1 CORINTHIANS - Chapter 10: 1-21
1 Corinthians – Chapter 10: 1-21
Sunday, February 3, 2013, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Paul now uses Israel’s failures to warn the Corinthians that if they should become idolatrous, they would be disqualified from the race and forfeit the power of the gospel and the rewards it brings. Their salvation is not in view. Salvation is a free gift. This is a powerful present truth to the apostate church today as to why the church is without the power. In Israel’s history, idolatry kept an entire generation out of the Promised Land, even though God had blessed that generation with awesome revelations of Himself and miracles.
1 Cor. 10: 1-4: “Moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized to Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Christ.”
Christ the Rock was constantly with His people, the true source of every provision. The use of Rock as a divine name is throughout the Old Testament and reaffirmed in the New Covenant.
The Israelites were delivered by the Blood, the Water, and the Spirit. (1Jn. 5:8)
(1) Blood ---(Ex. 12:13, 37) “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”
This speaks of the Blood of Jesus, the Passover Lamb.
(2) The Sea/water--- (Ex. 14-15) this speaks of water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. At this first baptism (Red Sea) Israel escaped Egypt and was delivered from the dominion of Pharaoh. (Rom 6: 1-14)
(3) Spirit ---(Ex. 13:20-22) this speaks of the Holy Ghost Baptism. This second baptism (in the CLOUD provided God’s people with leadership, rain, shade, comfort, shelter, light, and fellowship. This is the Shekinah Glory of God which means “ALONG SIDE ONE”.
(4) Spiritual meat---(Ex. 16) Israel had a supernatural supply of Bread
which speaks of the WORD and also of Water (Ex. 17) which speaks
of the SPIRIT. They were instructed in the principle of Holiness,
Justice and Law.
They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea. However, not all of the Israelites remained true to their calling as the custodians of God’s revelation. They all perished in the wilderness with the exception of Joshua and Caleb.
The Cloud is a type of the Presence and Glory of God; the Lord Jesus; and the Holy Ghost.
In Chapter Exodus 13: 20-22, we see the nation being delivered by the Cloud and the Fire:
“The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.”
The Cloud directed the movement of the camp. It was a revelation of a personal God who spoke. It was a protection and covering from the enemy. It was a shelter and refuge (shade) by day. It was light and warmth by night. It was a provider of fellowship and communion.
The cloud was the visible representation of God.
God was in the Cloud.
God spoke from the Cloud.
The Cloud covered the O.T. tabernacle and the Cloud overshadowed Mary (Lk. 1:34-35). Jesus was the beginning of the true tabernacle and was conceived in the same GLORY CLOUD.
Jesus is the Word and the Light. To follow Jesus is to follow a moving light. The Cloud of Glory was on the Mount of Transfiguration. This parallels Mt. Sinai. In both accounts, there is a Mount, a Cloud, and a Voice that speaks in and from the Cloud. Moses appeared on both mountains. Jesus ascended in the same Glory Cloud.
The bible speaks of only One Cloud until Jesus’ Ascension. Christ’s Second Coming is spoken of as a plurality of Clouds (many clouds, a great company of clouds). I have seen this by vision. Each son becomes a cloud, a manifestation of God’s Glory. The Cloud is also a fire, making each son a flame. The many clouds speaks of God’s presence in His people and the sons of God in Glory. God has a people who will reign as Kings upon the earth and rain (as they empty his Life) upon the earth!
In Exodus 19-34, there were seven ascents of Moses where he went up to God.
God appeared to Moses in a Thick Cloud. Ex. 24, “Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, and Abiho, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. Upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.”
Moses was then called by God into the Mount of God (verse 15) “Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. The glory of the Lord abode upon Mt. Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and got him up into the mount, and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.”
Even though Israel was delivered from Egypt---Egypt had not been delivered out of them. Because of murmuring, unbelief and idolatry, they were not allowed to enter the tabernacle in the Glory Cloud with Moses.
In this tent he sought the face of Jehovah for the direction of a nation. Because of idolatry, Moses separated his prayer life. “THAT CLOUDY PILLAR DESCENDED (Ex. 33:9) and talked with Moses.” THE PRAYER LIFE OF ONE MAN BROUGHT A WHOLE NATION TO WORSHIP! (Ex. 33: 9-11)
In the account of building the tabernacle according to the order that God had given to Moses in the Mount. After it was built according to the pattern, THEN AND ONLY THEN A CLOUD COVERED THE TENT...AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD FILLED THE TABERNACLE (Ex. 40:34).
1 Cor. 10: 5-10: “But with many of them God was not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be you idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Nether let us commit fornication, as some of the committed, and fell in one day 23,000. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents. Neither murmur you, as some of them murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.”
They were sifted. Everyone was disqualified except Joshua and Caleb from Canaan. “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”
Here are the big four that kept the Israelites wandering around in the desert for forty years and kept them from going in with Moses in the Glory Cloud.
- MURMURING. (Num. 11: 1-3) Unthankful, griping, rarely praised, bickering, backbiting, and complaining. (1 Thess. 5:18)
- SEXUAL IMMORALITY – CARNALITY- IDOLATRY. (Num. 11: 4-6) A love for the things of the world or a consuming desire and determination for something other than the presence and purposes of God. (11 Cor. 6: 14-18)
- REBELLION. (Num. 12, 15, 17) A lack of submission. A defiance of authority in any dimension (to Jesus, other ministries, other leadership, husband, parents, each other, civil authority, etc.) (Rom 13: 1-7)
- UNBELIEF. (Num. 13-14) We have been promised ALL THINGS. There is
the unbelief (evil) report and the report of real faith.
1 Cor. 10: 11-12: “Now all these things happened to them for examples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed less he fall.”
The Israelites knew they were God’s elect, had been delivered supernaturally and sustained with miracle after miracle. They believed themselves to be secure. But they weren’t. They fell into sin and were disqualified from Canaan. Some of the Corinthians, no doubt thinking more of themselves than they should with the gifts of the Holy Spirit began to trifle with idolatry and immorality. Lacking self-control they fell into sin.
That’s all Satan needs to lead the Corinthians into traps that could destroy them as far as the power of the Kingdom is concerned. So if you think you are standing firm---the wise, (3:18) the rich (4:8), the man of knowledge (8:10), be careful.
Paul has in mind the pagan feasts at which over-confident Corinthians might indulge themselves and be slowly led into idolatry.
1 Cor. 10:13: “There is 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 you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
There are plenty of temptations around the Corinthian Christians. The believers had all come out of some sort of religion and there were lingering feelings-powerful feelings which Satan could use against them. Human will is not enough by itself to resist the clever and experienced demons with thousands of years of experience. Even knowledgeable Christians can be trapped when their feelings are involved.
God does not promise there will be no temptation. He gives us the way of escape. There is grave danger for the puffed-up Christian for the stronger he thinks himself to be, the more severe his testings will be.
It is better to acknowledge our weakness and trust the Lord to provide the strength (2 Cor. 12:10) “…For when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Paul now returns to the matter of Christians eating in an idol’s temple. While idols have no real existence, the demons use them to draw people away from worshipping the true God. It’s like a Ouija board which has no spiritual reality in itself, but the person using it is looking to some outside source to give guidance. The demons, who are real, are ready to oblige.
1 Cor. 10:14-17: “My dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak to you as wise men; judge what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless is the communion of the blood of Christ. The bread which we break is the communion of the body of Christ. We being many are one bread, and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread.”
He turns to the Lord’s Supper, the communion service held in the church. How that partaking of the bread and the cup signifies the believer’s participation in the benefits of the death of Christ and the benefits of the life that is imparted via His Blood. While it is called communion, it is fellowship with the Lord.
Two things are need for genuine salvation---a death and a life---and we get both of these from Jesus. When we open our hearts to Him we receive a death we didn’t die and life we didn’t live. That death puts us beyond the “law of sin and death,” for the law cannot touch a dead man. It is the death of Jesus that removes the guilt of our sins. This is accomplished by His dying in our place. We receive His righteousness with the life of Christ. Jesus lived a righteous life and in receiving Him, we receive the “gift of righteousness”.
It is this righteousness that allows us to live in the presence of a holy and righteous God.
The bread was one loaf symbolizing the fact that all who participate were all one body. The eating of the loaf pictured fellowship with the Lord Himself. Paul’s analogy here is to point to the Corinthians that eating of food offered to idols means fellowship with the demons behind the idols.
1 Cor. 18-21: “Behold Israel after the flesh; are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? What am I saying? That the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God; and I would not that you should have fellowship with devils. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils; you cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.”
Israel after the flesh is distinguished from the spiritual Israel of God. Israel after the flesh with its altar and sacrifices has deep spiritual significance in participating in such ceremonial rites. The Jewish altar represents God, and eating the food offered on the altar represents fellowship with God.
They bring their offering to God and God in turn invites them to sit down with Him and enjoy a fellowship meal. In referring to the Jewish feasts, Paul seeks to show how such feasts are a means of communicating with unseen spirits.
Physical items and physical acts can only represent reality. They are never the reality in themselves. God is Spirit and can only be approached in Spirit (John 4:24). In this way Paul shows the seriousness of getting involved with pagan altars.
Demons are the real force behind all pagan religion; attested not only by the Old Testament and New Testament, but my missionary experience as well as the gift of discerning of spirits.
Idolatry is a medium through which satanic power is particularly manifest.
1 Cor. 10:22: “Or perhaps you are trying to make the Lord jealous. In that case I must ask, do you think you are stronger than He?
Deut. 6:15: “”For the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and His anger will burn against you, and He will destroy you from the face of the land.”
Israel could not stand before the might of Jehovah. The Corinthians have still to learn this as do we.
Chapter 10 to be continued next week.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V.
I entered into the labors of C. S. Lovett’s Lights on 1 Corinthians; Kelly Varner’s Principles of Present Truth on Exodus; F. F. Bruce International Bible Commentary and Sermon Notes by: Carolyn Sissom “The Cloudy Pillar Descended” march 7, 2007.