Complaining

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Exodus 15:24     And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, :What shall we drink?”  And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

Exodus 16:2-3, 8     And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, where we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. . . . And Moses said, “When the LORD gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the LORD has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him–what are we?  Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD.

Numbers 11:1-4     And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes, and when the LORD heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.

Numbers 14:2-4, 26-30    And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron.  The whole congregation said to them, “would that we had died in the land of Egypt!  Or would that we had died in this wilderness!  Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword?  Our wives and our little ones will become prey.  Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”  . . . . “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me?  I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.  Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

Deuteronomy 1:26-27     “Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God.  And you murmured in your tents and said, ‘Because the LORD hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

Psalm 105:5     Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,

Psalm 106:25     They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the LORD.  Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them that he would make them fall in the wilderness.

Proverbs 29:11     A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

1 Corinthians 10:10-11    nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.  Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 

Philippians 2:14     Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 

James 5:9     Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

 

I think most people complain.  If I tried to add how often I murmur something negative, it is technically a complaint.  There can be a fierce wind that blows between my house and my neighbors’.  As I climb my outside stairs when it is winter and breezy, that cold blast will frequently have me saying, “Dang, I hate the cold; that wind is bitter.”  Then, because I remember that my comment about the wind and cold is a complaint, I apologize to my Creator, and will sometimes, even remind myself that the cold is keeping mosquitoes, flies, and many other anty bugs hidden until the spring and summer give them a rebirth.  To everything, there is a time and a season….

But, we complain when we don’t have immediate water and have to call a plumber, when out cell phone is not readily available since we laid it somewhere that is out of the norm.   Because I live alone, I bought some trackers and attached them to my phone.  If I can’t find it, I go to the signal connector, and press the number that is attached to  the phone back, and then follow the beeping until I locate it.  But, I may complain about how careless I am, how often I misplace things–still a complaint.

As the Hebrews made their way through the Wilderness, they offered many complaints.  At times, Moses felt they were complaining against him, and he was doing his best leading about a million or more people.  They complained about not having meat, not having water–or if water was present, it might be bitter and tainted.  But God always came through for them.  He made sure there was a way to clean the water–throwing a branch into, He delivered quail in inexhaustible amounts for them to eat meat, they complained about not having a lot of grain and flour, and God supplied manna.  And He gave them all with specific commands “Do not collect more quail or manna than what you require each day.”   Initially, the gluttons did collect more than they could use–they collected more quail, and they collected more manna than they could use in one day.  

So often, I hear folks complaining about the weather.  And this has been growing up in New England and throughout all my blessings living in many other areas.  As a kid I enjoyed the weather in the Massachusetts.  As I got older, I did not like shoveling, walking on treacherous icy grounds, going to work when it was dark, leaving work when it was dark, and the COLD.  I had the blessings of living in Germany for a number of years–and think they got more snow than in MA, but the air was slightly drier and we were in a wonderful country with different customs, pretty “European style” homes, and the winter did not seem as dark and oppressive as it had in New England.  Flowers, like pansies, amaryllis, poinsettias, and primroses began to appear in stores and gave one a boost of color and excitement for Spring.  

But I have complained about clothing,  being ignored or interrupted, hairstyles, and on and on.  It seems we always want what someone else has and covet that.  But God has blessed me with the traits–positive and negative He wants me to have and develop or refine–sand down or get rid of for His glory.  But I find it has been easy to complain when we are not aware of the impact and how disrespectful it is to our Creator.  I am working on it.  When I catch myself complaining, I apologize to Him; remembering all the blessings I have and enjoy, and it is not as though I have more than enough.  It’s a learning journey.  But I am glad I am working on this.  I have no reasons to complain.

Often, a complaining spirit is in fact detrimental to the peace, joy, and patience that comes from the Holy Spirit.  Complaining often reflects a lack of faith, distrust in God’s provisions and leads to our selfishness and then His anger.  (gotquestions.org, updated Jan 21,2026)

So, Lord, my apologies.  You deserve all of my thanks, not my complaints because I don’t have what another may have, no complaints about skills I don’t have when You have given me plenty to enjoy.  You have blessed me with so much.  I thank You, Lord for me and ‘mybellaviews.’