When Lehi led his family away from their home in Jerusalem, his sons weren’t happy about the change. Nephi reports that two of his brothers, Laman and Lemuel, “did murmur in many things against their father,” accusing him of being motivated by “the foolish imaginations of his heart.” They thought their father was misguided, but Nephi points out that their murmuring itself stemmed from ignorance:
And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their father. And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them.
1 Nephi 2:12
What were those “dealings” that they didn’t understand?
Immediately after the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea into freedom, they began to murmur. First, they arrived at a place which they called Marah (מָרָה, which means “bitter”), because the water was bitter and they couldn’t drink it. God showed Moses how to make the water sweet, and He promised to lead them safely if they would follow Him (Exodus 15:23-26).
When they became hungry, they told Moses they would have rather died in Egypt than starve in the wilderness. In response, God gave them quails and manna (Exodus 16:1-15).
Later, they became thirsty again and repeated their wish to be back in slavery. They wanted to stone Moses; instead, Moses gave them water from a stone. Moses called the place “Massah” (מַסָּה – the testing place) and Meribah (מְרִיבָה – a place of strife), because the children of Israel failed to trust God there. “Is the Lord among us, or not?” they asked (Exodus 17:1-7).
God’s dealings appear to follow a predictable pattern: His children have a need. He leaves the need unfulfilled temporarily, giving them space to develop faith in Him. Then, He meets the need, giving them new evidence that they can trust Him. Then, the pattern repeats, giving them a new opportunity to demonstrate faith in Him.
Knowing God’s dealings includes recognizing that there is a space between need and fulfillment. That’s the space where faith operates. If we don’t understand that, we expect instant gratification, which leads to murmuring when our needs aren’t met.
In English, the word “murmur” is onomatopoeic, meaning that it sounds like what it represents: muttering under your breath. The Hebrew word in Exodus 15-17 is luwn (לוּן), which also means “to remain,” “to tarry,” or “to dwell.” In other words, murmuring represents stopping, avoiding action, and waiting for someone else to solve our problems for us. When Nephi broke his bow, his brothers started murmuring again, and even his father joined the murmuring this time. The problem would not be solved without action. Instead of murmuring, Nephi did the obvious thing: make a new bow. He then asked his father to help him know where to look for food, inviting him back into a state of faithful action (1 Nephi 16:20-23). Moses also modeled this behavior for the Israelites, casting a tree into the water at Marah, teaching them how to gather manna, and smiting a rock at Massah / Meribah.
Complaining is easy; faithful action is harder. We usually associate complaining with discomfort, but a pattern of murmuring represents a retreat to the familiar and an unwillingness to extend ourselves and take the action which would make things better.
Murmuring keeps you enslaved even after you have left Egypt physically, because it keeps you in a passive posture — waiting for someone else to solve your problems instead of acting for yourself.
Today, I will recognize the dealings of God in my life. I will make peace with the space between need and fulfillment and will recognize that it gives me opportunities to demonstrate my trust in God by acting in faith.
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