Israel – Journey In The Wilderness
by Micky Galloway
Exodus 15:23-24 says, “And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?” The word “murmur” is defined as “low, muttered complaints; grumbling” (Webster); “to be obstinate” (Strong’s Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary).
Again, the text says, “And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness: and the children of Israel said unto them, Would that we had died by the hand of Jehovah in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16:1-3). In each instance God provided for his people that they might know that Jehovah is God (Exodus 16:12). Moses told the people that, “Jehovah heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him … your murmurings are not against us, but against Jehovah.”
Later as they journeyed to Rephidim the people murmured again, “Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” (Exodus 17:3). So God provided for the people bread to eat (manna) in the morning, meat (quail) in the evening and water for the people and their cattle to drink.
After they were instructed to go into the promised land, a land that flowed with milk and honey (Numbers 14:8), the people still murmured. After the provisions of manna, quail and water, in addition to the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, the Lord asks, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them?” (Numbers 14:11). God said to them, “your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, that have murmured against me, surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have rejected. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your whoredoms, until your dead bodies be consumed in the wilderness” (Numbers 14:29-33).
In Numbers 16 again the people murmured against Moses and Aaron. God sent a plague among the people that killed fourteen thousand, seven hundred before the plague could be stayed. Shortly thereafter, the people murmured again and God sent fiery serpents among them and many people died (Numbers 21:4-9). One wonders indeed, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them?” (Numbers 14:11).
If God was not pleased with murmuring and complaining then, what makes us think He is now? Jesus said, “…murmur not among yourselves” (John 6:43). Therefore, when we complain and murmur we have violated a direct command of our Lord. Now, where does this leave us? Paul wrote, “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and perished by the destroyer” (I Corinthians 10:10). “Do all things without murmurings and questionings: that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:14-15). James wrote, “Murmur not, brethren, one against another, that ye be not judged: behold, the judge standeth before the doors” (James 5:9). Jude described some as “murmurers, complainers, walking after their lusts; (and their mouth speaketh great swelling words), showing respect of persons for the sake of advantage” (Jude 16).
A murmurer can do great harm and irreparable damage to a congregation by creating discontent, discouragement and apathy among its members, by sowing discord among the brethren (which God hates, Proverbs 6:19). Murmuring during the wandering of Israel undermined the work of Moses and Aaron. Today it undermines the work of the preacher, teachers, deacons and rule of elders. It often creates a general attitude of dissatisfaction and loss of interest in the work of the church. Murmuring harms God’s people!
The murmurer does not truly love God and is not really interested in the welfare of the church. He is a dangerous threat to the cause of Christ. Christians should not lend our ears to be the garbage receptacle to the murmurer. Nor should we endorse his murmurings. Instead, we must exhort the guilty one to take his complaint either to the person or persons directly involved (Matthew 18:15-18). These are the ones who can properly address the matter and work at improving it. Remember, if one will murmur TO you about someone else, he will eventually murmur ABOUT you to someone else!
Yes, complaining is dealt with in the word of God and God will, in the end, deal with complainers.