Victor Hamilton says about complaining and testing God: “God is not to be tested. His reliability is not something that needs to be established.
“A companion to testing is murmuring. Murmuring is a frame of mind in which one believes that in difficulties, God is insufficient. Murmuring leads to hardening of the heart.”
The Hebrews have been free from slavery in Egypt for only a few weeks, and yet they find occasion to complain and quarrel with God.
From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
The people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”
But the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” (Exodus 17:1-3).
When circumstances don’t work out the way we planned, we often resort to complaining. We may direct our complaints to another human, but it is possible that God’s goodness is also questioned.
Paul’s counsel should be followed when we are tempted to grumble.
Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world (Philippians 2:14-15).
Hebrews reveals the heart condition of the Israelites’ complaints. We do well to practice self-examination and see how we are similar to the ancient Hebrews.
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
as on the day of testing in the wilderness,
where your ancestors put me to the test,
though they had seen my works
for forty years.
Therefore I was angry with that generation,
and I said, ‘They always go astray in their hearts,
and they have not known my ways.’ (Hebrews 3:7-10)
The Book of Hebrews identifies the attitudes that are at the root of complaining.
- Hardness of Heart: A person with a hard heart is intent on getting their own way. They believe they are always right and inflexible with their demands.
- Testing God: Many people believe God can forgive their sins and provide them with an eternity in heaven. At the same time, they don’t believe God is sufficient to help them with their daily needs or wants. Their grumbling is a test of God’s patience.
- Not Knowing God’s Ways: When we know God’s ways of dealing with humans, we will recognize His activity in difficult circumstances. Until we learn His ways, we will be tempted to complain about what is happening to us.
Moses’ Prayer
Paul wrote, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6).
Rather than wallowing in self-pity and worry, Moses brought his trouble to the Lord in prayer.
So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do for this people? They are almost ready to stone me” (Exodus 17:4).
God is faithful and gave Moses the directions he needed.
The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile and go.
I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel (Exodus 17:5-6).
God intervened and produced immediate water for the thirsty Israelites. Centuries later, Paul recognized the spiritual reality behind God’s presence and provision for the Exodus generation.
All drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4).
As I examine this passage with the benefit of hindsight, I am challenged to look for God’s activity in the midst of my troubles. I need to ask, “Where is God at work, and how can I adjust my life to His activity?”
A Sad Story
Paul’s message of Christ’s presence in the wilderness is a reminder that some of the Israelites failed the test.
Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:5).
The name of this episode of mumuring was a statement of the Israelites lack of faith.
He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (Exodus 17:7).
If I were to place a name at every place where I grumbled, complained, or murmured a complaint, the list would be voluminous.
Paul’s wise words are worth considering and obeying: And do not complain, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer (1 Corinthians 10:10).
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 