Category Archives: Bible Study

Complaints in the Bible or Musing to Murmuring

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Well, I suggest you use this post as a launchpad for your own study of complaining found in the Bible. This study comes from looking into Job 9:11 and righteousness in the Book of Isaiah. I am surprised at the scope of the thoughts about “complaints” in the Bible; God bless translators. The word complain was not the key term I used in this study; the links below will show this.

These links are not in any particular order. These are great resources as they have more than my ink and leaf Strong’s Concordance and show how the word is used in translations besides the KJV. 

Additional words of “complain” in the Strong’s/KJV

  • H 7378 – to toss or grapple
  • H 1058 – to weep
  • H 596 – to mourn or complain
  • H 6682 – a screech or cry
  • G 3202
  • G 157 – to have affection for

There are several types of “complaints” in the Bible, you will find man complaining to and about God, God “complaining” about man and man-to-man interactions. To complicate this, you need to look at what is being said and how it is being done. How does this relate to righteous behavior? Part of our concept of righteousness is our active relationship with the Father. So, communicating with God is our praises, our thanks, our needs, and our concerns. Righteous not religious is the goal. How do you want your friends and children to speak to you? 

This balance is shown in two interesting texts. The first is the Ten Commandments. The first four focus on how to relate to God; the last six are how we are to treat other people. My second comparison is the Lord’s Prayer, the first part is towards the Father, and starting with asking for our daily epiousios bread is our needs and how we relate to our fellow man.

Prophets Who “Complained”

I will list five prophets, there may be more and more examples from these five. Each of these men were under stress for different reasons.

Isaiah 24:16 – Chapter 24 is complex, 1-13 is about destruction, 14-16a is praise to God, and 16b is Isaiah wailing because of his condition. Most of his kings did right in the eyes of the Lord, but he must have been burdened by what he was seeing in his visions.

Jeremiah 12, see Chapters 15 and 16, and 20:7 – 18. Chapter 12 is a complaint of what Jeremiah sees and God answers this in the second part of the chapter. 20:7-18 is a complaint and I did not find an answer to it. There is another complaint section for Jeremiah; 15:10 is a complaint followed by an answer 11 – 14; 15 – 18 is another complaint followed by the Lord’s reply 19 – 21 and Jeremiah in 16:19 makes a statement of repentance.

He did not have an easy job; Babylon was coming to destroy Jerusalem, the people did not like him, the king would not do what was right, and his own family was plotting to kill him.   

Habakkuk 1:2 and 12, then 2:1 – His book is built on two questions that stem from what he sees around him. 2:1 is his resolve to wait for an answer. God did answer both of his questions 5-11 and 2:2 – 20. Habakkuk ends his oracle with a “musical prayer” where he is giving quality time to the Lord.

Elijah – In the cave he was moaning to God because of Jezebel and his limited information on how many people were still faithful to God. (1 Kings 19)

Jonah – His complaint, I feel, came more from the fact that if Nineveh was not destroyed it would technically make him a false prophet. He knew God was merciful and he did not want to go.

Others Who Used Their Voices

David and the Psalms – Much of David’s life is an open book for us to read, his complaints and praises. Okay, that is because he wrote about them in the psalms or songs he wrote. They record a wide range of emotions and feelings. 1 Samuel 30 may have been one of the roughest spots for him up to that time in his life; Saul and Israel were after him, the Philistines had just booted him out of camp, he returns to Ziklag to find everything taken, and his men are mad at him. Did he “complain”? Most people I know would have said a few words and phrases at that moment, but those led to 1 Samuel 30:6 and I can hear Psalm 71 starting to be shaped in his heart. That song may have been finished when his son, Absalom, tried to overthrow his kingdom. Here are some other examples of Psalms that reflect a down time or a time of meditation.

  • Psalm 1:2
  • Psalm 31:1
  • Psalm 55:2
  • Psalm 64:1
  • Psalm 102:1
  • Psalm 142:2

The Journey – I will draw a line in the Red Sea for this post. On the west side of the line is Egypt, which is now a defeated foe, the miracles that subdued Egypt’s gods, and a healthy people leaving with riches. Now to the east side of the line is a new life so they can meet and know their God, and thank Him for freeing them and the Promised Land. Those forty years are well documented. Take a Muse Moment and reflect on your Journey since your baptism?  

In Exodus and Numbers, the people complain about God Strong’s Hebrew: 8519. תְּלֻנּוֹת (tluwnah) — murmuring (biblehub.com)  See Testing God Ten Times. Moses did not like it when God said He would not go with them, Numbers 11:10. God had a few things to say about the People, Numbers 14:27. The people complain to Aaron about Moses on the Mountain, Exodus 32:1. There are more, but to be fair there were times when they willingly obeyed God and He did not fail to provide them with manna, shade in the day and a warm covering at night.

Job – 7:13, 9:27, 10:1, 21:4, and 23:2. Translators will vary on how they view the word “complaint”, so study. There are other passages in Job that would very easily come across to fit a modern idea of complaining.

New Testament – You may not find the word complain associated with any of these stories or parables, but I took off my “Good Morning” glasses and saw people who had a lot to say. I think the range of emotions went from musing to murmuring.

  • Luke 15 – the oldest son talking to his father
  • John 4 – the woman at the well
  • John 11:21 – Martha addressing Jesus about her brother dying
  • Luke 1 – Zechariah and Mary talking to the Gabriel. I have decided that this will be a Christmas 2024 post, so more on this later. But one of these murmured and one mused.

I took a break during my study and found this; it is related. Held (youtube.com) by Natalie Grant

My takeaway is not simple or cut and dry. The Hebrew words for complaining, moaning, and musing seem to carry a wide range of uses and applications. Your heart-attitude is a factor in musing or murmuring. God is not against you; He wants what is best for you.

ARMOR in Ephesians

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The armor in Ephesians 6 has been the object of at least one other study and probably will get a few more. See Putting On or Spandex Tight | Mark’s Bible Study (ificouldteachthebible.com) for my first post. Today, I will write on some of the reasons why Paul told us to put that armor on (enduo).

The Struggle or palē – This word is also translated wrestle and fight. Strong’s Greek: 3823. πάλη (palé) — wrestling, generally fight (biblehub.com) It is used once in the New Testament. (For a little advanced learning. Translators will use other Greek sources, like Homer and Herodotus, to get the meaning of these words.) The winner of Greek wrestling matches won only when they “stood” on the loser’s neck. This is what we are to do to the rulers, authorities, powers, and spiritual forces of darkness and evil. Unfortunately, we ignore this is not for flesh and blood, and certainly not fellow believers in Christ Jesus.

Stand or histēmi – See Strong’s Greek: 2476. ἵστημι (histémi) — to make to stand, to stand (biblehub.com)  This word is used many times in the New Testament and in a variety of ways.

Stand or anthistēmi – See Strong’s Greek: 436. ἀνθίστημι (anthistémi) — to set against, i.e. withstand (biblehub.com)  The KJV translates this as “withstand”; this seems weak in today’s uses of that word. Some Greek literature uses this as a military term, which fits the context of Paul’s writing. We are to oppose the darkness with force using the armor we are being instructed to wear/use. I think I might say “defend your ground”.

My Observations

  1. Jesus won.
  2. Our Old Testament has spears, bows and arrows, and slings. Did Paul forget these? They are long range weapons.
  3. I tend to think of this in Roman terms, which could be fair, expect armor has been around long before them. See 1 Samuel 18:4, this is Jonathan giving David his armor and weapons.
  4. The armour and weapons usually listed are for personal protection or close-quarter combat.
  5. The enemy uses flaming arrows.
  6. Christians have a Sword! Lol our “S – word”. Our Holy Spirit Word.
  7. Two things that do not make the list very often are the Spiritual weapons – Praying and Watching, verse 18. These may make us “Weap-on”.
  8. Have you ever seen a Sunday School lesson with a woman clothed in her armor and ready to anthistēmi?
  9. Notice the order of putting on the armor and weapons in Ephesians 6:13-18, it is how someone would get dressed by themselves to go into battle.

I like the Book of Ephesians, and the Armor section in Chapter 6. No, it is not an accident that Paul ended Ephesians with the armor in Chapter 6.

Righteousness # 3

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In this edition of Righteousness, I want to point out three separate text that deal with the condition of Jerusalem, its people, and the interesting thought in Isaiah 4:4. These same thoughts are started in Psalm 103 by David more than 250+ years before Isaiah.

In Repeats and Upgrades, I laid a foundation about the period that Isaiah prophesied in; I will add to these thoughts. His time of ministry is more than 250 years after the Temple was finished. The Northern Tribes were being attacked by Assyria, so Amos, Micah, Hosea, and others were helping the children of Jacob. Jerusalem has had good and bad periods, but he worked with Hezekiah and was probably killed, as an old man, by Manasseh. Manasseh was just bad news and did not follow the Lord at all.

The Land the Lord promised to Abraham is important to Him. Melchizedek is associated with Jerusalem and the sacrifice of Issac was on Mount Zion or Moriah. It is referenced/understood in the three passages below that there was a problem and that it would be corrected and “the city of Jerusalem” would be changed. Righteousness, justice, and salvation are in these references; it has the “legal” side of righteousness covered, but there is also the personal relationship part that needs to be recognized. Are all of these texts referring to the New Jerusalem in Revelations? There are many verses with a wide range of emotions talking about the earthly city of Jerusalem. (That is a great study for you to do.) So, are they talking about the people in Jerusalem at those times or the houses inside the four walls?  

These references are from the New American Standard Bible from Bible Gateway.

1:26 Then I will restore your judges as at first,
And your counselors as at the beginning;
After that you will be called the city of righteousness,
A faithful city.”

4:2 – On that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the beauty of the survivors of Israel. 3 And it will come about that the one who is left in Zion and remains behind in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem. 4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, 5 then the Lord will create over the entire area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. 6 And there will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain.

62: 11 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth:
Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation is coming;
Behold His reward is with Him, and His compensation before Him.”
12 And they will call them, “The holy people,
The redeemed of the Lord”;
And you will be called, “Sought Out, A City Not Abandoned.”

The spirit of burning

Isaiah 4:4 Hebrew Text Analysis (biblehub.com)

Strong’s Hebrew: 1197. בָּעַר (ba’ar) — brutish (biblehub.com)

This phrase caught my attention. “The spirit of burning” that cleans Jerusalem. In the NASB (Bible Gateway) this is used only once, the second reference is Revelations 4:5 with the focus of that verse talking about the Seven Spirits of God. The word for burning (H1197) will show you the verses of Moses talking to God in the burning bush. Great connection for Isaiah 4:4. (I will say again, God bless translators.) Put this phrase in with the prophecy that there will be no more global floods, just a consuming fire.

Righteousness the Second Look

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In this post, I want to focus on a repeating theme and technique. The theme is dark to light, and I will call the technique “what is and what will be”. In Isaiah I have noticed several of these sections, especially in Chapters 1 – 4. I am sure there are others as usual have your Bible open.

“What is” gone is the righteous relationship the people had with their God, this cascades very quickly to a loss of right legal standing before God and the mistreating of people. 1:13 of Isaiah speaks of offerings and incense that mean nothing because they choose to do evil things (vs.16) and neglect the important things found in verse 17. Verse 21, again, states that justice and righteousness have been replaced with murderers. This first “what is” section goes from 1:1 to 1:23. I see the “what will be” starting in vs. 24 and going through 31 or possibly 2:5. For me, verses 1:26 and 27 are the core of this second part, when Jerusalem will be renamed the “City of Righteousness and the Faithful City”.

This thought is fenced in with vs.24 and what is labeled 2:1. At times it is easy to overlook the “declares, and the Lord says” parts of the text because they may not fall at the beginning of a chapter. These declarations and introductions were added by the Holy Spirit to indicate units of thought from the Father and how they were given to the prophets. They should not be overlooked.

Ah, Chapter 2! To finish this post and show another example of dark to light, I need to work from Chapter 2 to 4. I see 2:1 to 3:15 as being a unit because of “declares the Lord”, then 3:16 to 4:1 as a “dark” unit and “4:2 to 6 as a light unit. Did Isaiah do some editing and strategic planning? 2:1-5 is very much a “will be” section. Starting in verse 6 it sounds like Isaiah is talking to God about Israel. Notice the thought is “their” land. Verse 12 starts a repeated idea that is found in the rest of Isaiah and many other prophetic books – “The Day”. This “dark” section of 2:6 to 4:1 ends with the coming of the “Branch of the Lord”. 4:5 and 6 is the recreation of the Pillar of Cloud and Fire that covered Israel for forty years.

In the dark, right relations with God and man break down and it becomes a judicial matter for God.

When light comes so does proper judicial conduct and proper relationships with God and our fellow man. This is the righteousness that God wants.

Here is a study help. The “H” numbers are from the Strong’s Concordance.

Isaiah 1:26 Hebrew Text Analysis (biblehub.com)

Chapters and Verses in the Bible

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Someone very important to me pointed out that I needed to explain my “French Printer” comment when I talk about chapters and verses in the Bible. Because these divisions have been with us our whole life it is easy to forget that is not how biblical scrolls and early versions of the Bible were written.

You may have noticed that many times in the Gospels Jesus is quoted as saying “it is written in the scroll”. This will depend on your favorite translation, of course. I will offer Luke 4:17 as an example; Jesus looked through the scroll to find where it was written. (It was a nice study in Bible Gateway to put in the word “written” and follow that thought through the New Testament.) If we did that today, you might get looked down on because of your lack of knowledge for not quoting the book, chapter, and verse.

A quick search yielded these sites (no particle reason for giving them) and many more. Langton and Estienne were not the first, but their work seems to be the foundation and final product of what is used today. Many printing companies are now adding chapter headings and section descriptors, which are also a nice help.

Who divided the Bible into chapters and verses? – BibleAsk

Stephen Langton started in the 13th century to break the longer books of the Bible into chapters, especially the Old Testament.

Robert Estienne, a French printer, continued the adding of chapters and verses in the 16th century. The Geneva Bible in 1560 had verses.

Chapters and verses of the Bible – Wikipedia

When and How Was the Bible Split into Chapters and Verses? – Topical Studies (biblestudytools.com)

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Bible Verses and Chapters  | Bible Gateway News & Knowledge  This one has “fun facts” about chapters and verses.

My fun fact. The first printed version of the King James Bible did not use Chapters and Verses.