the
Amalekites dwell in the land of the south; and the Hitties, and the Jebusites,
and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea,
and by the coast of Jordan. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and
said. Let us go up at once; and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
But the men that went up with him said, we be not able to go up against the
people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of
the land which they had searched to the children of Israel, saying, the land
through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eats up the inhabitants
thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And
there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants; and we
were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight”.
Chapter 14:1-4 continues to say “and all the congregation lifted up their voice,
and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel
murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said
to them. Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt or would God we
had died in this wilderness. And wherefore has the Lord Yahweh brought us to
this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a
prey? Were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to
another, let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt”.
God was not pleased with this and in verses 28-31 He says “say to them, as
truly as I live, says the Lord Yahweh, as you have spoken in My ears, so will I
do to you. Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were
numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and
upward, which have murmured against Me. Doubtless you shall not come into
the land, concerning which I swear to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the
son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which you
said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which
you have despises”.
Many died through their murmuring and complaining. Again in Numbers 21:5-8
it says “and the people spoke against God, and against Moses, wherefore have
you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bred,
neither is there any water; and our soul loathes this light bread. And the Lord
Yahweh sent fiery serpents, among the people, and they bit the people; and
much people of Israel dies. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, we
have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord Yahweh, and against you;
pray to the Lord Yahweh, that He take away the serpents from us. And Moses,
prayed for the people. And the Lord Yahweh said to Moses, make you a fiery
serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is
bitten, when he looks upon it, shall live”.
In Romans 15:4 we learn that it says “for whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of
the scriptures might have hope”. So let us know that people of the world only
know about the church is that its members constantly argue, complain, and
gossip, this gives a false impression of Christ and the gospel. Belief in Christ
should unite those who trust Him, so let us stop arguing with other Christians or
complaining about people and conditions and let the world see Christ.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: August 24, 2010
Complaining and arguing is harmful to us, it causes stress; Philippians 2:14-16
says “do all things without murmurings and disputings. That you may be
blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a
crooked and perverse nation, among whom you sine as lights in the world.
holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have
not run in vain, neither labored in vain”. Our life should be characterized by
moral purity, patience, and peacefulness, so that we will shine brightly in a dark
and perverse world. a transformed life is an effective witness to the power of
God’s word (Matthew 5:16) Jesus tells us “let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”.
Psalms 100:4-5 says “enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts
with praise; be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord Yahweh is
good, His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations”. This
means that when we murmur and complain, you are leaving His presence. II
Corinthians 4:13-15 says “we having the same spirit of faith, according as it is
written, I believed and therefore have I spoken, we also believe and therefore
speak. Knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also
by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that
the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the
glory of God”.
Complaining is actually limiting God (Psalms 78:40-42) “how often did they
provoke Him in the wilderness, and grieve Him in the desert. Yea, they turned
back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered
not His hand, nor the day when He delivered them from the enemy”.
Dissatisfaction comes when our attention shifts from what we have to what we
don’t have. The people of Israel didn’t seem to notice what God was doing for
them, setting them free, making them a nation, giving them a new land. They
were so wrapped up in what God wasn’t doing for them. They could think of
nothing but the delicious Egyptian food they had left behind. Somehow they
forgot that the brutal whip of Egyptian slavery was the cost of eating that food.
Now before we judge the Israelites too harshly, it’s helpful to think about what
occupies our attention most of the time. Are we grateful for what God has
given us, or are we always thinking about what we would like to have? We
should not allow our unfulfilled desires to cause us to forget God’s gifts of life.
Our redemption cost Jesus His life.
God looks at murmuring and complaining as unbelief with. Every morning the
Israelites came out of their tent and witnessed a miracle. The ground was
covered with “manna”, on the ground was white, fluffy manna, food from
heaven, but soon that wasn’t enough. Feeling it was their right to more, they
forgot what they already had. They didn’t ask God to fill their need; instead
they demanded meat, and they stopped trusting God to care for them. “Oh, for
some meat”, they complained to Moses as they reminisced about the god food
they had in Egypt. God gave them what they asked for, but they paid dearly for
it when a plague stuck the camp; (Numbers 11:18-20; 31-33) “and say you to
the people, sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and you shall eat flesh; for
you have wept in the ears of the Lord Yahweh, saying, who shall give us flesh
to eat, for it was well with us in Egypt; therefore the Lord Yahweh will give you
flesh, and you shall eat. You shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days,
neither ten days, nor twenty days. But even a whole month, until it come out at
your nostrils, and it be loathsome to you; because that you despised the Lord
Yahweh which is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, why came we
forth out of Egypt? And there went forth a wind from the Lord Yahweh and
brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s
journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high
upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that
night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails; he that gathered least
gathered ten homers; and they spread them all abroad for themselves round
about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was
chewed, the wrath of the Lord Yahweh was kindled against the people, and the
Lord Yahweh smote the people with a great plague”.
As the Israelites encountered danger, shortages, and inconvenience, they
complained bitterly and longed to be back in Egypt. But as always, God
provided for their needs. Difficult circumstances often lead to stress, and
complaining is a natural response. The Israelites’ lack of trust in God, they
could only think about the what they didn’t have. When pressure comes your
way, resist the temptation to make a quick escape, instead, focus on God’s
power and wisdom to help you deal with the cause. James 3:10-16 says “out of
the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing, My brethren these things
ought not so to be. Does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water
and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? Either a vine,
figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man,
and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good
conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envying
and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom
descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying
and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work”.
When you feel you have anything to complain about, cast that care on the Lord
and trust Him. Some complaints seem valid. The Israelites complained to
Moses, and then Moses complained to God. God responded positively to
Moses and negatively to the rest of the people. Many people ask why? The
people complained to one another, and nothing was accomplished, but Moses
took his complaint to God, who could solve any problem. Many of us are good
at complaining to each other, but we need to learn to take our problems to the
One who can do something about them.
We are told to “casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you (I Peter 5:
7); and in Philippians 4:6-7 says “be careful for nothing; but in every thing by
prayer and supplications with thanksgiving let your request be made known to
God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.
Jesus warns that it is our words that will condemn us (Matthew 12:37) “for by
your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned”.
Look at how the Israelites murmured and complaining caused then to die in the
wilderness (Numbers 13-14); God had given the Israelites the promise land,
and told them to go in and possess it; lets look at verses 13:1-2 “And the Lord
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying. Send you men, that they may search the land
of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel; of every tribe of their fathers
shall you send a man, every one a ruler among them”. They went out as the
Lord Yahweh had commanded them. In verses 25-33 we see what happened
as they returned; it says “and they returned from searching of the land after
forty days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the
congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kedesh;
and brought back word to them, and to all the congregation, and showed them
the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, we came to the land where
you sent us, and surely it flows with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.
Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are
walled, and very great; and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. the
Amalekites dwell in the land of the south; and the Hitties, and the Jebusites,
and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea,
and by the coast of Jordan. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and
said. Let us go up at once; and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
But the men that went up with him said, we be not able to go up against the
people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of
the land which they had searched to the children of Israel, saying, the land
through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eats up the inhabitants
thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And
there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants; and we
were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight”.
Chapter 14:1-4 continues to say “and all the congregation lifted up their voice,
and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel
murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said
to them. Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt or would God we
had died in this wilderness. And wherefore has the Lord Yahweh brought us to
this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a
prey? Were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to
another, let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt”.
God was not pleased with this and in verses 28-31 He says “say to them, as
truly as I live, says the Lord Yahweh, as you have spoken in My ears, so will I
do to you. Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were
numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and
upward, which have murmured against Me. Doubtless you shall not come into
the land, concerning which I swear to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the
son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which you
said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which
you have despises”.
Many died through their murmuring and complaining. Again in Numbers 21:5-8
it says “and the people spoke against God, and against Moses, wherefore have
you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bred,
neither is there any water; and our soul loathes this light bread. And the Lord
Yahweh sent fiery serpents, among the people, and they bit the people; and
much people of Israel dies. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, we
have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord Yahweh, and against you;
pray to the Lord Yahweh, that He take away the serpents from us. And Moses,
prayed for the people. And the Lord Yahweh said to Moses, make you a fiery
serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is
bitten, when he looks upon it, shall live”.
In Romans 15:4 we learn that it says “for whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of
the scriptures might have hope”. So let us know that people of the world only
know about the church is that its members constantly argue, complain, and
gossip, this gives a false impression of Christ and the gospel. Belief in Christ
should unite those who trust Him, so let us stop arguing with other Christians or
complaining about people and conditions and let the world see Christ.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: August 24, 2010
