Whining, an attitude and action that drives me up the wall! It is complaining without seeking a solution. When I hear the word whining, I think of little kids who don’t get their way. They sound like they are on the verge of tears when they complain and beg for what they want. It is our version of what the Bible calls murmuring. Whining is complaining in a feeble or petulant way. It is childish sulking. The Bible has much to say about this type of attitude.
The Israelites show us this attitude first in scripture in Exodus chapter 16. They are murmuring against Moses and Aaron because they did not like their circumstances. Ultimately, they were complaining against God. They accuse Moses and Aaron of bringing them to the wilderness to die. They were only a few days removed from the miracles God had performed on their behalf. They were witnesses to the plagues God had brought on the Egyptians so that Pharaoh would let them leave. They had witnessed crossing the Red Sea on dry ground and saw Pharaoh and his army drown in the sea, as it closed on them when they tried to pursue the Israelites. Their attitude was that of a spoiled child. Now they were ungrateful and grumbling.
In Numbers 14, we again see them with this same attitude. This time God is ready to wipe them off the face of the earth, but Moses intercedes for them. The whole nation was spared by the “effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man” (James 5:16).
We see the effects of whining and yet, we grumble and complain regularly. It doesn’t change anything. If it did the world would be a much better place. We complain because it satisfies our sinful nature. We get momentary relief from the release of negative energy, but nothing changes. We are in the same situation we were in before, so the cycle continues. For some, it’s just easier to blame someone else for the things that don’t please them, than to do something about it. The Israelites could have prayed fervently like their leader Moses, and God would have been honored. They could have scoured the land to help themselves find food, but it was just easier to murmur and complain.
Murmuring and complaining is an attitude of choice. It is poisonous to you, and to those around you. It also hurts you because it can evolve into anger, which unchecked, can lead to bitterness, and even depression. It is contagious, and it spreads causing others to get into the same vicious cycle. Once engaged in these types of wrong attitudes we cannot change, unless there is a conscious effort continually to do so. If you seek to change you will need to confess to those you have solicited into your “murmuring army” that you were wrong. Ask them to hold you accountable to help you not to fall into the murmur trap.
If you don’t change, you will be limiting your ability to experience gratitude and fulfilling joy. Change may not be easy because your former choice is now a habit, but to change or not to change is your choice. The best way to change this mentality is to offer solutions in a constructive way.
I think the worst part about murmuring and complaining, is that it puts a wedge between us and God. We ultimately are blaming Him for our situation. It insults the grace he has extended to us and questions His sovereignty. God hated this attitude when the Israelites expressed it, and He hates it when we do it. He became very angry with the Israelites. Since God never changes, do you think he gets angry with us the same way when we murmur and complain?
Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today and forever.”
God gave us plenty of examples in scripture of this attitude and how he felt about it. In I Corinthians 10:10-11, he tells us these murmurers were for our admonition. It was recorded for us to learn from their sin. God knows it is easy to fall into this trap. It is rampant in the church, and outside the church. The whole world seems to be murmuring and complaining instead of seeking and implementing solutions. Isn’t it time we make a difference and stop this attitude? I say “we” because I have done my share of complaining, but I have chosen to seek forgiveness and solutions, instead of complaining. It is a sin, and we will give an account for it. God still judges our murmuring and complaining. He has not consumed us with fire, but this lifestyle singes our happiness. It is a sin against God himself, a sin that stems from an ungrateful heart. Do you feel like you are in the wilderness lacking a sense of joy and God’s favor on your life? If so, repent! What a difference we could make in this world, if we changed what we can, and prayed for God to change the rest. How happy it would make Him to see His children being profitable servants and trusting Him in all things.
I Corinthians 10:10-11 “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
In Philippians 2:14 Paul admonishes us to do ALL things without murmuring or disputes. A pastor friend of ours used to say, “all means all, and that’s all, all means.” Let’s just do it!
Philippians 2:14 “Do all things without murmurings and disputings:”
