Now we come to a portion of the first letter to the Corinthians where we see a warning for believers. Let’s read about it:
“I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did”
1 Corinthians 10:1-6 NLT
Question 1. What warning do you see in 1 Corinthians 10:1-6 NLT? Please share:
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Paul began by recounting for the Corinthians the spiritual benefits God gave the Israelites as He led them through the wilderness.
were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them,
walked through the sea on dry ground,
were baptized as followers of Moses,
ate spiritual food (manna), and
drank spiritual water (from the struck rock).
Look at how these blessings God gave the Israelites depict the cross of Christ! The Israelites watched the Red Sea part miraculously for them so that they walked through it on dry ground, and they saw their enemies drowned and swept away in those same waters. Similarly, at the cross, we see the heart of Jesus pierced and opened for us, the veil of His body torn in two, opening the way for us to come to God through Him because the red sea of Christ’s blood has washed away all our sins.
God supernaturally fed the Israelites with bread from heaven, called manna, which pictured the Lord Jesus coming down from heaven to give life to the world. His broken body and His blood poured out is “real food” (John 6:55-57) for all who believe, which the manna pictured for us.
The Israelites miraculously received water to drink when Moses struck the rock. They did the complaining, they deserved the punishment, but God ordered Moses to strike a rock instead of striking the people. Moses hit the rock with his staff, and water poured forth for them to drink. Two thousand years ago, the world lay in deep spiritual thirst caused by sin, and to this world, Jesus came and was struck on the cross, beaten and bruised and wounded and killed. Out of His smitten body flowed the life-giving, thirst-quenching Spirit of God, a River of Living Water to all who believe (John 7:38-39). “And that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4).
The Israelites received many spiritual blessings and comforts, much spiritual help and sustenance, along their journey to the promised land.
The problem was that none of those blessings, all of which were physical representations of Jesus and the cross, changed their spiritual appetite. They still “craved evil things.” Therefore, since they had all the spiritual benefits yet cherished evil in their hearts, God was not pleased with them, and their bodies fell in the desert, and they died under His wrath.
The death of the Israelites in the desert is a warning for us today! Through Christ and His cross, and the subsequent receiving of the Spirit of God, we have received the fulfillment of all the spiritual blessings the Israelites had only in type form. We must guard our hearts so that we do not turn from our enjoyment of Christ, our unity and blessing in Him, to become idolatrous and fulfill the lusts of our flesh.
Paul explained why the Scriptures recorded these events: “These things happened as a warning to us so that we would not crave evil things as they did” (1 Corinthians 10:6).
Question 2. Do you, personally, receive the warning God’s Word gives in this passage? If so, how does it affect your heart? Please share.
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