I Corinthians Chapter 10
Paul reminded the church at Corinth of the history of the Israelite people. He reminded them of just how blessed these people were by God, yet they continually turned away from God. It would have been advantageous for the believers at Corinth to listen and learn from the mistakes of the Israelites. It is “funny” how history repeats itself. As a whole, we humans never seem to learn. For those who are eager not to repeat the mistakes of the past, the Bible is there for us to read and to learn from. It is God’s love letter to us, written for our benefit and blessing.
Let's Reflect
1. As believers in Christ, we demonstrate in water baptism that we have surrendered our old self and have made a choice to follow Jesus. Paul said that in similar fashion the Israelites were “baptized” under the leadership of Moses. The people willingly followed Moses on a promise not knowing exactly where they were going. This baptism meant following the cloud. Many Bible scholars believe this cloud was the Shekinah glory or the presence of Jesus in the Old Testament in the form of light. In following Moses, the people were led to walk through what?
2. God took care of the people too. They were fed manna from heaven and often received water from the rock. The rock in scripture is often used as a name for God. In verse 4 who does Paul call the rock?
3. Despite all the wonderful blessings the Israelites were receiving from the hand of God, they did things that displeased God. It says they began to play. What did Paul mean by this? See verse 8.
Exodus 32:6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
4. Apparently, there were a great number who “rose up to play” because we read that God punished a lot of people. How many? This number may include judgements from more than one occasion, because Exodus 32:28 tells us that about 3,000 men fell that day. Or it possibly includes a great number of women as well as men.
5. What does Paul say was the purpose of this teaching? See verse 6.
6. The Corinthians in all of their wisdom thought they were above failure. Paul reminded them that all men are tempted. If it could happen to Israel it could happen to them. He also reminded them that God would never allow them to be tempted beyond what they could bear or say no to. What does God always provide for us when temptation comes?
7. What advice did Paul give the church at Corinth in verse 14 that is great advice for the church today?
8. One way they would need to avoid idolatry was to not be partakers in pagan festivals. Everyone loves a good fun festival especially when there’s lots of good food around. The partaking of the pagan festivals is the same as partaking in communion (the Lord’s table). When we partake of communion we have fellowship with the body of Christ. When we partake of pagan festivals, we are having fellowship with whom? See verse 20.
9. What is the danger in all of this? See verse 22.
10. The Corinthian church may have thought they were strong Christians and could enjoy the foods in pagan temples and not slip into sin, but ultimately who are they pleasing?
11. When it comes to eating and drinking, Paul has clearly established that the food and drink is not sinful in and of itself, but that we do not want to cause a brother to stumble, and we do not want to allow room for temptation in our own life. What should be the overall guide for the believer when it comes to food and drink? See verse 31.
Devotionals
