First Corinthians 10
Monday, February 10 1 Corinthians 10:1-5
“Don’t forget aboutour ancestors in the wilderness”
Paul uses numerous examples of the sins ofthe Israelites during their wilderness wanderings to warn against Corinthianparticipation in idolatrous idol feasts. In verses one through four he describes four privileges the Israelitesreceived. The first two, guidance by God in the cloud and crossing the Red Sea,prompts Paul to conceive of these acts by God as a kind of baptism as followersof Moses, with baptism here suggesting identification with and allegiance tothe leader of their spiritual community.
The second set of privileges they receivedon their journey was manna and quail for food, and supernaturally providedwater. From a Christian perspective,Paul recognizes Christ as the pre-existent Son of God, active with God theFather in creation and redemption, and hence the agent of both physical andspiritual nourishment for his people in the desert. Yet none of these miracles guaranteed thatthe children of Israel would enter the Promised Land. Disobedience caused most of them to forfeitthe promise and die in the wilderness.
I recognize, Lord, that there areconsequences for disobedience. Amen.
Tuesday, February 11 Exodus 16:1 – 17:7
“Once more thepeople complained”
These twostories deal with the Israelites grumbling because of a lack of elements vitalto their survival in the desert: food and water. Israel has miraculously crossed the Red Seaand will continue to wander in the wilderness for forty years until, under theleadership of Joshua, they cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land. To use an analogy, if Israel’s departure fromEgypt is her “birth,” she is now in her period of infancy, the beginning whereGod is taking his people by the hand, providing for them, and teaching thempatiently and lovingly about who he is and what he has in store for them. These stories, therefore, are not just aboutthe murmurings of God’s people, but God’s care for them.
Having leftEgypt under the most miraculous of circumstances, they quickly descend into thesinful pattern of using their own perception of their situation as the standardby which to judge the love and provision of God. They have not yet learned that even thoughthey are in a desert with no food or water, God is greater than theircircumstances.
Ilive by faith in you, Lord, not by worrying about my circumstances. Amen.
Wednesday, February 12 1 Corinthians 10:6-13
“These things are warnings for us”
Paul recallsfour ways in which many of the Israelites proved faithless and suffered fortheir sins: idolatry, sexual immorality, testing the Lord, and grumblingagainst the Lord and his appointed leaders. He exhorts the Corinthians to learn from the example of the Israelites,refraining from such behavior so that their hearts do not become set on evilthings.
Paul summarizesthe significance of these warnings for the Corinthians in verse 12 – even thosewho think they stand securely should take care lest they fall. After all, the pagan temple feasts in Corinthinvolved similar idolatry, sexual sin, and trying God’s patience. Nevertheless, these verses are all balancedby the marvelous promise of verse 13. The circumstances that tempt us to sin are never qualitatively differentfrom those which God’s people of every era have experienced, and we never haveto give in to them. There is always anescape-hatch, which is defined as a way to persevere without sinning inwhatever difficult situation we find ourselves.
Help me enduretemptation, Lord, so that I will not sin. Amen.
Thursday, February 13 Numbers 16:1-50
“They incited a rebellion”
This dramatic chapter reveals the Lord’sresponse to those who rebel against him and his chosen leaders. The Israelites have previously talked aboutchoosing someone to replace Moses and Aaron. Now Korah announces his candidacy. Backed up by a formidable group of 250 reputable chieftains, Korah andhis associates confront Moses and Aaron. As the Lord himself said, the whole nation is holy. So how can Moses and Aaron claim higherstatus and presume to judge the Israelites for behavior that they, that is,Moses and Aaron, find objectionable?
Moses responds by challenging the rebelsto burn incense in order to test their claim to holiness. Korah & Co. accept the challenge, and theLord emphatically shows his displeasure with their rebellion. When on the next day the Israelite communitygrumble against Moses and Aaron, blaming them for the deaths of the Lord’speople, the patience of the Lord is at an end. Moses and Aaron fall on their faces, and only Aaron’s mediation withincense saves the community from extermination.
We accept orreject your will, Lord, each with accompanying consequences. Amen.
Friday, February 14 1 Corinthians 10:14-22
“Flee from theworship of idols”
Paul returns to the topic of idol meat inCorinth. Although the food itself ismorally neutral, Paul does make one absolute prohibition: eating it in thecontext of explicitly pagan worship services is always wrong. In such cases eating is idolatry. To cement his position, Paul offers twofurther analogies, from the sacred meals of Christianity (vv. 16-17) andJudaism (v. 18). Partaking of theelements of the Lord’s Supper – the bread and the wine – involves aparticipation with the risen Lord and an appropriation of the benefits of hisshed blood and broken body. So too inancient Judaism, those who ate sacrificial meat in the temple communed with Godand appropriated the temporary forgiveness associated with those animalsacrifices.
Theapplication to religious temple feasts in Corinth follows naturally. Pagans too commune with the spiritual beingsthey worship. Demons – fallen angels –are the true objects of pagan ritual, however unwittingly they may beworshipped, and it is unthinkable for Christians to participate in suchdevotion.
Reveal the works of Satan, Lord, that wemay not be blind to them. Amen.
Saturday, February 15 1 Corinthians 10:23 – 11:1
“Whatever you do,do it for the glory of God”
Apart from the unique instance of eatingduring pagan worship, believers have the freedom to partake of meat offered toidols so long as it is for God’s glory and others’ well-being. While Paul has stated that “everything ispermissible, but not everything is good for you” (6:12), he now adds thestatement “but not everything is beneficial.” Here he is thinking more of the corporate than the individual effects ofexercising freedom in Christ. He appliesthis principle to the purchasing and consuming of meat sold in the Corinthianmarketplace, and eating it in a friend’s home. In each instance, the likelihood was great that the meat would have beensacrificed to idols.
The chapter ends with Paul restating thetwin principles of freedom and restraint, now in the context of God’s glory –that which conforms to his standards and priorities. Paul does not want to lead anyone into sin,whether outside or inside the church, but his most basic underlying motive isthe salvation of as many as possible. Inthis he is an imitator of Christ.
Foryour glory, Lord, will I live my life in relationship to others. Amen.