Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 1 Corinthians 10:10.
As children of promise (Galatians 4:28), there are exceeding great and precious promises of God given unto us to live for, but there is no room or excuse to justify murmuring in his kingdom. There is room to dialogue, to reason, to plead your cause and to make imploration to God from his promises given, he looks to his word to perform them, but there is no place for murmurers before God. It is a punishable sin to murmur before God or murmur against him. Also, it is evil, hypocrisy and sinful to murmur against or speak behind your brothers and sisters in the church. Go and speak directly with anyone you have any matter with. Discontentment against God should not be taken lightly. Unwillingness to bear the yoke and carry the cross because of the toughness of your situation instead of asking for more grace to get along with what God is doing in your life and where he is taking you to should not be the reason to murmur before him, such behaviour aggravate your relationhsip with him. Murmuring is an ungrateful act to God, showing you have no interest to understand and learn of his ways, yoy’re unwilling to submit before him. – So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, if only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? Num. 14:1-3.
If you are weary and tired on the way, why not ask God for permission to separate yourself from others, to wait upon him, to seek his face one on one for new strenght, grace and power for continuation? You do not have the right to murmur before God for his dealings in your life, – this is a rebellious act against the Lord who is leading you in the way. It is not wrong to demand audience and speak up politely if is needed with others (Acts 6:1-5), but there should be no murmuring in the church against her leadership behind their back or murmur against any of our brethren in the Lord. It is absolutely wrong and iniquitous to murmur behind anyone’s back. Do not murmur behind your spouse, your neighbours, your boss at work, colleague at work – do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Philippians 2:14-16.
The unbroken carnal Christians fix their eyes on themselves and on the things they can see, by focusing on earthly possessions of what they can get or gain from Christ, they walk by sight and not by faith. Whenever the expectations of profits, gains, provisons for the pleasures of flesh are not met as they hoped, they will express their dissaproval of God about it, you’ll hear them boasting about how they were doing well back in the world before coming to Christ – you hear them saying they don’t deserves their actual experiences in the Lord – they don’t understand the reason God is denying them this or that. They think God owes them, but when he’s not paying back on time, they become sad and mad to charge God with folly and murmur, they strive against him with bitter words – Why dost thou strive against God? for he giveth not account of any of his matters. The book of Job 33:13.
On the other hand, the spiritually broken believers (a) have forgoten the way back to Egypt, it’s never in their though or agenda to go back: for this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death. Psalms 48:14: (b) they never expressed regret to be in Christ: daily and forever grateful before God for their salvation though redemption that is in the blood of Christ. Whatever they are going through on earth, they’ll never say that the old life towards hell is better than the new life to heaven – our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way; though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death. If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god; shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Psalms 44:18-22: (c) they’ll keep resting in the promises of God and continue trusting in his immidiate presence and unfailing timming. They’ve removed their eyes away from themselves – its not about them, having forsake all things to follow him: they have no room in their life or space in their heart for self pity, they are willing to lose their life and whatever for Christ, that they might gain it at the end – Christ is for them to live, death is for them to gain. Philippians 1:21.
David wrote about this calm and quiete believers when he says, but I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore – nothing will separate them from the love of God, not things present, not things to come, neither any other things, shall be able to separate them from the love of God which in Christ Jesus.
They only sees what is sent from heaven, their eyes are blinded to anything contrary to the visions of heaven, that they might finish their course with joy. As for Their ears, both are deaf to any earthly reports contrary to the reports and testimony of the Lord. Whatever Satan throws at to hurt or ruin them, it can’t break them; they don’t have time for self-pity; their lives is no more their’s, its been surrender and given completely to Christ, they will not love thier lives, as to shrink from anything, including death. Revelation 12:11. Note: those with the true words of testimony in their mouth are freed from the damnation of the sin of grumbling and murmuring, they will speak none other word in the days of adversity and troubles, except from what they have as an heritage, the rejoicing of their heart before God – your testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart. Psalms 119:111.
When you see some people crying in the church, they are not crying for their sin to repent in contrition, but like a little chiuld at home, playing crying game to manipulate the parents, they are weeping for what they have not, that others are enjoying: weeping for their trials which they ought to count it all joy. Satan is excited whenever you grumble and murmur against the Lord, showing you don’t like the way he’s Fathering and leading you.
The toughness of the terrain a soldier is deployed to fight, never any reason to rebel, grumble or murmur, than to obey the order of his commandant. The various ways and experiences God is taking us through, is to bring the best out of us, to produce the image of Christ in us which is the purpose of our salvation.
Are we not God’s people and the sheep of his pasture? Psalms 100:3. Shall the Bishop and Sherpherd of our souls leave us in the way, after all he has done to save us, forsake us to become as preys to be devoured by the enemy? Murmuring before the Lord only shows our lack of of faith, without which no one can please him. An unyielding believer resist by murmuring against the Lord. An irreverent believer contest against the wisdom and Sovereignty of God’s rule over us by murmuring against him.
As Christians, to murmur or complain in self pity attest to the fear and confirms the doubts of the double-minded people to folllow Christ: it attract worldly sympathy and indirect mockery of God. Men who are not qualify to talk to you will now be giving you sinful and counsels of the ungodly to obtain or seek help where there is no real help, instead of looking above, from whence our true help comes from because you murmur or complain before them- And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, help, my lord, O king. And he said, if the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? Out of the barn floor, or out of the winepress? 2 Kings 6:26-27.
God will not bring us into any battle too strong for us to overcome. He will not walk us through any diffcicult terrain we cannot gracioulsy cope with. We must have an eye to God and to his hand in every thing that befals us, to silence our complaints concerning cross events, let us consider the hand of God in them and not open our mouths against that which he is doing; let us look upon the disposal of our condition and all the circumstances of it as the work of God, his eternal counsel, fulfilled in every thing that befalls us. God is not a man that we should answer him, and that we should come together in judgement. He is in one mind and who can turn him? Whatever his soul desires is what he does, who can hinder him and who shall say unto him what has thou done? The book of Job 9: 32. 23:13.
Let us consider that every work of God is wise, just, and good, and nothing is co-incidence and all will appear at last to have been for the best and good of his children. Let us therefore study to answer, to lay our hand in the mouth, consider the work of God as that which we cannot make any change of or contend against. Who can say to God Almighty what are you doing and why are you doing it? Who can change the nature of things from what is settled and written and proclaimed in heaven by God? When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when he hides His face, who then can see Him, Whether it is against a nation or a man alone? Job 34:29.
If we become angry because of any unpleasant situation or murmuring for whatever reason before God, it grieves the spirit of God in us. Neither murmur you, as some of them murmured and were destroyed by the destroyer; meaning that we must become wiser to receive warnings from the calamity which befell the murmurers in the wilderness. The troubles we’re having should softens, not hardens the heart against God. We are to make the best of whatever God allows in our life to make lemonade out of lemons.
Life is more than food while the reproach of Christ is far better than the riches of the present world. If we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him. Coming out of the world to follow after Christ into the wilderness is an opportunity not to miss to reign with him throughout all eternity.
God will not lay any burden upon us more than what we can personally bear and endure. There’s no believer permitted to murmur against the great God of heaven for whatever reason. When Moses murmured for the many works he’s doing, God reduced the anointing upon him, shared and distributed his grace to other seventy men, thus the glory and honour of his life and ministry was shared with others. Numbers 11:10 -17.
For whatever reason, no believer in Christ Jesus is allowed to murmur against the authority of the land – the Mayor, Goveneor, Ministers or President, but to pray for them. Exodus 22:28. No believer in Christ Jesus should render any service and murmur about it. It is better not to render service to any of yourt brethren than to render service but murmur before or behind their backs- you will not be blameless, but guilty of murmuring and God only sees you as a dangerous person – not harmless person.
I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting (Isaiah 50: 6), what have you done and endure for him without backing off by self pity or murmuring? And now behold I go up to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: save that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of those things move me (I am free from self pity’s spirit) neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:22-24.
It is the sin of self -pity if you refused to serve and live for Christ for lack of life’s conveniences and necessities: hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? James 2:5. Have you not read how some had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; of whom the world was not worthy: they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth? Hebrews 11:36-38.
It is the sin of self- pity when a boss, friend, husband, wife, your father and mother forsakes you because of your faith in Christ Jesus, but in response and shame of Christ, you bow to the pressure to please them to abandon Christ for their sake, – to be at peace with them at the risk of eternal rejection from God: whosoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:37.
It is the sin of self- pity for Oprah to have abadoned Naomi, turned back from following the God of Israel in the company of her mother in law (Naomi), thought that there was nothing more that she can outwardly or physically gain from the aged woman who has been bereaved of her two sons and husband. But Ruth acted against all hope, she pitied not herself, but forsake her father, mother, home land and friends to cleave to, and to follow Naomi back to Bethlehel Judah for continuation of the fellowship she’s been having and growing in the knowledge and worship of God. She was greatly rewarded with more than hundred fold returns for forsaking all to follow God – and answered Peter and said unto him, behold we have forsaken all, and followed thee, what shall wehave therefore? And Jesus said…..everyone that has forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s, shall receive an hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting life. Ruth 1:14-18. Matthew 19: 16-29.
The Lord said, blessed are those that shall not be offended in me. Blessed are those who shall not be conquered by adverse situations and circumstances because of Christ, but shall courageously live and boldly confesses him over and over again, but self pity believer shall not blessed, seeing he will continue to dwell on his sorrow and misfortune. Matthew 11:6.
We must count the cost of following after Christ to avoid falling into the sin of self pity. Except we are truly crucified with Christ, crucifed the flesh with its lusts and affection, we are at the risk of falling into the sin of murmuring and self pity. Those who will not deny themlseves to take up their cross to follow after the Lord have fallen into the sin of self pity. It is the sin of self -pity when for material gain, possession and earthly possessions and inheritance, after we’ve put our hands into the plough but afterward look back just as Demas abandoned Apostle Paul in the ministry for the love and pleasure of the world then – the wife of Lot for what she left behind at Sodom Genesis 19: 15-26. 2 Timothy 4:10.