1 Corinthians 10 (1)

Pray Psalm 78.8-16.
And may not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not set its heart aright,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows,
Turned back in the day of battle.
They did not keep the covenant of God;
They refused to walk in His law,
And forgot His works
And His wonders that He had shown them.
Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers,
In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
He divided the sea and caused them to pass through;
And He made the waters stand up like a heap.
In the daytime also He led them with the cloud,
And all the night with a light of fire.
He split the rocks in the wilderness,
And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
He also brought streams out of the rock,
And caused waters to run down like rivers.

Sing Psalm 78.8-16.
(Foundation: How Firm a Foundation)
Our fathers were stubborn; they would not obey;
when faced with their foes they in fear turned away.
God’s work of redemption they wholly despised,
forgetting the pow’r He had shown to their eyes.

Read and meditate on 1 Corinthians 10.1-6.

Preparation
1. To what did Paul point the Corinthians?

2. Why did he do that?

Meditation
Paul’s as-yet-unspoken concern is that many of these Corinthians may have been deceiving themselves about being saved. It won’t be until the last chapter of 2 Corinthians that he throws that gauntlet down plainly and forcefully (2 Cor. 13.5).

In these verses, however, he strongly suggests as much by pointing to the example of the Hebrews in the wilderness. Had God delivered them? He had. Had they been “baptized”? They were. Did they eat divine food? They did. Did they drink of the fresh water God freely and abundantly supplied? Yes, they did. “But with most of them God was not well pleased…” (v. 5).

The people who followed Moses in the wilderness had a name indicating that they belonged to God. Yet their commanding desires were selfish and idolatrous. Thus, they perished in the wilderness rather than make it to the land of promise and rest in the Lord. Paul holds them up like a mirror for the Corinthians to see themselves in this Old Testament example (v. 6). The Corinthians must not give in to worldly ways or inclinations. These were keeping them from serving the Lord in their callings and loving one another as partners in the Gospel.

The people in Moses’ day partook of the grace of Jesus (v. 4), but they were lost, not found. We must not be guilty of the same. If God has truly found us, His lost sheep, and we have found in Him our true life and love, then the grace we partake of in the Gospel will bear the fruit of the Gospel in holiness and oneness together before the Lord.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
“For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10.4).
There are some Scripture verses that never fail to bring a smile, and this is one of them.

Now the more sobering side: the Israelites were cared and provided for and saved by God. Daily. And they ignored the goodness of God and chose to do things in their own way and strength. Which did not work out well for them. They perished in their own doings.

Paul used the Israelites as an example for the Corinthians, who he perceived were doing and thinking the same things about their own ways and doings, which so far, were not successfully working out.

Through the written Word, we are being warned and taught the same. The Scriptures are full of the many ways and means folks came up with for doing things antithetically to God’s way. And not surprisingly, it never worked out. Why do we ever think it will?

Here is our hope:
“Strike a scoffer, and the simple will become wary;
rebuke one who has understanding, and he will discern knowledge” (Prov. 19.25).
“When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise;
but when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge” (Prov. 21.11).
We can learn from other’s bad decisions.

We have that same Rock following our every step—providing the same manna and drink—the Sovereign, eternal Bread of Life (Jn. 6.47-51) and Living Water (Jn. 4.10).

Will we choose better than the Israelites?
Will we become wary and discern knowledge?
Will we learn from their mistakes?
Will we become wise servants of the Living God?

Let us not be lost, but “gain Christ and be found in Him” (Phil. 3.8, 9).

For reflection
1. In what sense do you “drink” from the “Rock” which is Jesus? How does that affect you?

2. Why is it so important that we not take for granted all the daily blessings God provides?

3. What can you do to make sure each day that the Word you read becomes the way you live?

Christ is the Rock on which the Christian church is built; and of the streams that issue therefrom, all believers drink, and are refreshed. It typified the sacred influences of the Holy Spirit, as given to believers through Christ. But let none presume upon their great privileges, or profession of the truth; these will not secure heavenly happiness.  Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on 1 Corinthians 10.1-5

Pray Psalm 78.1-7.
Pray that God will make you faithful in your calling, that He will bless your church with unity, and that together you may all bear witness to your community and to the generation to come.

Sing Psalm 78.1-7.
(Foundation: How Firm a Foundation)
Give ear, O my people, attend to my word,
dark sayings and parables sent from the LORD,
things we have before by our Fathers been told,
which we would not dare from our children withhold.

The glorious deeds of our God in His might,
and all of the works He has done in our sight,
together with all of the words of His Law,
would we on ourselves and our children bestow.

LORD, let all our children arise and declare
the truth of the LORD every day, everywhere,
and set all their hopes in God’s wonderful Word,
and never forget all the works of the LORD.

T. M. and Susie Moore

The Church in Corinth was in need of revival. But there was much to be done before that would happen. The Church today is in need of revival, and the same is true for us. Our book, Revived!, can help us to discern our need for revival and lead us in getting there. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available by clicking here.