In Numbers 11:1, we find these words: “And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.”
Most people probably wouldn’t consider complaining to be a sin serious enough to warrant mention. Unfortunately, all of us have been guilty of grumbling at some point. Actually, most of us might even view the occasional complaint normal and necessary. However, vocalizing isolated grievances over some matter or the other is quite different from a lifestyle of constant whining. The latter was the case with the children of Israel, who in spite of the many demonstrations of God’s obvious power and care on their behalf, found it easy to gripe and bellyache over every onset of difficulty.
It’s wise to acknowledge the fact that God took Israel’s negativity seriously. Israel’s ungrateful attitude elicited God’s displeasure, His anger, and His judgment, as seen by the statement in Numbers 11:1, that “…the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.”
The sad outgrowth of a complaining attitude is that it affects and infects others. One case in point is found in Deuteronomy 1:28, where the children of Israel were debating whether they would be able to overcome the people of Canaan, as God had promised. Listen to what they said: “Whither shall we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.” The fact is that a negative, complaining spirit is contagious. It rubs off on others, whether we intend for it to or not. May we resolve in 2016 not to be complainers, but praisers, for, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness” (Ps. 48:1).
We as Christians would do well to remember that a little complaining goes a long way. In closing, allow me to illustrate my point with the following bit of humor:
Vow of Silence
A monk joined a monastery and took a vow of silence. After the first 10 years his superior called him in and asked, “Do you have anything to say?”
The monk replied, “Food bad.”
After another 10 years, the monk again had opportunity to voice his thoughts. He said, “Bed hard.”
Another 10 years went by and again he was called in before his superior. When asked if he had anything to say, he responded, “I quit.”
It doesn’t surprise me a bit,” said his superior. “You’ve done nothing but complain ever since you got here.”
