None of us want to be known as a complainer, always grumbling about a problem in life. As much as we do not like grumbling, though, all of us can admit that we have done it at some time or another.
A situation in life does not go our way and we make a complaint to the Lord. Even simple things like a burnt dinner or a slow internet connection can make us grumble and act ungrateful.
Scripture includes examples of people complaining against the Lord. Moses wrote about the numerous times that the Israelites complained against God, forgetting His saving work of delivering them from slavery and bringing them out of Egypt.
Later, as Paul penned letters to various churches, he used these examples from the Old Testament to help us see that complaining does not belong in the Christian life. Grumbling against the Lord shows that we are thankless and have a misplaced focus.
Grumbling Against God
Complaining is not an insignificant matter. Scripture includes examples of severe judgment and punishment when the Israelites grumbled against the Lord in the Old Testament.
This is because their complaints were not merely about the circumstances but were against the Lord. Instead of acknowledging the awesome strength of God and trusting Him to lead and provide for them, the people complained about the Lord.
Early in their travels to the Promised Land, they grumbled. They often complained when they had no water or food (Exodus 16:1-12; 17:1-3).
Their focus was not on the power of the Lord who had parted the Red Sea to lead them on dry ground out of the land of their slavery (Exodus 14:21-22). In their grumbling, they focused only on what they perceived they lacked, ignoring the Lord’s faithful provision.
Food and water were not the only things they complained about. When the Lord heard the Israelites complaining about their hardships, He sent fire that destroyed the outskirts of the camp (Numbers 11:1).
Paul mentions this event in his letter to the Corinthians, noting that the Lord had used the destroying angel to enact punishment (1 Corinthians 10:10).
They complained again after the 12 spies returned to tell the Israelites about the Promised Land. Discouraged by the report of ten of the spies, the Israelites whined about the Lord bringing them to that place where they thought they would be killed, and their children taken as captives (Numbers 14:1-3).
Their complaints even led them to want to appoint a leader to take them back to Egypt (Numbers 14:4). As a result of their disbelief and grumbling, God declared that none of that generation, except Joshua and Caleb, would enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14:30).
Instead, that generation would wander in the desert for forty years and die there (Numbers 14:27-29).
After the rebellion of Korah, many of the Israelites complained that Aaron and Moses had killed the Lord’s people (Numbers 16:41-42). They rebelled against Moses and Aaron, the divinely appointed leaders of Israel.
As a result, the Lord sent a terrible plague on the people, killing 14,700 of them (Numbers 16:46-49). In complaining against the leadership of Moses and Aaron, the Israelites grumbled against the Lord and His righteous decisions.
As Moses had noted earlier, “You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord” (Exodus 16:8).
We might assume that the people learned from all these other instances that complaining dishonors God and displays a lack of gratitude and trust in Him. However, the Israelites continued grumbling.
The Israelites complained about the lack of bread and water, even going as far as to whine about the food the Lord had miraculously provided for them (Numbers 21:5).
Because of their complaints, the Lord sent venomous snakes among them that killed some of the Israelites (Numbers 21:6; 1 Corinthians 10:9). In all these examples, God dealt seriously with the sin of complaining.
Warnings Against Complaining
The issue of complaining against God was not merely a struggle for the Israelites. In 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote that the testimony of Scripture was given to all believers to warn us of similar temptations to sin (1 Corinthians 10:11).
All people can be tempted to complain, just as they can be tempted to commit other sins like idolatry, sexual immorality, and testing the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:6-9).
Paul specifically used the example of the judgment of fire in Numbers 11 to warn the Corinthians, and all believers, to not complain (1 Corinthians 10:10).
Our complaints are ultimately against God, as Moses noted, but people are often tempted to complain about others in their lives. Since loving God wholeheartedly is connected with loving our neighbors, complaining about other people is also a sin (Mark 12:30-31).
To act in accordance with our identity as children of God and shining stars in a dark world, we should not grumble or complain (Philippians 2:14-15).
James also warns believers of the dangers of complaining about others. He wrote, “Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!” (James 5:9).
Instead of giving into the temptation to grumble about other people, we should be patient and take heart knowing that Jesus’ second coming is near (James 5:8). He is the ultimate Judge who will judge all people, including those we are tempted to grumble about.
Thus, the Bible shows us that complaining from a spirit of unfaithfulness is a sin and does not fit with the believer’s identity in Christ. To grumble against God reveals an ungrateful and unbelieving attitude. Anyone can be tempted to complain, but God offers a way out when a person is tempted (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Why should we complain when Jesus has provided us with salvation and everything we need for a life of godliness? (John 3:16; 2 Peter 1:3).
He is powerful and faithful. Instead of complaining, a believer’s life should be characterized by trust in God and gratefulness to Him.
The Difference Between Complaining and Voicing Our Struggles to the Lord
While examining what the Bible says about complaining, we need to recognize the difference between grumbling and voicing our struggles to the Lord. Throughout the Psalms, we see how the psalmists poured out their complaints or cries to God (Psalm 55:1-2; 142:1-2).
These are different from the grumblings of the Israelites in the desert. Such complaints or cries come from the heart, expressing our sorrows, struggles, and sufferings.
God invites us to talk about our anger, sorrow, or frustration with a situation. Pouring out our hearts to the Lord is not a sin (for example, see Psalm 62:8).
We should not confuse cries to the Lord for help and comfort with the complaints and grumblings that come from a place of ungratefulness or lack of trust. Learning to tell the difference is important.
If you struggle with expressing your needs or emotions to God because you always assumed that doing so was the same as complaining, then studying the Book of Psalms could help you regain a biblical focus.
Talking to the Lord about emotions and struggles is biblical and vital in a relationship with Christ.
Why Does This Matter?
The tendency to grumble when life gets tough is nothing new. Because of our sinful nature, we all complain at times.
We see examples of this in the Bible when the Israelites complained to God, forgetting His saving act of bringing them out of their land of enslavement.
Today, we do the same, ignoring the wonderful truth that Jesus has redeemed us and given us new life.
Although complaining is a sin, it is not the same as voicing our distress and struggles to God. The Lord invites us into a close relationship with Himself, which includes honest and open dialogue.
Examples of crying out to the Lord are prevalent in Scripture, and we should learn from these passages, seeking to apply them in our lives.
Praise for God should characterize the speech of believers, not complaints.
For further reading:
Is Questioning the Bible Wrong?
Is it Okay for Christians to Ask God for Good in Prayer?
Why Did David Ask, ‘How Long O Lord?'
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