Dangers of murmuring (grumble, complain).
[1 Corinthians 10:1 –
11] For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,[a] that our fathers were all under the cloud,
and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were 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 from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
5 Nevertheless, with
most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown[b] in the wilderness.
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[c] 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. 11 Now
these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our
instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
Numbers 14:22 says the Israelites had rebelled against God
ten times. These may be (from another source... Scripture verses added):
1. By murmuring and accusing God of deceiving them and
deliberately leading them into a trap so the Egyptians could kill them (Exodus
14:11,12).
2. By murmuring at Marah for water (Exodus 15:23-26).
And the people grumbled
against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” [Exodus 15:24]
3. By murmuring for flesh and bread before reaching Sinai
(Exodus 16:1-18).
And the whole congregation
of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the
wilderness, [Exodus 16:2]
And Moses said,
“When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning
bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you
grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us
but against the Lord.” [Exodus 16:8]
4. By willful disobedience in leaving manna until morning
(Exodus 16:19-22).
5. By murmuring for water at Rephidim (Exodus 17-1-7).
But the people
thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and
said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and
our livestock with thirst?” [Exodus 17:3]
6. By making a golden calf and quickly going back to idolatry (Exodus 32).
7. By murmuring at Taberah (Numbers 11:1-3).
8. By murmuring for flesh (Numbers 11:4-35).
9. By unbelief in God and His words and asking that spies be
sent into the land as if they doubted He told the truth (Numbers 13:1-25 with
Deuteronomy 1:20-21).
And all the people of
Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to
them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died
in this wilderness! [Numbers 14:2]
10. By rebellion at Kadesh (Numbers 13:26 to 14:37 with Deuteronomy
1:26-46.]
But on the next day
all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and
against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.” [Numbers
16:41]
And the people spoke against
God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt
to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this
worthless food.” [Numbers 21:5]
THE POINT:
So we see that they
were unable to enter because of unbelief. [Hebrews 3:19]
Therefore, while the
promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should
seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us
just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they
were not united by faith with those who listened. [Hebrews 4:1 – 2]