Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life- Philippians 2:14-15 NIV

I recently began reading a fictional story about the Exodus. 

The story is written from the point of view of Aaron (Moses’ older brother and the first High Priest). The writer (Francine Rivers) focuses on what Aaron may have felt or thought. It (almost) goes without saying that no one could actually know what Aaron (or any other dead person) thought or felt.  Therefore, like all fictional stories about the Bible, it should be read with a healthy measure of discernment and not be given the same credibility or authority as the biblical account.  

That little disclaimer out of the way.

I am enjoying the story. It’s made me think more deeply about a biblical account that truth-be-told has never been one of my favorites. 

The story itself is a great story. After generations of brutal slavery in Egypt (Exodus 1:8-13). God chose Moses to liberate the decedents of Abaraham, Isaac and Jacob. God sent a series of plagues to mock the Egyptian gods and punish the daylights out of Pharaoh for his sin and stubborn refusal free God’s people (Exodus 5-12). God worked things out in such a way that when the Hebrews departed Egypt their oppressors gave them gifts that more-or-less set them up to begin their new life. As they were leaving God parted the Red Sea to allow the Hebrews pass through while the Egyptians who reneged on their promise to let the Hebrews go were drowned (Exodus 14). Then God miraculously provided for the Hebrews physical needs by sending them honey-flavored wafers each morning (Exodus 16). God also sent a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night to guide them exactly where they needed to go (Exodus 13:21-22). 

It’s good stuff. Until its not. 

The bad news is that it took the Hebrews approximately fifteen minutes to totally forget every good thing God had ever done for them. Rather than expressing gratitude, wonder and awe at God’s miraculous provision and care the people got a nasty case of the grumblies and found fault with everything God did and provided.

It’s super gross.

 In its most basic form grumbling is complaining. However, grumbling never ends with a bit of belly aching. It always includes ungratefulness and finding fault with God and others (especially leaders) (Romans 1:21). 

Grumbling is bad.  

Grumbling and the nasty things that go along with it (fault finding and ingratitude) were the reasons God let the Hebrews wander in the desert like a bunch of fools until the entire generation died (Numbers 14:28-34). Grumbling was at the root of every unpleasant consequence the Hebrews experienced throughout Exodus and Numbers. Unfortunately, grumbling is not strictly an Old Testament problem (John 6:43-66, Jude 1:16, 1st Peter 4:9). Sometimes people see grumbling as “discernment” or “an awareness of issues”. The difference is that discernment always sees a solution whereas grumbling faithlessly focuses on the negative.  Grumbling and fault finding are sins anyone can fall into, sometimes without knowing it. Following are just a few reasons to be on the lookout for the sin of grumbling in our lives:

Grumbling transforms our hearts-

Grumbling inevitably transforms people into an awful version of themselves. Once a person starts down the path of grumbling and faultfinding their heart undergoes a profound and ugly change. They become blind to the good and their complaints (even if they are groundless) begin to feel reasonable and even wise. Grumbling always leads to a profound lack of self-awareness in ourselves.

Grumbling is indicative of bigger problems-

Grumbling is typically the fruit of a heart that has either lost connection with God or never had it (Matthew 7:17-19, Matthew 12:33). Consequently, grumbling is always a sign of underlying sins like pride, bitterness, jealousy, selfish ambition and thanklessness (Psalm 31:18, James 3:14-16)

Grumbling destroys families, churches and friendships – 

Unhappy families, dysfunctional churches and fractured friendships always have one thing in common: at least one grumbler. Grumblers never keep their feelings or opinions to themselves. Nor do they work out the problems they have with people in a healthy way. Instead, they gossip, backbite and nurture their anger until it hardens into bitterness (Hebrews 12:15). This inevitably produces division and strife. Division and strife lead to broken relationships, fractured families and split churches (Acts 8:23, Galatians 5:15, 2nd Corinthains 12:20, Ephesians 4:31, Proverbs 16:28). 

Grumblers have issues with authority-

One way to know if you (or someone else) is a grumbler is to take a hard look at how you/they respond to authority. A grumbler almost always develops an issue with the authority if not right away, over time. Grumblers long for control, therefore, they struggle with authority. They want the final word, and they struggle to submit to anyone—even God. 

Yikes. 

Here’s the thing:

Grumbling is bad. Really bad. Nonetheless, it’s not hard to prevent grumbling or even to stop it once it starts. Loving God through a daily practice of worship, praise and thankfulness is the antidote to grumbling, fault finding and lack of appreciation for our blessings. If we combine praise and gratitude with a commitment to dealing with issues quickly and forgiving others from the heart, we are guaranteed to keep the grumblies at bay.