The Sin Of Complaining/Grumbling Series

Illustration: A man walked into a hardware store and asked for a chain saw advertised to cut six trees in an hour. He returned the next day, fussing and complaining, "This chainsaw is defective. It would only cut one tree, and it took ALL DAY!" The salesman said, "Let me look at it," reaching down and starting the chainsaw. The man said, "What's that noise?" He had not started the chainsaw; he thought it was a regular saw.

Today I will talk about "The Sin of Complaining/Grumbling." Is complaining the same as grumbling? Both are expressions of dissatisfaction/discontent or annoyance about something or a situation. But according to a dictionary, grumbling is the expression or act of complaining in a bad-tempered way. King James Version often calls it "murmuring." Illustration: A monk joined a monastery and took a vow of silence. After the first ten years, his superior called him in and asked, "Do you have anything to say?" The monk replied, "Food bad." After another ten years, the monk again had the opportunity to voice his thoughts. He said, "Bed hard." Another ten years went by, and again he was called in before his superior. When asked if he had anything to say, he responded, "I quit." The superior responded: "It doesn't surprise me a bit. You've done nothing but complain ever since you got here."

Do you complain or grumble a lot? Complaining is so typical these days. People like to complain about everything: pandemics, weather, gas price, inflation, travel restrictions, traffic, taxes, and troubles of all kinds! Somebody said, "On the seventh day, God rested, and on the 8th day, God started answering complaints." How about us? Do we complain about the weather? Some people complain about cold, hot, rainy, cloudy, and sunny weather. How do we speak about our spouse or children? What kinds of things do you say about your job? Do we complain about someone who didn't treat us the way we thought we should be treated? Are we genuinely content with what the Lord determines for us? Did you realize that complaining is directed at God, who has control over our circumstances? That is why complaining can be a serious sin.

Look what happened to God's people, Israel! God had incredibly blessed them, delivering them supernaturally from slavery in Egypt, protecting them against their enemies - even miraculously supplying daily bread and water for them in the desert. Sadly, they still complained: they complained about their food, water, the imaginary luxuries they had left behind in Egypt, and against their leaders. Numbers 14:1-4 tell us – "That night, all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt." Because of their complaints, God would punish them. But Moses asked God's forgiveness for them. Here is God's answer in verses 20-23 - "The Lord replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times—not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it."

We should be careful not to complain/grumble so that we won't commit the sin that causes negative consequences in our lives, like what happened to the Israelites! Now let's learn why complaining/grumbling is a sin. Complaining began after the Fall of Adam and Eve. When God created Eve for Adam to be his suitable helper, he was so happy. But after he sinned, he blamed it on God for what he did. He said to God, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." (Gen 3:12)." Adam was the first complainer in the world. Here we see why complaining/grumbling is a sin because:

I. It is doubting God's love and wisdom and denying His sovereignty in our lives. When Israelites grumbled and complained against Moses and Aaron, they were actually calling to question God's ability to carry out his will. Complaining and grumbling are just the surface symptom of a much deeper problem--discontent. This is why the Bible so strongly condemns them. They are evidence that we are dissatisfied with the way God is doing things and an expression of unbelief toward God's sovereignty in our life. Remember, the Bible says, "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28). If we really believe that God is in control of our lives and is working in all things for our good, we will stop complaining and start thanking Him for the plan He is working together for us. Complaining/grumbling is the symptom of a deep-seated spiritual problem. It is a failure to trust God and submit to His providential will. It is a serious sin. The solution to this problem is to recognize our sin and then realize and acknowledge that our heavenly Father always knows what's best for us.