Grumbling about food is about as bad as idolatry

1 Corinthians 10:1 Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5 However with most of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 Don’t be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Let’s not commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. 9 Let’s not test Christ, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents.

The above is a list of three sinful attitudes exhibited by the Israelites while they were traveling from Egypt to the Promised Land. So what's the next item on that list? Murder, theft, slander? No. Here it is:

10 Don’t grumble ...

That's right. Don't grumble. Why so important? Perhaps because, if I grumble, I'm not acknowledging God's goodness toward me.

What were the Israelites grumbling about? 

Exodus 16 tells us about the first episode of grumbling by the Israelites. They complained about the food -- they didn't see where they were going to get any, and when they did get it, it wasn't like the food they had in Egypt.

How many times have I complained about the amount and variety of the food I have to eat, or about how it was prepared, or about how much work I had to obtain it, or how much there was of it?

I recommend a previous post in this blog, which tells us that the Biblical attitude is forgiveness of anyone who has harmed us.

Thanks for reading.

Important Lesson: don't complain

A lesson I hope I've learned, which may be of value to others.

Paul wrote two epistles to the Corinthian church. One small section of the first epistle gives some warnings to the church, and, it seems, to the church of today:

1 Corinthians 10:6b Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. ⁷ Don’t be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” ⁸ Let’s not commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. ⁹ Let’s not test Christ, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents. ¹⁰ Don’t grumble, as some of them also grumbled, and perished by the destroyer. (World English Bible, public domain - source is here.)

OK. A list of don'ts. What's in the list? idolatry, however it occurs in the 21st Century, is no surprise. We shouldn't worship anything but God, our creator, redeemer, and guide. Sexual immorality isn't a surprise, either, although it's possible that Paul, or today's church, may overemphasize it, and not emphasize gossip, pride, greed, and other sins enough. I'm not clear as to what "testing Christ" means. As to grumbling, Paul seems to be referring to Numbers 11, wherein the Hebrews complained about the manna God was sending them. They missed the food they had in Egypt. Although God sent quail for them to eat, at this time, He was far from pleased by their complaints about the food.

Bottom line. It seems that grumbling, or complaining, is as dangerous a sin as idolatry or sexual immorality. I shouldn't have a complaining, grumbling attitude, and I should be grateful to God for His blessings, including the food I eat, even if it is not prepared well, or isn't what I'm used to. (Most likely, the Israelites on the Exodus complained about more than the food: "There isn't anything to do here," and/or "Do I have to wear this again?")

I have been around some people who were seemingly never satisfied with what they had to eat, the thermostat's temperature, or the clothes they had to wear, and were known as complainers. I don't want to be known as a complainer. 

Thanks for reading.

What to give up for Lent - complaining

 

What to give up for Lent? (if anything)

Our pastor suggested an idea. It's based on the Bible:

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without complaining and arguing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation ...

1 Corinthians 10 has some severe warnings about four things that the Israelites did, and that we ought not to do:

7a Don’t be idolaters ...

8a Let’s not commit sexual immorality ...

9a Let’s not test Christ ...

10a Don’t grumble ...

Jude gives a warning about some dangerous people: 1:16a These are murmurers and complainers, walking after their lusts—and their mouth speaks proud things— ...

So what was her suggestion? Give up complaining for Lent. 

We love to complain, about COVID-19, the weather, politics, having to wait in line for something, how hard it is to get through a phone tree, how many robocalls we get, about what we have (or don't have) to eat, what's on (or not on) TV, you name it. But complaining is dangerous. It puts me, and what I want, first. It questions what God gives us, or what God allows. It's not a good example.

Here are the results of a search for "complain" in the Bible. It's clear that God allows complaining, with Job being a prime example -- although he was finally rebuked for his griping. But Job wasn't commended for his complaining, but in spite of it.

Thanks for reading!

The Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11 by Thomas Watson. Excerpt 38

Watson continues discussing reasons to be contented, or "contentation," as he puts it.

(2.) It prevents murmuring, a sin which is a degree higher than the other; murmuring is quarrelling with God, and enveighing against him; “they spake against God.” (Nu. 21. 5) The murmurer saith interpretatively, that God hath not dealt well with him, and he hath deserved better from him. The murmurer chargeth God with folly: this is the language, or rather blasphemy of a murmuring spirit; God might have been a wiser and better God. The murmurer is a mutineer. The Israelites are called in the same text murmurers and rebels: (Nu. 17. 10) and is not rebellion as the sin of witchcraft?
 
Thou that art a murmurer art in the account of God as a witch, a sorcerer, as one that deals with the devil: this is a sin of the first magnitude. Murmuring oft ends in cursing: Micah’s mother fell to cursing when the talents of silver were taken away, (Ju. 17. 2) so doth the murmurer when a part of his estate is taken away. Our murmuring is the devil’s music; this is that sin which God cannot bear: “how long shall I bear with this evil congregation which murmur against me?” (Nu. 14. 7) It is a sin which whets the sword against a people: it is a land-destroying sin; “neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.” (1 Cor. 10. 10) It is a ripening sin this; without mercy it will hasten England’s funerals. O then how excellent is contentation, which prevents this sin! To be contented, and yet murmur is a solecism: a contented Christian doth acquiesce in his present condition, and doth not murmur, but admire. Herein appears the excellency of contentation; it is a spiritual antidote against sin.

Thomas Watson lived from 1620-1686, in England. He wrote several books which survive. This blog, God willing, will post excerpts from his The Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11, over a number of weeks, on Sundays.

My source for the text is here, and I thank the Christian Classics Ethereal Library for making this text (and many others) available. The previous excerpt is here.
  
Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it. (World English Bible, public domain.) 

Some thoughts on the tongue

The Wikipedia has a fine article on the human tongue. Among other things, it tells me that we have 16 muscles in our tongues. It also reminds me of something that I already knew, namely that there's a bone in our tongue, the hyoid bone. I've never felt mine, but they tell me that it's there. It's the only bone not attached to any other bone. Its function is to give anchor to several muscles, of the tongue and other nearby structures.

We sometimes say that we use our tongues to speak. Of course, we also use them to taste, to clean (especially in cats), to manipulate food in our mouths in various ways, in some types of kissing, as a signal or gesture, and probably in other ways I haven't thought of.

Make a "b" sound. Now make a "t" sound. Do you feel the difference, in what your tongue is doing? Compare an "m" and an "n" in the same way. Although our tongue is not the only body part used in speech and song, it is an important part in those activities.

The Bible has a lot to say about the tongue, directly or indirectly. I believe that all the direct references are to speech. Here are a few statements:
1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. (All quotations from the ESV.)

Philippians 2:9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

James 1:26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

James 3:5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Deuteronomy 5:11 “‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

1 Corinthians 10:6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.

Thanks for reading. Watch your tongue! (Which is almost impossible, without a mirror.)