The Sin of Murmuring
By Glendol McClure

"Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer." (1 Corinthians 10:10)

When the Apostle Paul penned his first letter to the brethren in Corinth, he addressed numerous problems among them. For example, he rebuked them for:

In our text, Paul reminded the Corinthian brethren of the murmuring of the Israelites while they were in the wilderness and that most of them died there. He mentioned numerous sins the Israelites committed and twice gave the Corinthians the following warnings:

The examples the Israelites left for all to study and heed, are examples NOT to follow! But, please read and notice the rebuke Paul issued concerning their murmuring in 1 Corinthians 10:10, where he said, "Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer."

When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he commanded, "Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Philippians 2:14-15) In Jude 16, Jude wrote of some who, "... are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts ...." These people were also described by Jude as, "ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." (Jude 4)

The Old-Testament Scriptures say a great deal about murmuring. The harm caused from murmuring is often not realized or regarded by those who are guilty of this sin. The purpose of this article is to help all who read it to better understand the damage that can result from murmuring and to encourage those who do murmur to cease from doing so.

In the first four chapters of Deuteronomy, Moses looked retrospectively at events that occurred during the 40-year journey from Sinai to Moab. He recalled that when the Lord called upon the Israelites to take possession of Canaan, they refused to enter the land because the majority of the spies brought an evil report due to their fear of the sons of Anak. Only Joshua and Caleb gave a good report saying, "Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not." (Numbers 14:9) In Deuteronomy 1:26-38, Moses recalls this period of rebellion, which stemmed from the murmuring of the Israelites. This Scripture text contains many lessons which show that murmuring is sinful and results in spiritual disaster.

  1. Murmuring is rebellious sin against God. In verse 26, Moses wrote, "Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God." Rebellion is a common practice among most people, and it is a serious matter, especially when it is against God. All murmuring is, in essence, rebellion. King Saul sinned when he rebelled and did not obey God's command to "... go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass." (1 Samuel 15:3) Instead of obeying God, "Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly." (1 Samuel 15:9) When, at the Lord's direction, Samuel went to Saul to rebuke him, Samuel said, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king." (1 Samuel 15:22-23) Beware of murmuring!

  2. Murmuring is a sin that can be practiced privately or secretly. In verse 27 of the text, Moses said, "And ye murmured in your tents, and said, because the LORD hated us, He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us." The Israelites murmured in their tents (or privately), which generated evil imaginations about the plans the Lord had for them, even though He had promised to bless them and give them the land. When brethren murmur, they often do it under their breath or in a private setting among others who agree with them. Often, they do not have all the facts about the particular situation about which they are murmuring, and the result is the sowing of discord--also a sin (Proverbs 6:14, 19; 16:28). Remember, we reap what we sow, and if we sow the seeds of discord and strife, the result will be increased discord and strife (Galatians 6:7, 8). Instead, sow righteousness and you will reap a sure and certain reward (Proverbs 11:18).

  3. Murmuring doubts and misunderstands God's purpose. In Deuteronomy 1:27, the text says, "And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us." This text reveals that the Israelites made at least one notable assumption--they said the "Lord hated us." No, He actually loved them. He heard their crying, sighing, and groaning while they were in Egyptian bondage (Exodus 2:23-25). Thus, because of His love for them, He delivered Israel from the Egyptian bondage. Likewise, God revealed a plan whereby we, through faith in Christ, can be delivered from the bondage of sin. Many people murmur and complain about God's plan of salvation and deny the necessity of baptism "for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Mark 16:15-16; Romans 3:25). Be satisfied with God's way. Heed the words of Solomon who wrote, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 16:25; 14:12)

  4. Murmuring discourages others. In Deuteronomy 1:28, the text says, "wither shall we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there." The doubting spies were a discouragement to their brethren. In Numbers 13:30, Caleb said, "Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it."

    But, the murmuring spies that went with Caleb, said, "We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we." (Numbers 13:31) Verses 32-33 of this chapter record their "evil report of the land."

Likewise, many have concocted evil reports, which are often fabrications of multiple evil surmisings about something or someone. In 1 Timothy 6:4, Paul instructed Timothy regarding the master-servant relationship. You see, when one person despises another, the one who is doing the despising often speaks words to harm the other by coming up with imaginary evil.

Paul went on to say, "And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself." (1 Timothy 6:1-5) Paul did not mince words in his description of the one who engages in such sinful conduct. Because of it, good, faithful, innocent people--the murmurer's objects--suffer severely damaged reputations. This causes much discouragement among brethren.

Remember, nothing good comes from murmuring--rebellion against God--which is often done in secret, resulting in doubtful disputations that discourage others. Can you see how harmful murmuring is and why God's word warns against this sin? May we all strive to respect the warnings and teaching in God's word and heed the instructions of the apostle Paul who commanded, "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 and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world." (Philippians 2:14-15) Hear you well!

Brother McClure has written about a timely subject that plagues many churches. Nothing is more discouraging than hearing whisperings, backbiting, and murmuring from God's own people. Why do they do such things? From my own observation and experience, I think murmurers are basically unhappy people. How can a Christian act in such a manner if he is truly concerned about others in his spiritual family? Such attitudes are damaging to the entire congregation, but especially to those who are new to the faith. Do we ever stop to consider the kind of message we're sending when we constantly murmur about others? Please don't misunderstand; if there is sin in the camp, the church needs to deal with it. But, much of the murmuring among brethren concerns petty things and personal opinions that have nothing to do with what is or is not Scriptural. Wouldn't we be making better use of our time by seeking to build up instead of tear down? Truly, we should practice the golden rule (Matthew 7:12). Take a hard look at the fruits borne from such conduct. What is the upside? How does it strengthen, encourage, and edify our brethren? One old preacher told me he never worries when others are talking about him. "If they are talking about me, they're ignoring others whom they could be discouraging." Let's determine to do better.


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