Read Philippians 2:14; Exodus 15:22-17:7No one likes to be around a whiner. Perhaps this is the best way to cure a complainer...let them be around someone who whines and grumbles for a while. When they see how irritating and unattractive it is, they won't want to complain anymore! We all probably struggle with complaining to some degree, myself included. This lesson is just as convicting to me as it is to all of you, so you're not alone! Philippians 2:14 says, "Do everything without complaining or arguing." How are you doing in this area? Let's look in the book of Exodus and study a group who did their fair share of whining, and see what we can learn from their mistakes.
At this point in the text (15:22), the Israelites have just been delivered from slavery in Egypt. The have seen the Lord's miraculous power through the 10 plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. They have responded with a song of praise to the Lord in 15:1-18, thanking Him for all the wonders He has done. It seems like people who had just witnessed God's miracles and deliverance would follow Him joyfully from that day forward. However, the Israelites' thankful and worshipful attitude didn't last long. As they headed into the wilderness, it only took 3 days for them to start complaining. 3 days...3 days until the wonder and amazement of God's miracles and deliverance wore off!
In Exodus 5:24 we see the reason for their first complaint against the Lord. They began to grumble and complain, because the water was bitter. In response to this, the Lord provides for them, making the waters around them sweet. Did this miracle satisfy their grumbling? Unfortunately, it did not. In 16:3, they begin to grumble that they are hungry, even going so far as saying that they would have been better off back in Egypt as slaves! As a response to this, God produces another miracle to provide for their needs. He literally rains down bread from heaven every morning, and rains down quail every evening. I wish I could have seen that! However, that miracle didn't stop their grumbling either. In 17:2-3, we see the people complaining again that they are thirsty. This passage reads just like a broken record! The Lord hears their grumbling and provides for their need once again.
It's easy to judge the Israelites from our point of view. When you read this passage, their behavior seems ridiculous. How could they have such little faith in God? Why did they have such a hard time believing that God would take care of their needs, especially after all the miracles He had showed them? How can they complain after all that God has done for them? They've just been freed from slavery, yet they still grumble against the one who delivered them! How could they be that short-sighted?
I think we're all a lot more like the Israelites than we'd like to admit. When I think about my own life, I know that I have been guilty of the same faithless grumbling that the Israelites did. I complain about our financial situation, even though I can honestly say that I have never had a need remain unmet. God has never failed to provide for me, yet I still panic every time I read our bank statement. Like the Israelites, I am quick to forget all He has done for me! I complain about Lee's health, when I know full well that things could be so much worse. When I see people who are disabled, disfigured, or cancerous, I am convicted of my grumbling when our situation is not nearly as painful as those others experience. I complain about our tiny apartment, but when I see the homeless, I'm reminded that I really have nothing to grumble about...I have a roof over my head, which is more than many around the world can say. Yes, I'm a lot like the Israelites, and maybe you are as well. Take a moment to reflect. What do you complain and grumble about? Is your situation really as bad as you make it out to be? What do you need to thank God for today?
