1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Commentary
Vs. 1 "Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea"
Continuing on from why he disciplines his own body and brings it into subjection, the Apostle Paul now states: Moreover (gr. gar=for), all our fathers, (i.e. the Israelites, the forerunners of us all in the faith), were under the cloud, all passed through the sea. The fact that they were all under the cloud refers to the Lord's Authority over them all (Exodus 13:21-22). Now God by that same cloud not only protected them from the pursuing Egyptians when they left Egypt (Exodus 14:19-20), but it was an ongoing shelter to them, and guide for them, as they journeyed forty years in the wilderness (Exodus 40:34-38). Again when God spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai He made His Presence known to all the Israelites by bringing His thick cloud over the mountain when they met (Exodus 19:9; 24:16, 18; 34:5-8). And so God's ongoing Presence with them was made known to them by His cloud always being over the Tabernacle of Meeting where He would continue to meet with Moses (Exodus 40:38).
Similarly all passed through the sea. That is all the Israelites were safely brought through the Red Sea when God parted it by the hand of Moses, while the pursuing Egyptians who sought to do so were only drowned and consumed by it (Exodus 14:21-31). Now that they all passed through the sea indicates God's desire to save them all, yet as we will see though all passed through the sea, and all were under the cloud, and thus experienced God's deliverance out of Egypt, yet not all would enter the Promised Land, because some in their rebellion and unbelief would desire to return to Egypt, and so they would be condemned to die in the wilderness (1 Cor 10:5; Hebrews 3:16-19; Jude 7).
Vs. 2 "all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea"
When Moses parted the Red Sea at God's command and all the Israelites entered it, they were "baptized" into Moses, that is Moses became the agent through whom God brought their deliverance from Egypt. Same with the cloud being over them as shelter by day and light by night and then over the Tabernacle of Meeting where God met with Moses, that was God's sign to them that it was Moses, and Moses alone, through whom God would lead them to the Promised land. That said God would not bring them into the Promised land through Moses, that would be assigned to Joshua whose name points us to Jesus. Thus all were "baptized" into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Brought to cusp of the Promised Land by him, yet the Israelites did not enter the Promised Land through him, that would come by God leading them through Joshua. Thus no-one enters the Kingdom of heaven through Moses, (i.e. via the Law) but only by faith in and obedience towards the Lord Jesus Christ.
Vs. 3-4 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
And so all ate the same spiritual food (that is the manna, the bread which God gave to sustain them in the wilderness, see Exodus 16:35). Which Jesus later used as a metaphor of Himself, which we must all metaphorically eat (i.e. believe on and live on) if we want to have everlasting life (John 6:22-70). Similarly all the Israelites drank the same spiritual drink (see Exodus 17:5-6), that is the water which flowed from the rock that the Lord stood upon as Moses struck it, and it sprang forth much needed waters to the wilderness sojourners. The metaphor there is of Christ Himself being stricken for our sins and transgressions, so that rivers of living waters would flow out of the hearts of all who believe in Him (see John 7:38-39) and thus we become a blessing to others as well. Thus, though all the Israelites were under the cloud and 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, Yet not all entered the Promised Land. As the Apostle Paul recalls in verse five.
Vs. 5 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
And so it is through the Israelites failings to believe and obey God that the Apostle Paul is warning us all not to do (Numbers 14:11-38). For simply having fellowship and sharing the same spiritual beliefs (and thus coming under the Headship of Christ) does not equate with a universal salvation for one and for all. People in the church need to know that. Belonging to a church, or being water baptized, or taking communion, or going to Bible study, or serving in Christian ministry in some way does not always equate with genuine repentance and faith, and thus being baptized into the Body of Christ. For as good as those things are, they can ever supplant God's commandments through Christ as what is required of us all as being true Christian living and discipleship. For you can have "the ceremony" (that is all the outward appearances of being a Christian) but not have the substance, who is Christ Himself, who lives in and whose Spirit works through everyone who believes in and obeys Him.
Vs. 6 6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
The Apostle Paul is now referring to the Israelites becoming dissatisfied with the manna God provided for them in the wilderness and yielding to their intense cravings for meat, and all the foods they ate, or imagined they ate, when they were slaves in the land of Egypt (Num. 11:4-34, vs. 4-6, also Psalm 106:14-15). And so the Scripture says they tested God in the wilderness by lusting after evil things; not that food is evil; but in being dissatisfied with God's manna provisions for them, they turned their hearts against God, and turned them right back to Egypt where God had delivered them from. The lesson for the Corinthians (and us all) is do not lust after anything so strongly that you would abandon your own faith in God, or the destroy the faith of others, in your desires for it.
Vs. 7 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”
When Moses was 40 days on Mount Sinai with God, Aaron and people with him became restless and made for themselves a golden calve, worshipped it, and celebrated it (Exodus 32:1-35), as if it it had delivered them from Egypt! The lesson for us is that while we wait on Christ's return from His Holy Sojourn with God the Father, that we also not begin to eat and drink and get drunk and "rise to play", as Jesus' warns about happening to some (see Matt 24:45-51). Now for the Corinthians idolatry wasn't just the worship of the idol, it was all of the carousing and licentiousness that went with it, that made it so enticing to them.
Vs. 8-10 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Sexual immorality is not unique to those who worship idols, nor the Israelites in their wilderness sojourn (see Num 25:1-9). In this degenerating world where sexual immorality (and now homosexuality) is so openly and brazenly promoted, praised, and practiced that one greatly fears for the generation that is growing up in it all. For it all carries with it very far reaching consequences that will have many dire consequences on both individuals and societies well-being. Therefore the church collectively, and we as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ individually, must always choose to take a different course of life, and shine a far more liberating light than putting darkness for light, and saying what is eternally wrong in the eyes of God, is now somehow right. Because as the Apostle warns us all here, just as God's judgment against His people practicing sexual immorality was very decisive then, it will also be very decisive against those who continue to practice such things in the end (Psalm 9:17; Micah 5:15; Rev. 21:8).
The Apostle Paul now recalls the Israelites tempting Christ (Num 21:4-9). Notice it's Christ they tempted since it was Christ who was the Rock who followed them (vs. 3). Not literally as a piece of Rock, but Spiritually it was Christ through whom their deliverance came and ultimately their (and our) eternal salvation has come, and thus whose Presence was always with them, just as His Spirit's presence always remained amongst them, even while God was chastening them (see Isaiah 63:9-10; Haggai 2:5). And so it was Christ Himself who was sustaining them, both through the manna, as well as by the water which flowed from the Rock for them. Thus when those Israelites said that their souls loathed God's manna they were in essence rejecting Christ Himself. For God's manna was itself a symbol of Christ Himself, who again was sustaining them in the wilderness through it. Therefore when they irreverently spoke against the manna, rejecting it, they were in fact speaking against the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And with that God sent fiery serpents amongst the Israelites and cut off from Himself twenty thee thousand in one day. For they by their own irreverence brought His just and swift judgment down upon themselves (consider Isaiah 5:19; Jer. 17:15; 2 Peter 3:3-7 etc.). The Israelites then are a clear example for us all of what not to do when we too are faced with the various trials of life that we all will face during our own "wilderness sojourn" down here. For asking God "why" and thus seeking to understand His dealings with oneself is one thing, but saying one's soul loathes God's provision and or salvation for oneself is quite another. Now the finial admonition is the Apostle Paul recalling the Israelites complaining against God Himself. Which manifested itself by their rejection of God's leadership of them through Moses, God's chosen servant for them (Num. 16:41-49). And so though these are not all being recalled in chronological order, they are being recalled so that we all learn from them, and do not be like them. Because grumbling and complaining and whining in this world is as common as the cold, and as contagious as the flu, and when people in the church also give themselves licence to do so, irreverence and rebellion is sure to follow.
Vs. 11 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Again the Israelites are examples to us, whose history with God is recorded for us in the Scriptures so that we as God's children by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:12) might learn from their mistakes. For truly the ends of the ages have come upon us with God's salvation coming down to us in the Person of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. And so with Jesus Christ's Crucifixion Death, Resurrection from the dead, and Ascension back to heaven, all the Scriptures regarding our sins atonement have been fulfilled. And so with God's Spirit's outpouring into the world, and thus into everyone who believes the Gospels Good News of remission of all sins and everlasting life for everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, the end of the ages has come. The urgency then of the Gospel is that we all repent and believe, and thus receive the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus enter the Kingdom of heaven while we can. Because this world is rapidly coming to its end; for the mystery of lawlessness is already so strongly at work that one wonders how much more degenerate and violent it can all get before the Lord calls His people home with the great trumpet blast, and then only those who repented and believe (and thus who are sealed with His Spirit) will be taken. Those who remain unbelieving and unrepentant will have to face God's eternal wrath and Day of Judgment which will come upon this world, it's ruler, and all who follow him at Armageddon.
Vs. 12-13 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
The Apostle Paul's warning is for us all, since no one stands by their own righteousness, obedience, or resolve. We are all dependent upon the Lord for our salvation and sanctification. Thus Paul is warning us all about becoming complacent on one hand, which is a very real danger for us when things are going well (vs. 12), while encouraging those who are struggling on the other (vs. 13). Verse thirteen then is a promise that we all need to take to heart and apply to our lives.
Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Additional Resources Consulted
Lowery, D. K. (1985). 1 Corinthians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 526). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Wiersbe, Warren W. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992.
Hindson, Edward E., and Woodrow Michael Kroll, eds. KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994.
Continuing on from why he disciplines his own body and brings it into subjection, the Apostle Paul now states: Moreover (gr. gar=for), all our fathers, (i.e. the Israelites, the forerunners of us all in the faith), were under the cloud, all passed through the sea. The fact that they were all under the cloud refers to the Lord's Authority over them all (Exodus 13:21-22). Now God by that same cloud not only protected them from the pursuing Egyptians when they left Egypt (Exodus 14:19-20), but it was an ongoing shelter to them, and guide for them, as they journeyed forty years in the wilderness (Exodus 40:34-38). Again when God spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai He made His Presence known to all the Israelites by bringing His thick cloud over the mountain when they met (Exodus 19:9; 24:16, 18; 34:5-8). And so God's ongoing Presence with them was made known to them by His cloud always being over the Tabernacle of Meeting where He would continue to meet with Moses (Exodus 40:38).
Similarly all passed through the sea. That is all the Israelites were safely brought through the Red Sea when God parted it by the hand of Moses, while the pursuing Egyptians who sought to do so were only drowned and consumed by it (Exodus 14:21-31). Now that they all passed through the sea indicates God's desire to save them all, yet as we will see though all passed through the sea, and all were under the cloud, and thus experienced God's deliverance out of Egypt, yet not all would enter the Promised Land, because some in their rebellion and unbelief would desire to return to Egypt, and so they would be condemned to die in the wilderness (1 Cor 10:5; Hebrews 3:16-19; Jude 7).
Vs. 2 "all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea"
When Moses parted the Red Sea at God's command and all the Israelites entered it, they were "baptized" into Moses, that is Moses became the agent through whom God brought their deliverance from Egypt. Same with the cloud being over them as shelter by day and light by night and then over the Tabernacle of Meeting where God met with Moses, that was God's sign to them that it was Moses, and Moses alone, through whom God would lead them to the Promised land. That said God would not bring them into the Promised land through Moses, that would be assigned to Joshua whose name points us to Jesus. Thus all were "baptized" into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Brought to cusp of the Promised Land by him, yet the Israelites did not enter the Promised Land through him, that would come by God leading them through Joshua. Thus no-one enters the Kingdom of heaven through Moses, (i.e. via the Law) but only by faith in and obedience towards the Lord Jesus Christ.
Vs. 3-4 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
And so all ate the same spiritual food (that is the manna, the bread which God gave to sustain them in the wilderness, see Exodus 16:35). Which Jesus later used as a metaphor of Himself, which we must all metaphorically eat (i.e. believe on and live on) if we want to have everlasting life (John 6:22-70). Similarly all the Israelites drank the same spiritual drink (see Exodus 17:5-6), that is the water which flowed from the rock that the Lord stood upon as Moses struck it, and it sprang forth much needed waters to the wilderness sojourners. The metaphor there is of Christ Himself being stricken for our sins and transgressions, so that rivers of living waters would flow out of the hearts of all who believe in Him (see John 7:38-39) and thus we become a blessing to others as well. Thus, though all the Israelites were under the cloud and 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, Yet not all entered the Promised Land. As the Apostle Paul recalls in verse five.
Vs. 5 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
And so it is through the Israelites failings to believe and obey God that the Apostle Paul is warning us all not to do (Numbers 14:11-38). For simply having fellowship and sharing the same spiritual beliefs (and thus coming under the Headship of Christ) does not equate with a universal salvation for one and for all. People in the church need to know that. Belonging to a church, or being water baptized, or taking communion, or going to Bible study, or serving in Christian ministry in some way does not always equate with genuine repentance and faith, and thus being baptized into the Body of Christ. For as good as those things are, they can ever supplant God's commandments through Christ as what is required of us all as being true Christian living and discipleship. For you can have "the ceremony" (that is all the outward appearances of being a Christian) but not have the substance, who is Christ Himself, who lives in and whose Spirit works through everyone who believes in and obeys Him.
Vs. 6 6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
The Apostle Paul is now referring to the Israelites becoming dissatisfied with the manna God provided for them in the wilderness and yielding to their intense cravings for meat, and all the foods they ate, or imagined they ate, when they were slaves in the land of Egypt (Num. 11:4-34, vs. 4-6, also Psalm 106:14-15). And so the Scripture says they tested God in the wilderness by lusting after evil things; not that food is evil; but in being dissatisfied with God's manna provisions for them, they turned their hearts against God, and turned them right back to Egypt where God had delivered them from. The lesson for the Corinthians (and us all) is do not lust after anything so strongly that you would abandon your own faith in God, or the destroy the faith of others, in your desires for it.
Vs. 7 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”
When Moses was 40 days on Mount Sinai with God, Aaron and people with him became restless and made for themselves a golden calve, worshipped it, and celebrated it (Exodus 32:1-35), as if it it had delivered them from Egypt! The lesson for us is that while we wait on Christ's return from His Holy Sojourn with God the Father, that we also not begin to eat and drink and get drunk and "rise to play", as Jesus' warns about happening to some (see Matt 24:45-51). Now for the Corinthians idolatry wasn't just the worship of the idol, it was all of the carousing and licentiousness that went with it, that made it so enticing to them.
Vs. 8-10 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Sexual immorality is not unique to those who worship idols, nor the Israelites in their wilderness sojourn (see Num 25:1-9). In this degenerating world where sexual immorality (and now homosexuality) is so openly and brazenly promoted, praised, and practiced that one greatly fears for the generation that is growing up in it all. For it all carries with it very far reaching consequences that will have many dire consequences on both individuals and societies well-being. Therefore the church collectively, and we as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ individually, must always choose to take a different course of life, and shine a far more liberating light than putting darkness for light, and saying what is eternally wrong in the eyes of God, is now somehow right. Because as the Apostle warns us all here, just as God's judgment against His people practicing sexual immorality was very decisive then, it will also be very decisive against those who continue to practice such things in the end (Psalm 9:17; Micah 5:15; Rev. 21:8).
The Apostle Paul now recalls the Israelites tempting Christ (Num 21:4-9). Notice it's Christ they tempted since it was Christ who was the Rock who followed them (vs. 3). Not literally as a piece of Rock, but Spiritually it was Christ through whom their deliverance came and ultimately their (and our) eternal salvation has come, and thus whose Presence was always with them, just as His Spirit's presence always remained amongst them, even while God was chastening them (see Isaiah 63:9-10; Haggai 2:5). And so it was Christ Himself who was sustaining them, both through the manna, as well as by the water which flowed from the Rock for them. Thus when those Israelites said that their souls loathed God's manna they were in essence rejecting Christ Himself. For God's manna was itself a symbol of Christ Himself, who again was sustaining them in the wilderness through it. Therefore when they irreverently spoke against the manna, rejecting it, they were in fact speaking against the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And with that God sent fiery serpents amongst the Israelites and cut off from Himself twenty thee thousand in one day. For they by their own irreverence brought His just and swift judgment down upon themselves (consider Isaiah 5:19; Jer. 17:15; 2 Peter 3:3-7 etc.). The Israelites then are a clear example for us all of what not to do when we too are faced with the various trials of life that we all will face during our own "wilderness sojourn" down here. For asking God "why" and thus seeking to understand His dealings with oneself is one thing, but saying one's soul loathes God's provision and or salvation for oneself is quite another. Now the finial admonition is the Apostle Paul recalling the Israelites complaining against God Himself. Which manifested itself by their rejection of God's leadership of them through Moses, God's chosen servant for them (Num. 16:41-49). And so though these are not all being recalled in chronological order, they are being recalled so that we all learn from them, and do not be like them. Because grumbling and complaining and whining in this world is as common as the cold, and as contagious as the flu, and when people in the church also give themselves licence to do so, irreverence and rebellion is sure to follow.
Vs. 11 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Again the Israelites are examples to us, whose history with God is recorded for us in the Scriptures so that we as God's children by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:12) might learn from their mistakes. For truly the ends of the ages have come upon us with God's salvation coming down to us in the Person of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. And so with Jesus Christ's Crucifixion Death, Resurrection from the dead, and Ascension back to heaven, all the Scriptures regarding our sins atonement have been fulfilled. And so with God's Spirit's outpouring into the world, and thus into everyone who believes the Gospels Good News of remission of all sins and everlasting life for everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, the end of the ages has come. The urgency then of the Gospel is that we all repent and believe, and thus receive the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus enter the Kingdom of heaven while we can. Because this world is rapidly coming to its end; for the mystery of lawlessness is already so strongly at work that one wonders how much more degenerate and violent it can all get before the Lord calls His people home with the great trumpet blast, and then only those who repented and believe (and thus who are sealed with His Spirit) will be taken. Those who remain unbelieving and unrepentant will have to face God's eternal wrath and Day of Judgment which will come upon this world, it's ruler, and all who follow him at Armageddon.
Vs. 12-13 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
The Apostle Paul's warning is for us all, since no one stands by their own righteousness, obedience, or resolve. We are all dependent upon the Lord for our salvation and sanctification. Thus Paul is warning us all about becoming complacent on one hand, which is a very real danger for us when things are going well (vs. 12), while encouraging those who are struggling on the other (vs. 13). Verse thirteen then is a promise that we all need to take to heart and apply to our lives.
Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Additional Resources Consulted
Lowery, D. K. (1985). 1 Corinthians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 526). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Wiersbe, Warren W. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992.
Hindson, Edward E., and Woodrow Michael Kroll, eds. KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994.
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