Quit Complaining

I live in America.  The land of plenty.  I have the hope of heaven.  I have nothing to complain about.  But sometimes I do complain.  The Israelites find out quickly that complaining dishonors God.  Let that message sink into your heart today.

Right from the start, Numbers 11 starts with the Israelites complaining!  There was a joyous vibe in Numbers 10 because it was time to move out.  Here they should all be exhilarated to think they were finally going to take the Promised Land.  Instead, they started complaining about their hardships.  Verse 1 said they complained “in the hearing of the Lord.” Can’t the Lord hear everywhere, everything? Matthew Henry explains the statement in this way: “Though God graciously gives us leave to complain to him when there is cause (Psalm 142:2), yet he is justly provoked, and takes it very ill, if we complain of him when there is no cause…” 

What do you think the Israelites complained about? They were in the desert; maybe they were hot. Perhaps they had grown soft at the foot of the mountain and didn’t want to march.  Some people have a complaining nature and they will find something to complain about.  God says that if we do everything without arguing and complaining, we will shine like the stars in the universe (Philippians 2:14-15).  It is glorifying to God if we don’t complain even when we have cause.  I know that in the past people have asked me why I didn’t complain more.  I always say, “I can’t complain; it doesn’t help.”  

What about you?  Do you feel you have something to complain about? Do you tend to complain? How can you resist complaining?  Try finding something positive in the situation instead of complaining.  This will honor God and change our hearts at the same time. If we must complain, we need to take our complaints to God.  We have to be very careful that the words of our mouth are not dishonoring to God.  It is also very easy to dishonor others when we complain to people instead of to God.  I am often reminded that “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Proverbs 12:18) 

When we look at all that Jesus went through for us, we have no room to complain.  If we do need to complain when going through a difficult time, our first source to vent our feelings should be prayer.  David is so honest with God and he set an example for us in the Psalms. It is OK to complain to God.  He knows how we feel anyway.  And if we bring our complaints to Him, He often comforts us or speaks to us.  I remember complaining to Him once that I had no one to talk to about a situation because I tried calling a few friends and got no answer on the phone.  And then, it hit me!  God was there.  He was always there.  I could always talk to Him.  This might seem so basic, but in the moment I was really upset that I “had no one to talk to.”  God impressed that upon me so strongly that I never forgot it because it was a message directly from Him.  I treasure that memory. 

What are you complaining about lately? Are you willing to take this complaint to the Lord? Let Him carry your burdens (Psalm 55:22).  Numbers 11:4 says, "the rabble began to crave other food." Who are these people? In Exodus 12:38 we are told that many other people left Egypt with the Israelites. These are Egyptians who had formed relationships with the Hebrew slaves but they were not Hebrews. They were now living with the Israelites but they were not obeying their God and were causing trouble for the whole community.  These outsiders were not acting like Ruth from Moab who made Naomi’s God her God. (Ruth 1:16) 

FIRE! 

The Israelites’ complaining made the Lord angry.  This complaining was a rejection of the covenant they had sealed in blood.  Where was their faith?  God was very disappointed in them.  The Lord judged their sin by sending fire on the outskirts of the camp.  Notice, even in judgment, God shows mercy by not sending fire in the midst of the camp.  In the hot desert, a fire could spread so quickly and water would be scarce for putting it out.  Plus, the center of camp is the location of the Ark of God and His priests.

Fire is a sign of judgment, refining and cleansing.  God is judging the Israelites for their grumbling which showed contempt for the Lord.  The refining power of fire here has to do with the reminder to the people that they serve a jealous God who does not suffer rebellion.  Also, the cleansing power of fire in this judgment is the removal of those who started the complaining, at least those in the outskirts of the camp.  God said He would be with us in the fire of testing, but this is the fire of judgement.  He is sending it down. Nothing touches us that hasn’t first gone through God’s hands.  Those who were not complaining are warned by this action of God. 

The Israelites cried out to Moses in fear of the fire and to seek help.  Moses prayed to God.  The fire died down.  This is like the cycle of sin found in the book of Judges.  We will see the Israelites return to sin over and over again in the next 14 chapters of Numbers.  The cycle is the same: people turn to sin, God sends judgment, the people cry for mercy, God relents, then the people obey for a time but they eventually return to sin.  At this time, the Spirit of God did not indwell His people.  We have the same power that conquered the grave in our hearts, enabling us to break the cycle of sin.  Not to say that we are never like the Israelites; but if we feed the Spirit, draw close to God, memorize verses to bring to mind in times of temptation, we can be victorious in our walk with God and reflect Him better to the world around us.  Paul says in Romans 7 that he struggles with doing what he knows he should.  He goes on to say, “Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24b-25a) 

What cycle of sin are you experiencing? Find verses you can memorize to combat this area of struggle. What does the sin you return to say about how you see yourself and how you view God? God loves us as we are but wants us to have a victorious, free existence that joyfully points to Him. 

Israel named that place where fire consumed the outskirts of camp Taberah, which “comes from a Hebrew noun meaning ‘burning’” (Expositor’s Commentary, 787).  This place would hold a memory of a time that God judged their complaining. Let’s be thankful people of God today and shine like the stars!