The Philippian Christians are instructed to do everything without grumbling. What does the Bible say about it?
Philippians: Shine Like Stars – DAY 41
Family Discussions for a New School Year
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DAY 41/TUESDAY
Philippians 2:14-15
Without Grumbling
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky…”
Philippians 2:14-15 (NIV)
*Click here to read the NIrV, NLT, & ESV.
What is grumbling?
grumble:
- to complain in a surly (gruff, arrogant) manner; mutter discontentedly
- to rumble or growl
*The American Heritage College Dictionary, 4th ed. (2002)
Load these definitions & the following questions in your mind as we begin digging into Scripture about grumbling:
- What leads to grumbling?
- How serious an offense is it?
- How do we do everything without it?
Grumbling in Impatience
“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
10Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”
James 5:7-11 (NIV)
In his letter, James warns the Church not to “grumble against one another,” against brothers- and sisters-in-Christ. The penalty for grumbling is judgment from the Lord! Since this section of James’ letter deals with patience, it is easy to infer that impatience, specifically with suffering, could lead to grumbling among believers.
Have I ever grumbled in impatience? Yes, I most certainly have!
Is it easier for me to grumble when I’m experiencing the discomforts of suffering? Again, my answer is yes.
James encourages believers to patiently wait on the Lord’s coming as farmers wait on their crops, and to “stand firm because the Lord’s coming is near.” He also says to look to the Old Testament prophets as examples of patience in suffering. Those prophets are counted as blessed now for their perseverance, but they were not counted that way by those to whom they prophesied while they were suffering.
James points to Job as well, who persevered through extreme suffering — but the Lord didn’t leave Job in suffering forever. Since “the Lord is full of compassion & mercy,” we can always have hope that our suffering will end and the Lord will bless us… it just may not be today.
What is my suffering compared to Job’s or the prophets’? They had better reasons to grumble than I do, yet they persevered.
Grumbling about Jesus & His Words
“At this the Jews there began to grumble about Him (Jesus) because He said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ 42They said, ‘Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can He now say, “I came down from heaven”?’
43‘Stop grumbling among yourselves,’ Jesus answered.”
John 6:41-43 (NIV)
The Jews (hostile Jewish opponents of Jesus among the Jewish leaders & the ordinary people who followed them) began to grumble about Jesus. Why? “Because He said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.'” They grumbled because they either did not understand what He was saying, or they did understand, and it offended them.
*The ESV Study Bible, John 1:19 Commentary (2008; 2016 text ed.)
“‘Just as the living Father sent Me (Jesus) and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.’ 59He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
60On hearing it, many of His disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’
61Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you?'”
John 6:57-61 (NIV)
So, we see it was not just the Jews who grumbled about Jesus; many of His disciples were grumbling, too.
“‘Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him. 65He went on to say, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has enabled them.’
66From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.”
John 6:62-66 (NIV)
Grumbling about hard teachings from Scripture, especially Jesus’ own words, and being offended by His words, can turn us away from following Him.
Just because we don’t understand something in Scripture, or because something in His Word is hard to accept, even to the point of offending us, doesn’t mean we are right to grumble about it. Grumbling about these things just reveals our lack of faith!
A Parable about Grumbling
“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who owned land. He went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2He agreed to give them the usual pay for a day’s work. Then he sent them into his vineyard.
3About nine o’clock in the morning he went out again. He saw others standing in the market doing nothing. 4He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard. I’ll pay you what is right.’ 5So they went.
He went out again about noon and at three o’clock and did the same thing. 6About five o’clock he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8When evening came, the owner of the vineyard spoke to the person who was in charge of the workers. He said, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay. Begin with the last ones I hired. Then go on to the first ones.’
9The workers who were hired about five o’clock came. Each received the usual day’s pay. 10So when those who were hired first came, they expected to receive more. But each of them also received the usual day’s pay. 11When they received it, they began to complain about the owner. 12‘These people who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said. ‘You have paid them the same as us. We have done most of the work and have been in the hot sun all day.’
13The owner answered one of them. ‘Friend,’ he said, ‘I’m being fair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for the usual day’s pay? 14Take your money and go. I want to give the one I hired last the same pay I gave you. 15Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Do you feel cheated because I gave so freely to the others?’
16So those who are last will be first. And those who are first will be last.”
Matthew 20:1-16 (NIrV)
The workers in the parable who were hired first complained about the owner when they received their pay. The NIV says, “When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.” Why? They didn’t like that the workers hired last were paid the same amount.
- They were grumbling because they felt they’d been treated unfairly.
- They were grumbling because they wanted preference or favoritism — to be treated better than the other workers because they were hired first and had worked longer.
At a glance, this seems right: Work longer, get paid more.
- But were the first workers actually treated unfairly? No. They were paid what they were owed.
- Were the first workers right to want special treatment? No. If not for the owner, they wouldn’t have had any pay at all!
They are grumbling even though they got paid what they were supposed to get paid for the work they were hired to do.
Read again what the owner says to them at the end of the parable:
“Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Do you feel cheated because I gave so freely to the others?”
Matthew 20:15 (NIrV)
Remember: Jesus said this parable is about the kingdom of heaven. “Fairness” & “favoritism” are not kingdom concerns! If God wants to be generous to others with His own blessings, who are we to demand special treatment, or more than we’ve already received? But we often grumble about life not being “fair,” and wanting to be treated better than, or as more important than, others. We have no right to grumble against God. He’s God! He sees all, knows all, and always does what is best.
Hearts Set on Evil
“And do not grumble, as some of them (Israelites led by Moses) did—and were killed by the destroying angel.”
I Corinthians 10:10 (NIV)
God cut short the lives of these Israelites because of their grumbling.
“Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.”
I Corinthians 10:7 (NIV)
We are supposed to use this example “to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things.” Our heart’s setting can lead us to grumble. What does Colossians 3:1 say?
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
Colossians 3:1 (NIV)
Our hearts are supposed to be set on “things above, where Christ is.” We are to be more concerned with spiritual things than physical things, with things of the kingdom of God rather than the things of this world. Some of the Israelites in the wilderness had grumbled because their hearts were set on evil things, and they paid for it with their lives. God takes grumbling seriously!
What We’ve Learned So Far about Grumbling
Causes: What leads to grumbling?
| impatience, especially during suffering | James 5:7-11 |
| things that are hard to understand, esp. in Scripture | John 6:41,43 |
| things that are hard to accept, esp. Jesus’ words | John 6:41,43 |
| feeling offended, esp. by Jesus’ words | John 6:61 |
| feeling as if you’ve been treated unfairly | Matthew 20:11 |
| wanting special treatment (that you think you deserve) | Matthew 20:11 |
| hearts set on evil things (having a worldly rather than a heavenly perspective) | I Cor. 10:7,10 |
Consequences: How serious an offense is it?
| The judgment of the Lord Himself | (loss of eternal reward) | James 5:7-11 |
| Turning away from following Jesus | (the darkness of unbelief) | John 6:41,43,61 |
| Losing your position in the kingdom | (the first will be last) | Matthew 20:11 |
| Death | (life cut short/possibly eternal death) | I Corinthians 10:7,10 |
Countermeasures: How do we do everything without grumbling?
A countermeasure is an action taken to counteract a danger or threat. Grumbling is a threat to us and those around us! What countermeasures can we identify in the Scripture we’ve read today?
*Oxford Languages on Google
- Remember that the Lord’s coming is near.
- Read about the patience & perseverance of Job & the OT prophets.
- Keep in mind the Lord’s compassion & mercy.
- Seek understanding for difficult passages of Scripture.
- Pray for God to help you accept hard teachings in the Bible, especially those taught by Jesus.
- Choose faith! Believe Jesus because He’s Jesus.
- Remember that “fairness” & “favoritism” are not Kingdom concerns: “those who are last will be first.”
- “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is.”
DAY 41/TUESDAY Prayer
Father God,
Thank You for Your Word.
As we are tempted to grumble in impatience, help us to remember that Jesus is coming back soon, and that You are compassionate & merciful. May the stories of Job & the Old Testament prophets inspire us to persevere.
When we read a passage of Scripture that is difficult to understand, may we seek understanding rather than turn our backs on You & the Truth. Help us accept hard teachings, especially those taught by Christ Himself. Let us choose faith and believe because Jesus is who He says He is!
Remind us that “fairness” and “favoritism” are worldly concerns, not Kingdom concerns. The children of Your Kingdom are to set our hearts on things above, where Christ is, not on things that are only important to this evil world.
We love You; thank You for first loving us!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
DAY 41: The Philippian Christians are instructed to do everything without grumbling.