You Want to Go Back to Egypt?

Philippians 2:14-18

When someone greets you and asks you how you are doing, what is your typical answer? Pretty good. So so. Great! Could be better. Hanging in there. Awesome! It depends on how well we know the person who is asking the question. I am much more likely to open up to one of you than I am a cashier at Walmart. More often than not I answer this question by saying, “I can’t complain.” I answer this way intentionally in order to remind myself that no matter how I feel, I should not have any reason to complain. But I still do! Why? Why would I have any reason to complain? I am a child of the King, bought by the precious blood of Christ. I have a wonderful family. I love my job. I am healthy and active. How can I possibly complain?

Complaining is one of those chronic sins that we so easily justify and so quickly overlook. Complaining becomes so habitual that we are rarely even aware that we are doing it. Our next passage in Philippians is a powerful cure to our chronic complaining. Complaining is not a “victimless crime.” Complaining is not just something that affects the complainer. Complaining is like a deadly, infectious disease. This disease slowly kills us from the inside out, but it is also incredibly contagious. A complaining person can spread the disease more quickly than a nasty flu bug can spread through a hospital. If complaining is the disease, then this is the cure.

^14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, ^15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe ^16 as you hold out^ the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. ^17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. ^18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

The first and most obvious part of this passage is verse fourteen. Do everything without complaining or arguing. That is the standard for all Christians—that we can arrive at a point where we do everything without complaining or arguing. Like all commands in Scripture—if this standard were not possible, then God would never command it of us. Can we all agree from the start that this is possible? I am not saying that it is easy or that we can accomplish this in our own strength, but it is possible.

Next, before we delve into what complaining is, let’s take a moment to explain what it is not. To do everything without complaining or arguing does not mean that you never have burdens or problems. It does not mean that you are supposed to fake being happy. You may be weighed down with a heavy burden and walking with your shoulders hung low, when someone approaches you and asks, “Hey, how are you doing today?” Then you straighten up your shoulders, plaster on a fake smile and say, “I’m doin’ great, how ‘bout you?” We can defeat the disease of complaining and still have problems and still have burdens. In fact, most complaining flows out of actual burdens (and sometimes perceived burdens). We will still need to share those burdens with others, so when Paul says to do everything without complaining or arguing, he did not mean that we re supposed to stifle our burdens and pretend that everything is OK all of the time.

We must be careful that we do not pull this passage about complaining out of its context. Whenever you read or study the Bible, there is always a temptation to turn the Word of God into a book of positive principles, something like this. “The Bible says that we should not complain. God knows what is best for us, and after all, who likes a complainer? Complaining turns you into a sour, negative person. It will affect your marriage and your work relationships. You may even be passed over for promotions because you carry this complaining, negative attitude with you all the time. So when God says don’t complain, he knows what is best for you.” Bleh! That is not the way to teach this principle or any other Biblical principle. Those are just positive thoughts dressed up in Biblical garb.

The command not to complain, or phrased positively as Paul does, “do everything without complaining or grumbling,” is rooted in three things: it is rooted in Biblical history, it is rooted in the very character of God and it is rooted in the gospel.

First, the command not to complain is rooted in Biblical history. Every time Paul writes he is steeped in Old Testament history. Sometimes he is directly quoting from the O.T.. For example, in the book of Romans used dozens and dozens of direct quotations from the O.T. In this passage, he is not directly quoting any O.T. Scriptures, but he is clearly alluding to one—Deut. 32:5. They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation. This was a summary statement made by Moses after the forty years of wandering in the desert and just before they finally entered the Promised Land.

In this table you can see the direct correlation to verse fifteen.

The Israelites grumbled against the Lord and therefore, were no longer his children. They were not living as children in a crooked and depraved generation, they were the crooked and depraved generation! Their grumbling cost them their status as children of God. I am not saying that our habitual crumbling will cause us to lose our salvation, but it is evidence of a lack of trust in our Heavenly Father. The fact that Paul alluded to this verse in Deuteronomy tells us that he is rooting this command against complaining in Israelite history.

Let me paint the Biblical picture for you.

·                     They had a history of 430 years of slavery. They had known nothing but slavery—generation after generation they only knew lives of embittered slavery.

·                     They had witnessed the ten plagues on Egypt, including the Passover of the destroying angel.

·                     Pharaoh and his army were destroyed in the Red Sea.

·                     The Lord was with them in a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.

If you had witnessed all of those miracles and had just been  rescued from 430 years of slavery in Egypt, how might you have responded? The newly freed Israelites responded in this way.

We will die of thirst!  So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” (a few days after their freedom—Ex. 15:24)     

Just a few days after their rescue from slavery they began to grumble against the Lord. When you think about the entire picture of what was happening, this is quite shocking to think that they could complain at such a time. But their grumbling was only the beginning. They were just getting warmed up.

Because they complained about a lack of water, the Lord provided water from a rock. Just a few weeks later, they began to complain about a lack of food.

We will die of hunger!  ^In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. (the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt—Ex. 16:1-2) 

No more slavery. No more forced labor. No more serving Pharaoh in chains. They were free at last. Furthermore, what did they see every moment of every day? They saw a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They had recent miracle of deliverance and the daily miracles of God’s presence in the cloud and still they complained. God provided bread (manna) from Heaven to fill their empty stomachs. Did God give them manna because they complained? No, God did not give them what they wanted because they complained. His plan was to take care of all of their needs, but their complaining was an obvious demonstration of their lack of trust.

God gave them their freedom, he gave them food and water and protection from their enemies. God led them to the edge of the Promised Land and commanded them to spy out the land and get ready to enter their rest. Was all of that enough for them? No, they still were not happy.

We will die by the sword! All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron (after Joshua and Caleb returned from spying the Promised Land—Num 14:2) 

We know what happened next. Because of their grumbling, God did not allow them to enter the Promised Land. Over the next 39 years, every man and woman over the age of twenty died in the wilderness. What happened to their clothes and sandals during those forty years? Neither their clothes nor their sandals wore out the entire time. Can you see the sad irony here? Millions of Israelites wore out and were buried in the desert sand, meanwhile, their sandals and clothes did not wear out. That would have made for some strange funerals, don’t you think? Each time they buried the worn out body of a dead Israelite, they would look at the clothes and sandals of the deceased and see the miracle of provision from the Lord. I would think that every funeral would end with the refrain: If only we hadn’t grumbled and complained.

Despite all of these blessings, miracles and ultimate release from slavery, they grumbled and preferred their former way of life in bondage to their present freedom. But they weren’t done grumbling yet! Over the course of two fateful days, their grumbling was seemingly unstoppable.

Numbers 16:11  It is against the Lord that you [Korah] and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him.”

Numbers 16:31-33  As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart  and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah’s men and all their possessions. They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.

Num 16:35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

A man named Korah and his followers thought hey knew better than Moses and grumbled. After the earth swallowed them alive and after fire consumed the remaining 250 men, what do you think happened? Did the people repent in sackcloth and ashes? Did they shake and tremble in holy fear? No, instead, they continued to grumble.

Numbers 16:41  The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the Lord’s people,” they said.

Numbers16:48-49  He (Aaron) stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.

By alluding to this summary statement from Deuteronomy 32, Paul wanted his readers to understand how grumbling and complaining was rooted in Israelite history. Paul wants us to understand the horrors and judgment brought on God’s chosen people because of their complaining. Paul wants us to be shocked by the audacity and futility of their grumbling. Paul wants us to wonder out loud, “How could they have been so arrogant? How could they have grumbled and complained in the face of so many miracles and the very presence of God.

But most of all, Paul wants us to understand that our grumbling is far worse than that of the Israelites. They were released from physical slavery yet still grumbled, but our slavery was worse than theirs. Ours was an eternal, spiritual slavery, and since our slavery was worse, our deliverance was greater. We have been released from slavery to sin and bondage to death by the cross. Our slavery was worse and our freedom is better. Despite this, we choose to complain and grumble. This is why the command to do everything without complaining or arguing is rooted in the gospel and the very character of God.

Complaining diminishes the gift of freedom. When the Israelites grumbled about food and water, where did they want to go? They wanted to go back to Egypt! They told Moses that when they were in Egypt they used to feast on pots of meat. They used to eat onions and leeks and all things good to eat. In all of their grumbling, what they were saying to the Lord is, “I would rather be a slave!” As we read their story it is like watching a scary movie. What’s going to happen when the main character walks down the dark hallway and opens the creaky door? Somethin’ bad’s goin’ down. If you watch a scene like that, everything in you wants to scream, “Don’t open that door!” In the same way, as we hear the grumbling Israelites tell God they want to go back to Egypt, we want to scream to them, “Don’t open that door! Don’t go back to Egypt, you fools!” But our complaining is also a hidden desire to return to Egypt. All complaining is a hidden desire to return to spiritual slavery. We might never say it exactly this way. We may never actually say that we are tired of being a Christian and want to return to our former way of life, but if our slavery was worse and our freedom is better, therefore our complaining is a greater offense against God.

Complaining strikes at the heart of God’s character. If I don’t like the circumstances that God has handed me, my fundamental question is quite scary: Is God really good? Is God really fair? If God were just, would he have sent me down this path? I think I deserve better, therefore God has denied me justice. Our complaining questions God’s motives, his plans, his sovereignty, his supreme sacrifice, his love. Does God know what he is doing? Does he have the power to help me? Every complaint that passes our lips is like shaking our fist at God and saying, “You really messed up God. Why did you give this to me?

It does no good to say that we never really complain against God, we just complain against other people.  Grumbling against people is the same as grumbling against God. In the historical record of Israel, all grumbling was against Moses and Aaron, yet God said, “How long with these people treat me with contempt?” (Num. 14:11) When you complain against other people you are complaining against God. When you complain against your circumstances, you are complaining against God.

Complaining is like breathing to us—we do it without noticing or eve caring that we do it. But the really good news is that unlike the Israelites, we ARE children of God. We can hate this sin of complaining for what it really is and we can know the sweet return to our Lord because we are one of his children.

Rich Maurer

January 4, 2009