Murmuring

by L.A. Hickling, Derby | Category: General | Jul 1975

Murmuring is defined in the dictionary as "a continuous subdued expression of discontent". The world around us is no stranger to expressions of discontent, whether subdued or violent, but it is a sad thing when those who have been redeemed out of the world become a prey to it. They lose much; and God loses much. Rather let us experience the practical outworking in our lives of the thought expressed by the apostle Paul in writing to Timothy, "Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Tim. 6:6).

In a bygone day the people of Israel were redeemed out of Egypt, called to be a holy nation and led by the Lord to enter into an inheritance which He was to give to them. They had privileges and responsibilities which were the lot of no other nation, and yet they murmured. Egypt had not been left far behind when they came to Marah and

"they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter:

therefore the name of it was called Marah" (Exod. 15:23).

Bitter waters, and anxiety as a result of them, caused the people to murmur against their leader. The way the Lord was leading them brought them to the unpleasant and bitter experience. Had the Lord forgotten them, or was His arm shortened that He could not save them? Moses cried to the Lord and

"the LORD shewed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet."

The Lord had the answer and He shewed them how the bitterness could be made sweet. They needed not to murmur but to trust. Even the bitter experiences had a place in the pattern He had planned.

In the second month out of Egypt the people were murmuring again. This time the cause of it was their inward longing for the things they had left behind in Egypt

"when we sat by the flesh pots, when we did eat bread to the full" (Exod. 16:3).

The wilderness way became irksome to them and they thought back with longing to the flesh pots of Egypt. So they murmured. Had they forgotten the bondage associated with the flesh pots, and did they value too lightly the freedom into which the Lord had called them? Again, the Lord had the answer:

"I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day" (Exod. 16:4).

The bread from heaven could give them a greater satisfaction than the flesh pots of Egypt. As they gathered the manna that He sent in the morning they saw the glory of the Lord, and in the evening when He sent them flesh to eat they knew that the Lord had brought them out from the land of Egypt. Do we have a murmuring spirit because of the loss of some of the unsatisfying morsels of the world? The abundant supply of spiritual food that the Lord has provided waits to be gathered day by day.

They murmured because of bitter experience; they murmured as they lusted after Egypt, and they murmured, too, against their leaders.

"the people murmured against Moses" (Exod. 17:3).

When hearts are out of touch with God it is easy to find fault with those to

whom God has given the spiritual care of His people. Even at the entrance to the promised land, as they lost sight of the power and faithfulness of the God who had led them, and saw instead the "men of great stature ... the sons of Anak, which come of the Nephilim"

"all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron" (Num. 14:2).

"ye murmured in your tents" (Deut. 1:27).

Though their murmurings were against their leaders, and though they may have been expressed only in the privacy of their tents, God heard, and God noted them as murmurings against Him:

"the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against Him" (Exod. 16:8).

God is gracious and slow to anger, but the time came when He had to say "how long shall I bear this evil congregation, which murmur against

Me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against Me" (Num. 14:27).

and in His righteousness He had to pronounce judgement upon the people saying,

"surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see the good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers, save Caleb(Deut. 1:35).

And so they were not able to enter into their inheritance.

In the epistle to the Hebrews we read that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief. The root of their murmuring was unbelief. They had failed to take hold of the promises of God. They said,

"Because the LORD hated us, He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us" (Deut. 1:27).

What could be further from the truth? The Lord had said that He had chosen them because He loved them (Deut. 7:8), and that the Amorites would be delivered up before them. They failed to enjoy what God had for them because of their unbelief - an unbelief which led to their continual expressions of discontent.

The apostle Paul writes that these things were written for our admonition and warns us against murmuring as they murmured. The words of Philippians 2:14 put it in a positive way, "Do all things without murmurings and disputings".

Bitter experiences, fleshly longings, wrong thoughts of others may prompt murmurings of discontent, beginning in privacy and spreading to infect others and so to hinder ourselves and them from enjoying the blessings of the inheritance that God has for us. Let us seek grace from God to see the source of the murmurings in the unbelief that lies behind them. And let us seek His help to get a clearer vision of our inheritance that "we may be blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation".

Peter exhorts the saints to be fervent in their love amongst themselves

"Using hospitality one to another without murmuring" (1 Pet. 4:9).

Then, as now, there was a great need for the practical manifestation of love amongst the saints and so the apostle teaches them that the opportunity to show Christian love should be regarded as a privilege and not a burden. The world is full of discontent and murmuring. The great God of heaven is our Father. All things are under His control and He has bidden us to be anxious in nothing. Why should we murmur? Rather let us be occupied with thanksgiving.

"words flow apace when you complain

And fill your fellow-creature's ear

With the sad tales of all your care.

Were half the breath thus vainly spent

To heaven in supplication sent,

Your cheerful song would oftener be,

'Hear what the Lord has done for me'."

L.A. Hickling, Derby | Jul 1975
General