1 Corinthians 10:1-13 - A History Lesson From Israel

¹ For I want you to be [fully] aware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and all of them passed [safely] through the [Red] Sea. [Note: This refers to God guiding the Israelites through the desert during the daytime by a cloud moving along above them . See Ex. 13:21-22]. ² [In doing this] they were all [actually] immersed into [fellowship with] Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ And they all ate the same spiritual food [i.e., the supernatural manna. See Ex. 16:4-5], ⁴ and drank the same spiritual drink [i.e., water coming from a rock supernaturally. See Ex. 17:6]. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. [Note: Besides actual water, they were refreshed from the spiritual presence of Christ]. ⁵ However, God was not pleased with the vast majority of them, for their bodies were scattered over the desert [See Num. 14:29ff].

⁶ Now these events were examples for us, so that we should not have strong desires for evil things like they did. ⁷ [So], do not worship idols as some of them did, as it is written [Ex. 32:6], "The people sat down to feast and drink, then got up and played." [Note: This refers to the Israelites engaging in an orgy of dancing and sex. See Ex. 32:17-19]. ⁸ Neither should we commit sexual immorality as some of them did, [with] 23,000 people falling dead in one day. [Note: Num. 25:9 mentions 24,000 people slain, but that number could have included the additional people slain by the judges. See Num. 25:5]. ⁹ Neither should we put the Lord to a test as some of them did, and were killed by snake bites [See Num. 21:5ff]. ¹⁰ Neither should you people complain as some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel [See Ex. 12:23?]. ¹¹ Now these events happened to those people as examples [to us], and they were written as warnings to us, to whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. [Note: This refers to past ages concluding with the coming of Christ in that day]. ¹² So, the person who thinks he is standing firm [in the faith] should pay attention [to his life], so that he does not fall [away from God]. ¹³ Every temptation that you have experienced is one that commonly happens to people. But God is dependable and will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability [to cope with it]; [instead] He will provide, along with the temptation, also a way of escaping [it], so you people will be able to endure it.