1 Corinthians 10:1-5 says...
Today's verses are 1 Corinthians 10:1-5, which read,
v.1-4 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.
We approach a new chapter in this letter to the church in Corinth. Paul has been pointing out where the church has gone astray and allowed sin to crept into the church. He has been pointing them back to the Bible and the following of God's ways rather than the ways of the world. Now comes a new chapter with a new illustration from their past to show an example of what happens when we allow pride and discarding of God's words to rule our lives.
Paul does not want them to be unaware of the condition that they are in. In the last verse of the last chapter he expressed that he did not want to be disqualified of receiving the prize from God of taking the message of Christ to others. The church in Corinth was in a disqualified state at this time with the gospel message. Paul opens up to them probably the most spoken of event of the Old Testament, the Exodus.
The Israelites left under the direction of one man, Moses, who was sent by God to deliver His people from the evil ruler Pharaoh. Under the direction of that one man all were together as Moses followed the direction of God by the cloud and also the event of taking them through the midst of the Red Sea on dry ground. God provided manna from heaven and water from the rock but God also provided to them all, through the leadership of Moses, spiritual food and spiritual water. Paul inserts here that the spiritual rock that was pouring out spiritual water to nourish them to continue on was Christ. Moses was physically leading them but Christ was there also supplying the spiritual food that they needed.
The picture is painted here that the people who left Egypt with Moses had God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ guiding and providing from them both physically and spiritually. The question is, what did they do in that state? Paul wants the Christians in Corinth to make the connection that he, Paul, one man came sent by God to deliver them from the sin of their world. Paul provided the spiritual food and the spiritual drink that were coming directly from Jesus. He had provided for them everything that they needed. What would they do in this state?
v.5 - Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
Notice that it says with "most of them" God was displeased. Only 2 out of the original, some say 2 million entered into the Promise Land. There was a remnant of those who fully accepted the spiritual food and drink of the Lord even though all had it available to them. Joshua and Caleb led a new generation of Israelities into the Promise Land while those who disregarded God's words and ways spent the rest of their lives in the wilderness. They were disqualified from the blessings of God because of their actions.
Paul is saying to the Christians in Corinth that they are like the Israelites in the wilderness. We can be like that too. We can be displeasing to God. We can live our lives in such a way that the true blessings of God, we are not partakers of. Our next study will go into some of the specifics but today let's just let the general illustration sink in. Paul is saying to the Corinthian church that history is repeating itself and we could say today that it is repeating itself again as sin has crept into the church. But history can also repeat itself that a remnant would stand firm on who God is and what Jesus Christ said and did. There can be those who are qualified and available to not only receive the blessings of God but be partakers in sharing the gospel message.
"Lord, as we look back through the instruction of Paul, may we see that he is saying that they, the Israelites, who rebelled against You even though You provided everything they needed physically and spiritually, are us. Help us to see and be the remnant that stands on Your Word and Your ways. There are consequences for being Christians who take lightly the Word of God and one is the absence of a vital witness for You. May that matter to us. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.1-4 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.
We approach a new chapter in this letter to the church in Corinth. Paul has been pointing out where the church has gone astray and allowed sin to crept into the church. He has been pointing them back to the Bible and the following of God's ways rather than the ways of the world. Now comes a new chapter with a new illustration from their past to show an example of what happens when we allow pride and discarding of God's words to rule our lives.
Paul does not want them to be unaware of the condition that they are in. In the last verse of the last chapter he expressed that he did not want to be disqualified of receiving the prize from God of taking the message of Christ to others. The church in Corinth was in a disqualified state at this time with the gospel message. Paul opens up to them probably the most spoken of event of the Old Testament, the Exodus.
The Israelites left under the direction of one man, Moses, who was sent by God to deliver His people from the evil ruler Pharaoh. Under the direction of that one man all were together as Moses followed the direction of God by the cloud and also the event of taking them through the midst of the Red Sea on dry ground. God provided manna from heaven and water from the rock but God also provided to them all, through the leadership of Moses, spiritual food and spiritual water. Paul inserts here that the spiritual rock that was pouring out spiritual water to nourish them to continue on was Christ. Moses was physically leading them but Christ was there also supplying the spiritual food that they needed.
The picture is painted here that the people who left Egypt with Moses had God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ guiding and providing from them both physically and spiritually. The question is, what did they do in that state? Paul wants the Christians in Corinth to make the connection that he, Paul, one man came sent by God to deliver them from the sin of their world. Paul provided the spiritual food and the spiritual drink that were coming directly from Jesus. He had provided for them everything that they needed. What would they do in this state?
v.5 - Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
Notice that it says with "most of them" God was displeased. Only 2 out of the original, some say 2 million entered into the Promise Land. There was a remnant of those who fully accepted the spiritual food and drink of the Lord even though all had it available to them. Joshua and Caleb led a new generation of Israelities into the Promise Land while those who disregarded God's words and ways spent the rest of their lives in the wilderness. They were disqualified from the blessings of God because of their actions.
Paul is saying to the Christians in Corinth that they are like the Israelites in the wilderness. We can be like that too. We can be displeasing to God. We can live our lives in such a way that the true blessings of God, we are not partakers of. Our next study will go into some of the specifics but today let's just let the general illustration sink in. Paul is saying to the Corinthian church that history is repeating itself and we could say today that it is repeating itself again as sin has crept into the church. But history can also repeat itself that a remnant would stand firm on who God is and what Jesus Christ said and did. There can be those who are qualified and available to not only receive the blessings of God but be partakers in sharing the gospel message.
"Lord, as we look back through the instruction of Paul, may we see that he is saying that they, the Israelites, who rebelled against You even though You provided everything they needed physically and spiritually, are us. Help us to see and be the remnant that stands on Your Word and Your ways. There are consequences for being Christians who take lightly the Word of God and one is the absence of a vital witness for You. May that matter to us. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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