1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Warnings From Israel's History
1For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
6Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7Do 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 pagan revelry."[b] 8We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Paul writes to the Corinthians about the Red Sea miracle of God opening the sea and the Hebrews going through the opened seas...Paul describes this miracle as a baptism into Moses in the cloud and in the sea of His people...By passing through the Red Sea, God's people were baptized under the ministry of Moses by the power of God...When Moses led the people to the promised land they twice needed water and God provided it from a rock...Paul substitutes Jesus for the spiritual rock that provided the necessary water needed to live...Jesus is the living water...Jesus is our rock...Jesus is the Rock on which the Christian church is built...Jesus teachings are our foundation to the church....Jesus is our key...
Paul tells us, even though the people were baptized when they passed through the Red Sea their bodies lay scattered over the desert...God was not pleased with most of them...God wants us to be better, to do better...We are two faced, in the sense we want to do good and try to do good, but we always do not do good...We want to be perfect like God, but we can't be perfect like Him...Desires, pleasures, comfort, our immaturity, and our finite flesh keep us apart from Him (even though He was and is right there beside us)...These things occurred in the desert on the path to the promised land so that we may learn from their example...We should not commit pagan revelry, sexual immorality, and sin because God is in control now as He was in the desert...On that one day, in the desert, twenty three thousand of them died for their sin...We should not test the LORD, as some did in the desert and they died by snakes...We should not grumble, as some of them did, as they were taken away by a destroying angel...
These things in the desert happened so we learn from them...They are also written as warnings for us...God still wants us to be and do better...God has not promised we will not fall...But if we cling to Him and are faithful, He will help us with our temptations...God knows what we can bear...He knows what sins and temptations we are most prone to...He is faithful we must seek Him and cling hard to Him...When we are tempted, He will provide a way out, so we can stand up against it...Jesus is the spiritual rock in the desert on the path to the promised land...He is our golden key to the promised land...We have the key, and all through our lives we are searching for the gate to which the key opens...There are many gates and doors...Narrow is the path that the key opens...Israel's history is our warning...Jesus is the gate...If we follow His teachings the gate will be opened...If we open the Right Gate, we will make it to the promised land...