By Ben W. Curtis
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City
Focal Passage: Exodus 16:1-5, 11-20
Whether we realize it or not, most of us are grumblers. We grumble about work, school, the weather, and sports teams. We grumble about nearly everything. As it turns out, we’re not the only people who are experienced at grumbling (Exodus 14:11-12; 15:22-24). In Exodus 16, the entire congregation of Israel grumbles against Moses and Aaron, wishing they were dead (v. 2). According to their awful memories, the grass was greener in Egypt where they “sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full” (v. 3). Have you ever stopped to consider why grumbling is wrong?
First, grumbling is a sin committed against God (Exodus 16:7; 16:12; 17:7). In Philippians 2:14, Paul writes, “Do all things without grumbling or complaining.” In I Corinthians 10, he reminds the church of Corinth that of the 12 spies sent out to scout the land of Canaan, 10 of them died because they made the people of Israel grumble (Numbers 14:36-38). Grumbling is sinful, but we don’t take this sin seriously enough because we fail to understand the heart issue behind it. When we grumble, we are saying, “God I deserve better than this. I don’t deserve these financial hardships, these difficulties with my kids, or these challenges I’m facing in my workplace. I deserve better than this!”
Second, grumbling is evidence that we have forgotten God’s goodness toward us. In the previous chapter, Moses and Miriam led the congregation in a magnificent song about God’s provision, salvation, and deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 15:1-21). But in just a short amount of time, their praise changes to grumbling against God because they don’t have anything to drink (Exodus 15:24). And now, they don’t have anything to eat! Every parent is aware of how quickly kids make their needs known, whether they’re legitimate needs or just felt needs. When we grumble, we act like spiritual children who cannot for the life of us remember that God has taken care of us every single day up until now.
Third, grumbling (when done to people) is a form of idolatry. In every instance of grumbling, the people hold Moses responsible for their situation. But time and time again, God has been clear that He is the one who is leading them, performing the miracles, and delivering them. Whenever we grumble to another individual, we are essentially saying, “I do not trust God; I want you to fix my problems.” Are you starting to see why our grumbling is so offensive to God?
Instead of grumbling, God calls us to exercise faith in Him. Each day, God required the children of Israel to put practical trust in Him to provide for their needs in the middle of a desert. Even though Moses commanded the people not to store up manna, they still tried it. By their disobedience, they showed that they had no faith in God. It’s a daily battle for us to place our faith in God as well. Because of our plenty, we see no practical need to cry out to God and exercise continual faith. Where have you seen evidence in your life recently that God is trustworthy? God calls us to trust Him and He proves Himself trustworthy again and again in our lives. But the challenge is not to put your faith in God one time. The challenge is to place your faith in God every single day, every single hour, and every single minute.


