Things Written For Our Example
by Micky Galloway
I Corinthians 10:11-12, “Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
The Old Testament clearly exhibits that God is always true to His promises. It also makes known the principles of righteousness which He requires of us in Christ. In Abraham we see the life of faith, one who “by faith obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance … not knowing whither he went” (Hebrews 11:8). In Joseph we learn of the providence of God (Genesis 45). In Elijah we learn the meaning of courage as he challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (I Kings 18). Such studies make a rich contribution to one’s understanding of faithfulness in the life of a Christian. Let us emulate the faithfulness of these and other Old Testament worthies (Hebrews 11).
The apostle Paul used Old Testament history to teach the Corinthians the importance of faithfulness to God (I Corinthians 10:1-13). Truly, “whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning” (Romans 15:4). Let us not follow the examples of these who rebelled against God. The abundance of special blessings did not ensure God’s unconditional acceptance of these people. God’s people today are the recipients of “exceeding great and precious promises” (II Peter 1:4), but from the example of Israel, the Corinthians were warned that they could be rejected.
The context of 1 Corinthians 10 is crucial. The word “for” (verse 1) demands a close connection with the previous two chapters. Chapter 8 warns them concerning the careless exercise of their liberties in Christ. Chapter 9 reinforces this with Paul’s own example of self-denial and forbearance. He recognized the need for self-discipline “lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected” (9:27).
God had richly blessed Israel. He had delivered them from Egyptian bondage with a mighty hand. Paul does not want the Corinthians to be ignorant of the great lessons from the history of Israel. The Israelites had ALL been privileged to be “baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (I Corinthians 10:1). This emphasizes that the entire Jewish people enjoyed the high privilege of covenant relationship with God. This “baptism unto Moses” placed them under obligation to recognize His divine commission and to submit to His authority. This voluntary act suggested their willingness to submit to Moses’ authority as God’s divine leader. They had all been privileged to receive food and drink during the long journey through a barren wilderness toward the promised land (Exodus 16-17, 20).
“Howbeit with most of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness” (I Corinthians 10:5). They all began the journey toward Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey, with the same miraculous deliverance. They all ate the same food and drank the same water, both of divine origin. They all shared the same prospect of reaching Canaan. However, all but two, Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14:30), who were twenty years old and older, forgot the goodness of God and forsook Moses and the commandments of God. All but two of this vast multitude perished in the wilderness and did not receive the reward of the promised land. A people who had been the recipients of God’s richest blessings were now scattered in death throughout the wilderness. Paul calls attention to one of the most tragic and pitiful failures of an entire generation as a warning to the Corinthians and the Christians of all generations afterward of the dreadful consequences of disobedience.
By learning why many in Israel failed to enter God’s rest, we can avoid their mistakes. Paul mentions some specific things: (1) They lusted after evil things (Numbers 11:4-35; Psalms 106:7, 21). Their concept of what God had prepared for them never seemed to rise above the physical. They tired of the manna and desired the meat, melon, leeks, and onions of Egypt. (2) They committed idolatry (Exodus 32). Instead of looking to God in Canaan, they were looking back to Egypt (Acts 7:39) as they built a golden calf and worshiped it. God was sorely displeased and 3,000 were killed. (3) They committed fornication (Numbers 25:1-9) as they played the harlot with the women of Moab and worshiped their idols. Twenty-four thousand died by a plague. (4) They tempted the Lord (Numbers 21:4-9). They tried the patience of God as they went from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea. They did not want to have to go around Edom and they complained, “Our soul loatheth this light bread.” God sent fiery serpents to bite the people and many of them died. (5) They continually murmured. As a result of this sin on one occasion, fourteen thousand, seven hundred died (Numbers 16:41-50). This followed on the heels of the two hundred fifty who died following Korah (Numbers 16:31-35). A whole generation (with the exception of Joshua and Caleb and those under twenty years of age) who came out of Egypt with great hope of entering the promised land, died during forty years of wilderness wanderings. Why? “And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief” (Hebrews 3:19).
This example of the failure of Israel becomes a familiar warning to the Hebrews. God said, “I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest” (cf. Numbers 14:20-35). The Hebrew writer warns, “Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness …” “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:7-12). The danger of apostasy was as real to these Hebrew Christians as it was for their fathers in the wilderness. The pity is that this tragedy can be avoided for every Christian. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
The danger of apostasy is real today. God has so richly blessed His children. He has delivered us out of the bondage of sin (Romans 6:16ff; Colossians 1:13). How much more wretched this bondage is than that of Israel in Egypt! He has granted us forgiveness as we are baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27; Romans 6:3ff). To be united with Christ is the greatest honor. God graciously leads us by His word as we journey toward that heavenly Canaan where we are promised “rest.” “Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it” (Hebrews 4:1). Just because we enjoy rich blessings in Christ is no guarantee that we shall receive the “rest” reserved for the faithful. “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them” (Hebrews 2:1).
Christians ignore the lessons of the past and commit the same sins today. We compromise our efforts by trying to hold hands with the world and approve those things that are socially acceptable. Fornication and adultery are too often found and tolerated in the church (cf. I Corinthians 5:4ff; Galatians 5:19). We tempt God by calling in question the need to adhere to the “doctrine of Christ” (cf. II John 9-11). We try to turn Him into a god that accepts everything and condemns nothing, has fellowship with every kind of belief and those who teach it. We grumble and complain when we suffer, failing to give place to the chastening of the Lord (cf. Hebrews 12:4-13; Revelation 3:19). We think the only way to worship an idol is to erect an image of stone or precious metal and bow down before it. Indeed, idolatry is putting other things before the Lord (cf. Matthew 6:33).
“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it” (I Corinthians 10:12-13). Our temptations always have a way of escape. Faithfulness is necessary and it is possible. Let us not fall as Israel did, but by the grace of God and the strength of Christ, let us learn that self-control can be used to successfully overcome the world.