TEMPTATION

FOREFATHERS

1 Corinthians 10:1–5 ESV

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

Our Fathers

Paul links their spiritual heritage to the Israelites of the Old Testament.

It is important to note that he is talking to a mixed group.

Gentiles and Israelites can view the sons of Abraham as their forefathers.

They are people of God, just as the Israelites were.

Galatians 3:7–9 ESV

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Under the Cloud

Their fathers were “under the cloud.”

When the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, the presence of God was made manifest by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night.

Exodus 13:21–22 ESV

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

Passed Through the Sea

The Israelites passed through the sea when they were coming out of Egypt.

Exodus 14:21–24 ESV

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic,

Baptism

Paul refers to each of this experience as baptism.

They passed through the waters and were led by the Spirit.

This was all following their freedom from slavery in Egypt.

This akin to how baptism works for believers now.

We are freed from slavery to sin.

We pass through the waters of baptism and are led by the Spirit.

Spiritual Food & Drink

Paul also notes that the Israelites ate communally of the same food and drink.

The food he is referring to is manna, provided by the Lord in the wilderness.

This story is found in Exodus 16.

The drink is the water provided miraculously by God from the rock.

Exodus 17:5–6 ESV

And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Just like the Israelites, Christian believers eat a common food and drink.

The Lord’s Supper - the body and blood of Jesus.

This is why Paul points out that the Rock was Christ.

He isn’t being metaphorical here - he is saying that Christ was present in the rock that provided water to the Israelites in the wilderness.

Nevertheless

Paul provides some fascinating insight into parallels between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

We have been freed from slavery to sin just as the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt.

We are baptized to in identification with Jesus’ death and resurrection just as the Israelites were passed through the waters of the Red Sea.

We are led by the Spirit just as the Israelites were led by the Pillar of Cloud/Fire.

We eat a communal sacred meal just as the Israelites at manna and drank water from the Rock.

But our amazement at these truths is not the reason Paul is sharing this.

Paul is saying that in spite of seeing such miraculous things, the Israelites still did not obey or follow God.

The rebelled and God was not pleased.

“If I could only see a miracle...”

Believers often feel that if only God would do something miraculous for them, their faith would flourish.

They would be faithful and dedicate their lives to serving the Lord.

But this clearly is not how it works.

I have personally met people who needed God to come through for them, He did, and then they walked away.

TAKE HEED

1 Corinthians 10:6–13 ESV

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Examples for Us

The Israelites of the Old Testament ought to be examples for us.

Don’t do what they did.

Specific Examples:

Do not be idolaters - v. 7

Golden Calf - Exodus 32

Do not indulge in sexual immorality - v. 8

Ball worship at Peor - Numbers 25

Do not put Christ to the test - v. 9

Grumbling in the wilderness - Numbers 21

Do not grumble - v. 10

Rebellion against Moses - Numbers 14

They were written down for our instruction.

All who came after these events ought to learn from them.

The Israelites first, and then Christians.

Arrogance

Paul does not want any believer to be overly confident in their strength.

We should recognize that we are all susceptible to temptation and put safeguards in place.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Common Temptation

There is no temptation that you will face that is unique to you.

Sometimes we might feel like we are the only one who struggles with a particular sin, but it simply isn’t the case.

Our desire to appear perfect makes others believe that we don’t struggle.

God is Faithful

God will not abandon you in your temptation.

He will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability to withstand it.

Sometimes it feel like we are not able to withstand the temptation we face, but with God’s help it is always possible.

The Way of Escape

God will always provide a way of escape.

This is often in the form of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

There is always a way of escape, the question is whether or not we want to take it.

The Bread & The Cup

1 Corinthians 10:14–22 ESV

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Flee from Idolatry

We ought to flee from our sin the way the Israelites fled from Egypt.

This requires that we recognize the destructive nature of our sin.

Sin hurts God, others, and ourselves.

We flee from things that we are fearful of.

If we understand our sin correctly, we would be fearful of it.

Participation in the Blood & Body of Christ

When we take communion, we are taking part in the blood and body of Christ.

This has implications for our unity with Christ, but it also had implications for our unity with one another.

We ought to care for one another as though we are of the same body.

Old Testament Sacrificial System

The Old Testament sacrificial system has implications for communion.

Just as the Israelites ate of the sacrifices as part of their participation in the altar, Christian take communion.

We symbolically eat the body and drink the blood of our ultimate sacrifice - Jesus Christ.

Food Offered to Idols

Paul is still discussing the issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols.

He has already established that it is acceptable to eat meat sacrificed to idols.

Here, he makes the case for those who are convicted not to eat meat sacrificed to idols.

Eating the meat of a sacrifice is a way to connect with the god to whom it was sacrificed.

In this case, the pagans sacrifice to demons, not to God.

We should not be participants with demons.

You cannot worship God and demons (v. 21)

If someone is eating meat sacrificed to idols in a religious way, they should not be doing so.

We should not provoke the Lord to jealousy.

This is a callback to the Old Testament - the Israelites did this all the time.

The Corinthians were joined to Christ and one another through communion.

They needed to care about one another and not just their own personal rights as the considered whether or not to eat meat sacrificed to idols.

HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE?

Recognize the value in studying the Old Testament.

Fight temptation with God’s help.

Be united with Christ and your brothers & sisters.