In the tenth chapter of first Corinthians, the apostle warns us not to repeat the same errors made by the Hebrews, in their experiences with God, prominent among which was the sin of murmuring, a sin that is of common occurrence, even in our day. There was a tendency amongst the Hebrews to complain, and murmur about anything and everything to the point where they even found fault with their blessings.
God had emancipated them from the most brutal slavery in Egypt, and in lieu of this they should have been relishing their new-found freedom. Yet, as the sacred record shows, it didn’t take long after having come out of Egypt, for complaining to arise. First it was the charge that they were better off in Egypt as if God did them wrong by freeing them. Let’s read:
Exodus 14:11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
Then there was the complaint about water, even though God had promised to supply their need. The food also became a source of grumbling, and later on they complained about variety. As Christians, we are not to conclude that just because God has made a promise, we will never have to wait. We are living in an imperfect world, and as such, we should not expect everything to be smooth sailing all the time.
Jesus suffered hunger and thirst, and there were times when He had to flee for His life, just like any other human being. He didn’t accuse The Father of ill-treatment or unfairness, instead, He buckled up His shoes and prayed for grace to surmount every difficulty and emergency.
And having set the example for us, we should follow in His footsteps when the going gets rough. however, because of the “fast food” type of systems we have become accustomed to, very few persons are willing to wait anymore. Phrases such as call now, hurry, hurry and just click do not generally work in the spiritual realm for even though these words have become a main- stay of the now generation, patience is still to be an active ingredient in the Christian’s life.
Indeed, murmuring often displays a lack of prayer, for if one is in the habit of waiting upon God, he/she will have a much better understanding of His ways, and methods, than those who sit on the sidelines to grumble. In the book of Malachi, the same spirit of complaining is observed, when it came time for the return of tithes and offerings, for many looked upon the command as a heavy burden. Let’s read:
Malachi 3: 13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?
14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?
15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.
In fact, it is more blessed to give than to receive and the main reason why God as ordained the return of a portion of our income, is so that covetousness and selfishness may be rooted out of our characters, by the regular practice of giving. God does not need anything from any human being, for whatsoever we may bring as an offering is already His. Let’s read:
1st chronicles 29:14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
2nd Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposes in his heart so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Hence the reason why the admonition of Paul is so pertinent, especially in our day, where the spirit of murmuring has taken deep root in almost every sector of society. Even though many folks may not be aware, murmuring is a sin, and as Paul reviewed the history of the Hebrews, he beheld a pattern of unwarranted complaining, which shaped their after-history. Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 10: Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for
examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Many people may not know that what one believes will happen to them, often becomes reality, for our thoughts and expectations generally tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies. This is because folks generally make efforts towards what they expect, and what we do not expect, receives little or no effort.
Therefore, we should cultivate positive thoughts by dwelling on, and believing in the promises of God, letting the chips fall where they may, whilst hoping against hope, for wherever hope is lost, the energy and determination to move forward can be severely thwarted.
Harboring evil forebodings, and regurgitating the darker side of our experiences, are not conducive to health, well-being, faith and hope, therefore, we are encouraged to do like Paul, and so many others who surmounted disappointment and trial, trusting God to fulfill His promises in due season. Let’s read:
Philippians 3:13 This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
If someone has hurt you, move on from such an experience. If someone in whom you trusted has betrayed your trust, forgive and forget. If someone owes you money, and is avoiding you, write it off, and instead of rehashing the bitter experiences, you should count your many blessings naming them one by one.
This is what the Hebrews failed to do when they encountered difficulty, because, instead of reaching forward with the eye of faith and thus taking hold of unseen realities, they would continually revert back to the Egypt experience, and thereby, they became blinded by the past, instead of being energized by the future.
The Hebrews had erroneously anticipated that they would die in the wilderness, and by repeating this unfounded premonition, it actually came true, even though God’s promises had been given them to the contrary. Thus, it was by the continual repetition of their evil forebodings, and by refusing to embrace God’s promises, that the thought which began as a phantom, gave birth reality, and haunted them to the grave. Several texts bear this out. Let’s read:
Exodus 16:2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
Exodus 17:3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
Numbers 16:12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up.
13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that flows with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness?
Numbers 11:6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
Numbers 14:1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
3 And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto 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?
4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
Thus, the darkness harbored, the unbelief indulged, coupled together with continuous murmuring, set the stage for the self-fulfilling prophecy to become a reality. One by one, group by group, they fell, until their ominous predictions materialized, and became etched in the pages of sacred history. Let’s read:
Numbers 26:64 But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.
65 And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Now we turn to the core of our study, to show how the thoughts of murmuring and complaining often directly affect what happens in the real world. The disciples of Christ have just experienced a great day, for they have witnessed with their own two eyes, the miracle of the loaves and fishes.
It seems as if heaven had come down to earth that day, for they saw the little food that was offered to Jesus, multiply in real time, to feed the hungering thousands. Now they seek to make Him King, but for some strange reason, Jesus refuses. They press urgently forward, because they see this as their one and only golden opportunity, but Jesus wouldn’t have it.
And now, they, having been disappointed in their expectations, begin to murmur. They question why Jesus does not want to be made king, if the people are pumped up for the event. Then, this leads to other questions: why did not He deliver John, the Baptist, and why must His followers be subject to reproach and ridicule. Their thoughts were stormy, and it would affect the natural world. Let’s read:
Matthew 14:21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
Contrary thoughts often produce contrary events in the natural world, because the spiritual and physical are much more closely intertwined than many folks realize. Our contemporary science teaches that the natural world is governed strictly by natural law and no other input, or cause can be attributed to those upheavals in nature, which often cost us billions.
This science that excludes spiritual factors is known to be profoundly false and flawed, because it is not supported in scripture. Every sin that is done, every lie that is told, every false oath that is taken, and every innocent life that is killed, produces some kind of ripple effect or repercussion in the physical world. In fact, natural law is located downstream of spiritual law. Let none be deceived about this. Let’s read:
Hosea 4:1 Hear the word of the Lord, for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, or knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and everyone that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
Genesis 4: 9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
Genesis 35:33 Ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood defiles the land, and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.
Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile it is confusion.
24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things.
25 For the land is defiled, and the land itself vomits out her inhabitants.
27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)
28 That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.
Thus, the Bible teaches us differently as it pertains to the correlation between the spiritual, and physical and shows in many instances that the state of our minds can affect the state of the natural world, as the disciples are now finding out. They’re fishermen by trade and storms are nothing new, but this one seems to be different, for try as they might, they cannot bring their boat to shore.
Then, added to their predicament, they observe in the distance what seems to be a phantom, the grim reaper as they thought, coming to put the final nail in the coffin. They cry out in fear, for there’s no way out for them to run, and in the heat of the moment, murmuring gives way to panic. Let’s read:
Matthew 14:25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
[The Desire of Ages. pp 380>381]The disciples had that day witnessed the wonderful works of Christ. The memory of that precious, glorious day should have filled them with faith and hope. Had they, out of the abundance of their hearts, been conversing together in regard to these things, they would not have entered into temptation.
There are those in our day who follow the lead of the Hebrews by complaining and murmuring, when they should be pregnant with praises for all of the many blessings God continues to bestow, each and every day. If there’s food on our table, that’s a great blessing, and if we have a roof over our heads that’s another great blessing.
As we view those migrants on the border, many of them having to sleep on the bare ground, with little food or medical care, we who are privileged to have comfy beds and air-condition should have no reason for a mumbling word to escape our lips. Again, if we have jobs and, and are able to pay our bills, that is a blessing too, for there are those who would eagerly work for much less than some of us make. Let’s read:
Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Again, if we are able to breathe freely, and if we are in good health, there is much to give thanks for. In fact, as a general rule of thumb, the blessings which God bestows on us each day greatly out-weigh any negatives, so that it is appropriate that praise, and thanksgiving should be our theme and song. But many people fall into the sin of murmuring at God for any perceived inconveniences.
Some complain about the heat in South Florida, so in response God may send rain. But no sooner than rainy season comes, some complain about flooding. Then God in His mercy may cause the temperature to drop to cool us down but there we go again with grumbling about a cold front. Some complain about the boss, the spouse, the kids, the car, the job, the traffic, and the lines at the grocery store.
What many of us may not realize is that the spirit of grumbling and murmuring often sets negatives into motion, which produce adverse situations, because, as we continue to dwell on the darker side of life, our minds, our thoughts, and our general outlook becomes gradually enveloped in an impenetrable cloud of darkness, by which, the many blessings of God can seem to be curses.
Now, we are not minimizing any real problems that some may have, and the Bible does not promise us a bed of roses; we are referring to the willingness to make lemonade of our lemons. In many instances, adverse situations which befall us are the result of harboring premonitions of evil, for whenever we anticipate evil, it is more than likely to come our way.
Therefore, through prayer, faith in God, and if we confess, the spirit of joy and praise will be made to replace the dark outlook on life some of us may be harboring. Let the sunshine of God’s love, and the promise of a brighter tomorrow, energize, and fill us with hope, for wherever faith in God’s promises is cherished, there will always be something good to look forward to. We end with a passage which will encourage us to think big. Let’s read:
Isaiah 61:The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
God Bless!