Warnings From Israel’s History
10 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.
2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
3 They all ate the same spiritual food
4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.
7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”
8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.
9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.
10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.
12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
Context
- How was the wealthy Corinthian church in danger of being disqualified from the race? (1 Corinthians 1:2-9, 3:2-5, 9:24-27, 10:33)
Reflection
- What were the ‘5 alls’ of Israel’s privilege in verses 1-4? (Exodus 13:21, 14:18-24, 17:6, Numbers 20:1-13, Psalm 105:41)
- Why were they ‘laid low’ in the wilderness? (Numbers 14:16, Psalm 95:7-11, Hebrews 3:16-19)
- What were Israel’s 4 sins? (Exodus 36:4-7, Numbers 16:41, 21:4-9, 25:1-9, Romans 11:20)
- What’s the danger of overconfidence? (Proverbs 16:18, Matthew 26:30-33, Revelation 3:17, 18)
Testimony Time
- How did Isreal’s situation relate to Corinth and to us today? (1 Corinthians 10:6, 11, John 6:49, Hebrews 3:7-14)
- How can we leverage our wealth in Christ to advance the kingdom… to finish well? (Matthew 6:33, Romans 6:1-7, 1 Corinthians 9:27, Philippians 1:6, Colossians 3:1-4)
