Warning Against Idolatry
For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all 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. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Paul is writing to this church at Corinth to correct many of the areas of their spiritual lives that need correcting. They have plenty of challenges. There are some in the church who have come out of worshipping idols and this has caused a great stir among them. In chapter ten Paul is going to address this.
He starts out the chapter, however, reminding them of those past events of Israel. Like the Corinthians, they were giving many blessings. Like the Corinthians, however, thy have not honored them the way they should. He will go on to detail some of the ways they dishonored God. Paul does not want them to be unaware of this danger. He is about to get into some very specific acts of disobedience in the book and he wants them to recall what happened to Israel.
Many in Israel, despite having all the privileges of Moses’ leadership and the good will of God, still never entered the promise land. The promise land is the picture here for God’s blessing. What Paul is warning this church about is their acting in disobedience will cause them to miss out on God’s manifold blessings. When you are given much, God requires much.
Luke 12:48 (ESV)
But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
This is the basis for all the correction Paul is about to do. He does not want them to be unaware of their requirements. We have been given much. God requires much from us.
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