It’s Time to Celebrate—Not Complain

In this message drawn from Numbers 10 and 11, Chuck Swindoll contrasts the gratitude that should characterize God’s people with the destructive habit of complaining. The Israelites, having recently finished the Tabernacle and received the Law, set out from Mount Sinai toward the Promised Land. Swindoll notes that they have every reason to celebrate: they are free from 400 years of slavery, guided by a cloud by day and fire by night, and sustained by miraculous provision. Yet, only three days into the journey, “the dogs began to bark,” and the people began to whine in the hearing of the Lord [14–17, 23–24].

Swindoll traces the root of this discontent to the “rabble”—a mixed multitude of non-Israelites who tagged along during the Exodus. These agitators incited the people to weep over their lack of variety in diet, romanticizing the “fish, cucumbers, and leeks” of Egypt while despising the manna provided by God. The contagion of complaining became so severe that it demoralized Moses, leading him to pray a desperate prayer asking God to “kill me at once” rather than force him to carry the burden of these weeping people alone [32–35, 43–45].

God responds to this crisis with a mix of assistance and judgment. To help Moses, He appoints 70 elders to share the burden of leadership. To answer the people’s greed, He sends quail three feet deep for a month—until it becomes loathsome to them—followed by a severe plague. Swindoll concludes by applying this to the modern church context. As the congregation prepares to move into a new facility, he warns that disunity and “poisonous tongues” are the greatest threats to ministry. He challenges believers to break the habit of fault-finding and instead focus on the vertical reality that God is in control [48–51, 58–63, 71].

Message Key Facts:

• The Arabic Proverb: Swindoll quotes an old proverb, “The dogs bark, but the caravan rolls on,” to illustrate that despite the noise of complainers, God’s plan and progress continue forward.
• The “Three-Day” Habit: Swindoll observes a pattern of complaining. In Numbers 10:33, the people travel for three days before complaining. Similarly, in Exodus 15:22, they traveled three days before complaining about bitter water. Swindoll suggests that many people can only handle discomfort for about three days before their habit of murmuring kicks in [28–30].
• Five Reasons for Complaining: Swindoll analyzes why the Israelites complained:
  1. They formed a habit of fussing.
  2. They preferred complaining over trusting God.
  3. They listened to the “rabble” (those who refuse to walk by faith).
  4. They focused on what they lacked (meat) rather than what they had.
  5. They were ungrateful for God’s provision (manna) [28–36].
• Selective Memory: The complainers idealized the “good old days” in Egypt, remembering the free fish and garlic, but conveniently forgetting the slavery, the ghetto, and the taskmaster’s lash.
• Moses’ Lament: The burden of leadership became so heavy that Moses asked God to take his life. Swindoll notes that even great leaders can be demoralized when “the people weep throughout their families,” and the leader feels he is carrying the load solo [40–45].
• The Graves of Craving: The place where the people gorged on quail and died by the plague was named Kibroth-hattaavah (implied in the text as “graves of craving”). Swindoll describes the scene as a riot of gluttony, where people were chewing raw meat before even swallowing it [55–57].
• The Danger of Disunity: Citing a story from Dr. Ken Gangel, Swindoll tells of a university dean who associated “church” with only one thing: “They fight.” Swindoll argues that disunity is the devil’s favorite dart and that a fighting church repels the world [68–71].
• Abraham Lincoln’s Perspective: Swindoll shares a quote from Lincoln regarding criticism: “If I tried to answer all the criticisms… this office would be closed… If the end proves me to have been right, then all that is said about me now will amount to nothing” [61–62].

Message References:

• Numbers 10:11–12: The Israelites set out from the wilderness of Sinai in the second year, moving toward Paran.
• Numbers 11:1: “Now the people became like those who complain of adversity… and the fire of the Lord burned among them.”
• Numbers 11:4–6: The “rabble” craves meat, and the people weep for the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic of Egypt, claiming their appetite is gone [4–5].
• Numbers 11:14–15: Moses’ prayer of desperation: “I am not able to carry all this people alone… kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight.”
• Numbers 11:16–17: God’s provision of 70 elders to bear the burden with Moses [49–50].
• Numbers 11:31–34: The wind from the Lord bringing quail three feet deep, followed by the plague and the naming of the place “Kibroth-hattaavah” (Graves of Craving) [54–57].
• Exodus 15:22–24: Referenced to show the pattern of complaining after a three-day journey.

Message Speaker:

Pastor Chuck Swindoll