The High Cost of Murmuring
We all agree that gossiping I a problem, but what about murmuring? Murmuring is that little dig that sheds doubt or shame over someone. It plants or nurtures a negative way of thinking.
In Numbers 12:1-5 we see a powerful story about murmuring, that includes Moses, his sister Miriam, and his brother Aaron. After being in the desert for a little over a year, manners were getting sloppy—and Moses’s siblings began to murmur about his wife, and the job he was doing listening to God.
They criticized his wife’s ethnicity and background, and wondered, “Doesn’t God speak through us too, not just Moses?”
Murmur Mess #1: When we murmur against someone else, we are really murmuring against God. We’re saying we should have been given that opportunity or gift…not them. We murmur against God’s judgment and plan.
God speaks to them directly and says, “Why weren’t you afraid to speak against Moses?”
Murmur Mess #2: When you speak against other leaders or believers, you’re saying you could do better than they can, and you’re cutting them down to push yourself up.
It’s critical to understand we’re not competing with other leaders, we’re working for the same kingdom! When Miriam’s skin turns to leprosy, Aaron quickly repents and begs for forgiveness for both he and Miriam. Moses passionately begs God to heal her, as God instructs she’s to spend 7 days outside the camp.
Murmur Mess #3: Be quick to confess and repent when you act against someone’s role in the Kingdom. Call it what it is—jealousy and envy—and ask God to help you see your role, not a comparison to someone else’s.
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