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00:00:01 James 3:5, 6 tells us in part: 00:00:05 “The tongue is a small part of the body, 00:00:10 “and yet . . . see how small a fire it takes 00:00:14 “to set a great forest ablaze! 00:00:16 The tongue is also a fire.” 00:00:20 Well, just how small is the tongue? 00:00:24 An average adult’s tongue weighs 00:00:27 only about two and a half ounces (70 g). 00:00:29 That’s a small part of the body weight of a 200-pound (90 kg) man. 00:00:33 But that little two-ounce tongue has great power. 00:00:37 If you think about it, it can actually lift thousands of pounds of weight 00:00:41 —for example, when a chairman at a convention says, “Please stand.” 00:00:49 Of course, that power 00:00:51 can be used for good or for bad. 00:00:54 And the warning in today’s scripture text: 00:00:57 If we’re not careful, it can cause great damage, 00:01:01 just like a tiny lighted match flipped carelessly aside 00:01:06 can burn thousands of acres 00:01:09 of beautiful trees to the ground. 00:01:12 Well, what are types of speech that can be like a destructive fire? 00:01:16 Lying, slander, backbiting, harmful gossip, 00:01:21 and false teaching —a few examples. 00:01:23 But during our discussion, let’s talk 00:01:26 about a type of speech that may be more subtle, more insidious, 00:01:31 but nevertheless is very harmful. 00:01:33 What is it? Murmuring. 00:01:36 Let’s discuss: “Avoid Murmuring.” 00:01:40 Now, what is murmuring? 00:01:43 According to the dictionary, to murmur 00:01:46 means “to make a low, continuous, 00:01:48 indistinct sound or succession of sounds.” 00:01:51 Of course, in nature, 00:01:53 there are many very pleasant murmuring sounds. 00:01:57 For example, it’s pleasant to listen 00:02:00 to gentle breezes murmur through the leaves of trees. 00:02:05 It’s soothing to listen 00:02:07 to a small stream murmuring its way 00:02:11 through a forest or down a mountain slope. 00:02:13 But the same cannot be said about murmuring by the human tongue. 00:02:18 It is far from pleasant. 00:02:21 One dictionary said that “murmuring by humans 00:02:24 “means complaining 00:02:27 in low mumbling tones, grumbling.” 00:02:32 The Watchtower said 00:02:34 that “the Hebrew term meaning ‘to murmur’ can also mean ‘to growl.’” 00:02:39 When we’re out in service and if a dog growls at us, 00:02:43 it’s not a pleasant sound that draws us. 00:02:45 We want to distance ourselves. 00:02:48 Of course, murmuring permeates Satan’s world. 00:02:52 Children murmur against their parents; 00:02:55 wives murmur against their husbands; 00:02:58 employees murmur against their employers; 00:03:02 multitudes murmur against God, 00:03:05 blaming him for bad things that happen. 00:03:08 But, now, here’s an important question, How does Jehovah view murmuring? 00:03:13 Well, open up to Numbers chapter 12, please, 00:03:17 and here’s an interesting account 00:03:19 that gives us some insight into Jehovah’s viewpoint 00:03:22 —Numbers 12:1: 00:03:24 “Now Miriam and Aaron 00:03:27 “began to speak against Moses 00:03:29 because of the Cushite wife he had married.” 00:03:33 Verse 2: “They were saying 00:03:35 “[and apparently on an ongoing basis]: 00:03:39 “‘Is it only by Moses 00:03:42 “‘that Jehovah has spoken? 00:03:45 Has he not also spoken through us?’” 00:03:48 Now notice the next thought: 00:03:50 “And Jehovah was listening.” 00:03:53 And Jehovah didn’t like what he heard, did he? 00:03:56 If you look at verse 9, his “anger burned,” 00:03:59 and he struck Miriam with leprosy. 00:04:02 Now think about this: Of all the diseases 00:04:05 Jehovah could have struck Miriam with, 00:04:08 why did he choose leprosy? 00:04:10 Well, Jehovah doesn’t tell us. 00:04:12 But think about this: A person struck with leprosy, 00:04:15 especially in Bible times, was made physically repulsive, 00:04:20 or (you could say) physically ugly. 00:04:22 Well, by talking the way she was talking already, 00:04:25 she was spiritually repulsive in Jehovah’s eyes. 00:04:28 So by striking her with leprosy, 00:04:31 Jehovah allowed everyone to see 00:04:33 what Jehovah already saw in Miriam. 00:04:36 There’s another account two chapters later. 00:04:39 It talks about how the Israelites began to murmur 00:04:44 after hearing the negative report 00:04:47 from the ten spies. 00:04:49 How did Jehovah react? 00:04:51 He decreed that all the murmurers 20 years of age and over 00:04:55 would never make it to the Promised Land. 00:04:58 They would die in the wilderness. 00:05:00 So, obviously, Jehovah hates murmuring. 00:05:03 You could say that he abominates it. 00:05:05 But now the question is, Why? 00:05:08 Well, let’s briefly discuss three reasons. 00:05:11 One: It breeds discontent 00:05:15 both in ourselves and in others. 00:05:18 Jude 16 speaks of ‘murmurers 00:05:22 complaining about their lot in life.’ 00:05:25 And it’s true that the more 00:05:28 a person complains about his lot in life, 00:05:32 then the deeper the discontent becomes in his own heart. 00:05:35 And since murmurers never keep their complaints to themselves, 00:05:39 it sows discontent in others. 00:05:43 And if you think about this: 00:05:45 Who was the original promoter of discontent with one’s lot in life? 00:05:49 Satan the Devil. 00:05:52 He succeeded in sowing discontent in Eve’s heart. 00:05:55 So a murmurer is actually imitating the methods of the Devil, 00:06:00 and apparently a murmurer 00:06:02 reminds Jehovah of his archenemy, Satan. 00:06:05 And that’s certainly something no wise person wants to do 00:06:08 —to remind Jehovah of Satan. 00:06:10 Well, what is the antidote? 00:06:13 Cultivating contentment. 00:06:16 First Timothy 6:6: 00:06:18 “There is great gain in godly devotion along with contentment.” 00:06:23 And several scriptures talk about contentment. 00:06:26 And when we count our blessings that we have from Jehovah, 00:06:30 we can be content —can’t we?— 00:06:32 no matter what our circumstances now. 00:06:35 A second reason Jehovah hates it: 00:06:38 It incites hatred, 00:06:40 again, both in our own heart and in others. 00:06:44 Open up to Proverbs chapter 17, please. 00:06:47 And here’s an interesting scripture on this, 00:06:50 Proverbs 17:9: 00:06:54 “Whoever forgives a transgression seeks love, 00:06:59 “but the one who keeps harping on a matter 00:07:03 separates close friends.” 00:07:06 So notice, love should move us to cover over, forgive, the transgressions of others. 00:07:11 But if we don’t do that and we keep harping 00:07:14 about their transgressions, 00:07:16 murmuring about them, 00:07:18 then hatred for that one grows in our own heart. 00:07:21 And how does it affect others? 00:07:23 Well, again, it sows hatred in their heart. 00:07:26 The Watchtower some years ago had a little article 00:07:29 “Why Keep Free from Murmuring?” 00:07:31 And it gave an example. 00:07:33 It says: “Suppose . . . a Christian starts to complain to you 00:07:37 “about a certain appointed elder 00:07:39 “[about how he performs his duties, how he] . . . 00:07:42 handles his parts on the platform.” 00:07:44 And it says: “If you listen to the complainer, 00:07:48 “you can begin to think as he does. 00:07:50 “Then, as you observe the elder, you could be saying to yourself: 00:07:54 “‘Now that I think [about] it, 00:07:56 “‘what my friend says about this elder is true. 00:08:01 I never thought of it that way before.’” 00:08:03 Before it didn’t bother you; now it bothers you. 00:08:05 Eventually, everything the elder does 00:08:08 can be improper in your eyes. 00:08:12 But, now, what is the antidote? 00:08:14 Well, like it said in Proverbs: 00:08:17 “Whoever forgives a transgression seeks love” 00:08:22 —so cultivating love, making allowances for others, 00:08:27 forgiving them, not harping about their transgressions, 00:08:31 but forgiving as we pray and hope Jehovah will do for us. 00:08:35 But, now, the third reason Jehovah hates it: It manifests pride. 00:08:39 Korah, Dathan, Abiram 00:08:42 —remember they murmured against Moses. 00:08:45 “We have had enough of you! 00:08:47 “The whole assembly is holy, all of them, 00:08:50 “and Jehovah is in their midst. 00:08:52 “Why, then, should you exalt yourselves 00:08:54 above the congregation of Jehovah?” 00:08:56 Their murmuring was an outward expression 00:09:00 of an inward condition—pride. 00:09:04 And we know how Jehovah reacted in that case. 00:09:06 But, now, what’s the antidote? 00:09:08 Humility, lowliness of mind 00:09:11 —not trying to tear others down 00:09:13 with our talking to elevate ourselves. 00:09:17 But lowliness of mind will protect us. 00:09:20 So we’ve discussed that murmuring 00:09:23 breeds discontent, incites hatred, manifests pride. 00:09:28 No wonder Jehovah hates it. 00:09:31 But as we said, if we cultivate contentment, 00:09:35 love, and we cultivate humility, 00:09:39 these will serve as antidotes to our ever becoming murmurers. 00:09:44 And we’ll be successful in applying Philippians 2:14, 00:09:48 which says: “Keep doing all things 00:09:51 free from murmuring.” 00:09:54 And it didn’t say most things. 00:09:56 “Keep doing all things free from murmuring,” 00:09:59 and we’ll prove to Jehovah that we’re assets in his organization. 00:10:03 He’ll want us in his organization now; 00:10:06 he’ll want us in his new world in the future.
00:00:01 James 3:5, 6 tells us in part: 00:00:05 “The tongue is a small part of the body, 00:00:10 “and yet . . . see how small a fire it takes 00:00:14 “to set a great forest ablaze! 00:00:16 The tongue is also a fire.” 00:00:20 Well, just how small is the tongue? 00:00:24 An average adult’s tongue weighs 00:00:27 only about two and a half ounces (70 g). 00:00:29 That’s a small part of the body weight of a 200-pound (90 kg) man. 00:00:33 But that little two-ounce tongue has great power. 00:00:37 If you think about it, it can actually lift thousands of pounds of weight 00:00:41 —for example, when a chairman at a convention says, “Please stand.” 00:00:49 Of course, that power 00:00:51 can be used for good or for bad. 00:00:54 And the warning in today’s scripture text: 00:00:57 If we’re not careful, it can cause great damage, 00:01:01 just like a tiny lighted match flipped carelessly aside 00:01:06 can burn thousands of acres 00:01:09 of beautiful trees to the ground. 00:01:12 Well, what are types of speech that can be like a destructive fire? 00:01:16 Lying, slander, backbiting, harmful gossip, 00:01:21 and false teaching —a few examples. 00:01:23 But during our discussion, let’s talk 00:01:26 about a type of speech that may be more subtle, more insidious, 00:01:31 but nevertheless is very harmful. 00:01:33 What is it? Murmuring. 00:01:36 Let’s discuss: “Avoid Murmuring.” 00:01:40 Now, what is murmuring? 00:01:43 According to the dictionary, to murmur 00:01:46 means “to make a low, continuous, 00:01:48 indistinct sound or succession of sounds.” 00:01:51 Of course, in nature, 00:01:53 there are many very pleasant murmuring sounds. 00:01:57 For example, it’s pleasant to listen 00:02:00 to gentle breezes murmur through the leaves of trees. 00:02:05 It’s soothing to listen 00:02:07 to a small stream murmuring its way 00:02:11 through a forest or down a mountain slope. 00:02:13 But the same cannot be said about murmuring by the human tongue. 00:02:18 It is far from pleasant. 00:02:21 One dictionary said that “murmuring by humans 00:02:24 “means complaining 00:02:27 in low mumbling tones, grumbling.” 00:02:32 The Watchtower said 00:02:34 that “the Hebrew term meaning ‘to murmur’ can also mean ‘to growl.’” 00:02:39 When we’re out in service and if a dog growls at us, 00:02:43 it’s not a pleasant sound that draws us. 00:02:45 We want to distance ourselves. 00:02:48 Of course, murmuring permeates Satan’s world. 00:02:52 Children murmur against their parents; 00:02:55 wives murmur against their husbands; 00:02:58 employees murmur against their employers; 00:03:02 multitudes murmur against God, 00:03:05 blaming him for bad things that happen. 00:03:08 But, now, here’s an important question, How does Jehovah view murmuring? 00:03:13 Well, open up to Numbers chapter 12, please, 00:03:17 and here’s an interesting account 00:03:19 that gives us some insight into Jehovah’s viewpoint 00:03:22 —Numbers 12:1: 00:03:24 “Now Miriam and Aaron 00:03:27 “began to speak against Moses 00:03:29 because of the Cushite wife he had married.” 00:03:33 Verse 2: “They were saying 00:03:35 “[and apparently on an ongoing basis]: 00:03:39 “‘Is it only by Moses 00:03:42 “‘that Jehovah has spoken? 00:03:45 Has he not also spoken through us?’” 00:03:48 Now notice the next thought: 00:03:50 “And Jehovah was listening.” 00:03:53 And Jehovah didn’t like what he heard, did he? 00:03:56 If you look at verse 9, his “anger burned,” 00:03:59 and he struck Miriam with leprosy. 00:04:02 Now think about this: Of all the diseases 00:04:05 Jehovah could have struck Miriam with, 00:04:08 why did he choose leprosy? 00:04:10 Well, Jehovah doesn’t tell us. 00:04:12 But think about this: A person struck with leprosy, 00:04:15 especially in Bible times, was made physically repulsive, 00:04:20 or (you could say) physically ugly. 00:04:22 Well, by talking the way she was talking already, 00:04:25 she was spiritually repulsive in Jehovah’s eyes. 00:04:28 So by striking her with leprosy, 00:04:31 Jehovah allowed everyone to see 00:04:33 what Jehovah already saw in Miriam. 00:04:36 There’s another account two chapters later. 00:04:39 It talks about how the Israelites began to murmur 00:04:44 after hearing the negative report 00:04:47 from the ten spies. 00:04:49 How did Jehovah react? 00:04:51 He decreed that all the murmurers 20 years of age and over 00:04:55 would never make it to the Promised Land. 00:04:58 They would die in the wilderness. 00:05:00 So, obviously, Jehovah hates murmuring. 00:05:03 You could say that he abominates it. 00:05:05 But now the question is, Why? 00:05:08 Well, let’s briefly discuss three reasons. 00:05:11 One: It breeds discontent 00:05:15 both in ourselves and in others. 00:05:18 Jude 16 speaks of ‘murmurers 00:05:22 complaining about their lot in life.’ 00:05:25 And it’s true that the more 00:05:28 a person complains about his lot in life, 00:05:32 then the deeper the discontent becomes in his own heart. 00:05:35 And since murmurers never keep their complaints to themselves, 00:05:39 it sows discontent in others. 00:05:43 And if you think about this: 00:05:45 Who was the original promoter of discontent with one’s lot in life? 00:05:49 Satan the Devil. 00:05:52 He succeeded in sowing discontent in Eve’s heart. 00:05:55 So a murmurer is actually imitating the methods of the Devil, 00:06:00 and apparently a murmurer 00:06:02 reminds Jehovah of his archenemy, Satan. 00:06:05 And that’s certainly something no wise person wants to do 00:06:08 —to remind Jehovah of Satan. 00:06:10 Well, what is the antidote? 00:06:13 Cultivating contentment. 00:06:16 First Timothy 6:6: 00:06:18 “There is great gain in godly devotion along with contentment.” 00:06:23 And several scriptures talk about contentment. 00:06:26 And when we count our blessings that we have from Jehovah, 00:06:30 we can be content —can’t we?— 00:06:32 no matter what our circumstances now. 00:06:35 A second reason Jehovah hates it: 00:06:38 It incites hatred, 00:06:40 again, both in our own heart and in others. 00:06:44 Open up to Proverbs chapter 17, please. 00:06:47 And here’s an interesting scripture on this, 00:06:50 Proverbs 17:9: 00:06:54 “Whoever forgives a transgression seeks love, 00:06:59 “but the one who keeps harping on a matter 00:07:03 separates close friends.” 00:07:06 So notice, love should move us to cover over, forgive, the transgressions of others. 00:07:11 But if we don’t do that and we keep harping 00:07:14 about their transgressions, 00:07:16 murmuring about them, 00:07:18 then hatred for that one grows in our own heart. 00:07:21 And how does it affect others? 00:07:23 Well, again, it sows hatred in their heart. 00:07:26 The Watchtower some years ago had a little article 00:07:29 “Why Keep Free from Murmuring?” 00:07:31 And it gave an example. 00:07:33 It says: “Suppose . . . a Christian starts to complain to you 00:07:37 “about a certain appointed elder 00:07:39 “[about how he performs his duties, how he] . . . 00:07:42 handles his parts on the platform.” 00:07:44 And it says: “If you listen to the complainer, 00:07:48 “you can begin to think as he does. 00:07:50 “Then, as you observe the elder, you could be saying to yourself: 00:07:54 “‘Now that I think [about] it, 00:07:56 “‘what my friend says about this elder is true. 00:08:01 I never thought of it that way before.’” 00:08:03 Before it didn’t bother you; now it bothers you. 00:08:05 Eventually, everything the elder does 00:08:08 can be improper in your eyes. 00:08:12 But, now, what is the antidote? 00:08:14 Well, like it said in Proverbs: 00:08:17 “Whoever forgives a transgression seeks love” 00:08:22 —so cultivating love, making allowances for others, 00:08:27 forgiving them, not harping about their transgressions, 00:08:31 but forgiving as we pray and hope Jehovah will do for us. 00:08:35 But, now, the third reason Jehovah hates it: It manifests pride. 00:08:39 Korah, Dathan, Abiram 00:08:42 —remember they murmured against Moses. 00:08:45 “We have had enough of you! 00:08:47 “The whole assembly is holy, all of them, 00:08:50 “and Jehovah is in their midst. 00:08:52 “Why, then, should you exalt yourselves 00:08:54 above the congregation of Jehovah?” 00:08:56 Their murmuring was an outward expression 00:09:00 of an inward condition—pride. 00:09:04 And we know how Jehovah reacted in that case. 00:09:06 But, now, what’s the antidote? 00:09:08 Humility, lowliness of mind 00:09:11 —not trying to tear others down 00:09:13 with our talking to elevate ourselves. 00:09:17 But lowliness of mind will protect us. 00:09:20 So we’ve discussed that murmuring 00:09:23 breeds discontent, incites hatred, manifests pride. 00:09:28 No wonder Jehovah hates it. 00:09:31 But as we said, if we cultivate contentment, 00:09:35 love, and we cultivate humility, 00:09:39 these will serve as antidotes to our ever becoming murmurers. 00:09:44 And we’ll be successful in applying Philippians 2:14, 00:09:48 which says: “Keep doing all things 00:09:51 free from murmuring.” 00:09:54 And it didn’t say most things. 00:09:56 “Keep doing all things free from murmuring,” 00:09:59 and we’ll prove to Jehovah that we’re assets in his organization. 00:10:03 He’ll want us in his organization now; 00:10:06 he’ll want us in his new world in the future.
