The Rumbling of Grumbling
It’s a word we don’t use much anymore. It even sounds a little old fashioned and out of date. Grumbling. You see the word all over the pages of the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. Grumbling is all about griping or complaining or murmuring or carping or grousing or whining or being huffy. Here’s the worst part; grumbling is a close cousin to unbelief. It’s hard to keep our grumbling a secret. And if you’re a grumbler, it’s affecting you and the people around you.
Discussion Questions
What is your reaction when you’re around someone who is always complaining? When you, yourself, grumble, what kinds of things do you tend to complain about the most?
Read Philippians 2:14-16. What is the relationship between murmuring or complaining and living as a light within a crooked and perverse culture?
Grumbling was a lifestyle for the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. Read 1 Corinthians 10:9-11. (compare the accounts in Numbers 21:6-9, Exodus 16:2, Numbers 14:37). Why is this an example for us?
Is it possible that God is using the very things you complain about to help you grow and know Him better? How would this process work?
As strange as it may seem, godly complaining can actually move you closer to God. The Bible is filled with Psalms of Lament. Read Psalm 142. How is this kind of complaining helpful and encouraged by God?
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