And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. – 1 Corinthians 10:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 9, 2014): 1 Corinthians 10

Meshachith the Destroyer is often considered to be simply another name for the arch angel Samael. In Jewish folklore, Meshachith (or Samael) is a member of the heavenly host, and clearly on side with God, but the angel’s main purpose tends to be a negative one. Whenever there is a rebellion against God, the resultant destruction falls on Meshachith the destroyer. He is the one who brings destruction on the earth and his actions are often seen as being the vengeance of God or form on high. Because of this, Samael is often better known as “The Angel of Death.”

I am convinced that the contemporary church has been given in overabundance of the spiritual gift of criticism. And I am not sure that that is a good thing. A number of years ago I sat on the executive of a board that was in charge of overseeing youth development in the region, and at one point we were in the process of making a hire. I was of the opinion that there were so many ways that we could use the money better than by hiring a person for a position that I  really believed could be better handled by sharing the duties among several volunteers, and I stated my opinion fairly clearly. I am still haunted by the response. One of my fellow board members smiled and said that that was what he liked about me, I disagreed with the board over most decisions. I honestly felt that he meant it as a compliment – I had consistently offered other options that should be considered before we commit to any specific path. But the comment made me re-evaluate my own behavior. While I wanted to scream “if you would put a half decent proposal on the table I wouldn’t have to oppose it,” instead I began to take a long hard look at myself and openly wondered if this spiritual gift of criticism had not begun to spread deep roots in the core of me. And I began to make some changes – changes which I continue to work on even today.

But in our culture it is so easy to complain. There is no decision that is ever made publically that is not criticized. In some circles a unanimous decision is not even hoped for – in fact, often an 80% favorable vote, or four out of every five in favor, is seen as a unanimous vote, and we are told that we should not expect anything higher. Committees that have traditionally demanded a two-thirds majority in order to carry out certain actions are finding that even two-thirds is too often unattainable. More and more of us simply seem to want to stand around and complain. A few years ago I worked with a group on a new mission statement. I had sought to bring in as many people on the project as I could, as well as committed myself to a six to eight month time period to try and make sure that the needs of everyone had been satisfactorily considered. But near the end of the process one of the people who had been invited onto the committee, and had declined, admitted that he didn’t want to take part in the process because he wanted the privilege of grumbling about the outcome – something that he felt he couldn’t do if he was in on the procedure to develop the statement. I was surprised that he admitted it, but I suspected that several of the people who had said no to the invitation were secretly hiding the same ambition – they simply wanted to be free to criticize the outcome, whatever that outcome might be.

What we miss is that the Bible holds no upside for those with the spiritual gift of criticism. Paul, himself well rooted in Jewish folklore, says that when we grumble and complain, all we are really doing is courting the displeasure of God and the intervention of Meshachith the Destroyer. The severity of Paul’s judgment on our “spiritual gift of criticism” probably shocked the Corinthian Church as much as it does the contemporary one. But Paul’s message is clear – unwarranted criticism and grumbling results in death. According to Paul, in the past it has resulted in the physical death of the people of Israel, and in the present it can play havoc with both our physical and spiritual well-being.

If we truly want to be known as followers of God, then our grumbling needs to be dealt with. And if we decide that it is not important enough for us to deal with it, than it will be left in the domain of Meshachith the destroyer – and he will deal with it in a way that will not be to our edification.       

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 11

Personal Note: For those who might be interested, my grandmother, Fannie Mullen, passed away yesterday afternoon. She was 102 and exactly six months, and a great lady. I have a lot of great memories, including some nights when the two of us would stay up late to watch old "MacGyver" reruns. She will most definitely be missed.