1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Lesson 326

1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Lesson 326

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Lust and idolatry, a warning from Israel's past, don't disobey God (10:1-11).
The mistake of arrogance (10:12).
Christians will be tempted (10:13).

In chapter nine, Paul discussed the nature of mature spirituality.
In Chapter ten, he discusses immature spirituality.

Moses' statue in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome, Italy.

By the Italian sculptor Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564).

Study Tip:

Write down important Bible verses, memorize them, and ponder their meaning.
Build a list of your favorite verses.

The First Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Corinthians

The King James Bible

1 Corinthians 10:1-13
An object lesson

1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Margin notes:

"Our fathers were under the cloud." (10:1) - A good cloud to be under. As the Israelites wandered in the desert searching for the promised land, God led the way in the form of a cloud (Exodus 13:21; 14:17-20; Psalm 105:39).

"Passed through the sea." (10:1) - When Pharaoh tried to recapture the fleeing Israelites, God parted the Red Sea, allowing them to escape (Exodus 14:1-31).

"Spiritual meat." (10:3) - "Spiritual food."  God miraculously fed the Israelites for forty years as they wandered in the desert (Exodus 16:4-16; Deuteronomy 8:3). Today, Jesus is our "spiritual meat," our "bread of life" (John 6:31-35).

"Spiritual drink." (10:4) - God also provided water for His people in the desert (Exodus 17:1-6; Numbers 20:7-11; Numbers 21:16). Today, Jesus is our "spiritual drink" (John 7:37-38; Revelation 22:17).

"They were overthrown in the wilderness." (10:5) - "They died in the wilderness." Despite the miracles performed on their behalf, the Israelites still "tempted" God. Except for Caleb and Joshua, who trusted God, all the Jewish men died in the wilderness as punishment (Numbers 14:20-35; 26:65; Deuteronomy 1:34-39).

"Idolaters." (10:7) - When Moses returned from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments, he found the people worshipping a golden calf (Exodus 32:1-6).

"Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand." (10:8) - Some Israelites participated in an orgy with the Moabite women. As punishment, 23,000 died in a single day from a plague (Numbers 25:1-9).

"Neither let us tempt Christ." (10:9) - "Also, let's not test Christ."

"Some of them also murmured." (10:10) - Means "some of them grumbled" against Moses and Aaron (Numbers 14:36; 16:13-14; 16:41; 21:5).

"Destroyed of the destroyer." (10:10) - "Destroyed by the angel of death (Exodus 12:23; Numbers 16:42-50)."

"They are written for our admonition." (10:11) - "They were written as a warning."

"The ends of the world are come." (10:11) - Only God knows when the end of the world will come (Mark 13:32).

"Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed." (10:12) - If you think you stand strong in faith and can't be tempted, think again.

"Temptation taken you but such as is common to man." (10:13) - When it comes to temptation, you are not unique. Everyone is tempted. The temptations you deal with are commonplace.

"God is faithful." (10:13) - God will never desert us.

"Will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able." (10:13) - "God will not let you to be tempted beyond your ability to resist." Christians are not immune to temptation. But God never allows Satan to catch them in an inescapable trap.  Rest assured, God always provides a way out. When we fall to temptation, it is due to our weakness and failure to let God lift us to a higher place. This is an excellent verse to read when facing temptation.

To learn more about Israel wandering in the wilderness, read Exodus 13-17.

New Living Translation

1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Lessons from Israel's Idolatry

1 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,

7 or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, "The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry."

8 And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.

9 Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites.

10 And don't grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death.

11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.

12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.

13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's questions:

1. What does Paul mean by "baptized unto Moses?" (10:2)

2. What lesson does this passage teach?

The best way to know God's will is to say "I will" to God.

Answers: (Do you agree?)

1. By "baptized under Moses," Paul is referring to the Hebrews being brought together under Moses into one religion (Judaism). Just as the Hebrews were brought together, Christians are now joined under Christ to follow the Gospel.

2. In this passage, Paul used the lessons learned by the Israelites during their escape from bondage (10:11) to teach the Corinthians to avoid lust, pagan idols, fornication, and testing and grumbling against God.


Application thought for the day:

The temptations we face today are not unique (10:13).
Since the beginning of time, humanity has faced the
temptation of lust, greed, hatred, jealousy, and blasphemy.
God knows what we face, and He's prepared to help us resist temptation.
Be repentant, and ask God for help the next time you're tempted to sin.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2022 evolke

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