Good morning, Saints.
I was told I was supposed to baptize this new system. I think it is going to baptize me.
Open, if you will, to 1 Corinthians, the letter to 1 Corinthians. We are going to read several verses. We are going to mainly camp in these verses, though we will spread out to several others throughout our time.
First Corinthians 9. Very familiar verses. We will start with verse 24.
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.
They then do it to receive a perishable wreath—but we, an imperishable.
Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air.
But I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
The King James Version says “crown” rather than “wreath.” Some versions here read “rejected,” and Young’s says “disapproved.”
For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, 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 were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.
Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.”
Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.
Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents.
Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.
Can we just have a word of prayer?
Lord, as we continue in Your presence now, we just want to acknowledge that it is You alone Who have the words of life. We want to acknowledge that apart from Your Holy Spirit, this whole time will be a time of vanity.
So we ask that Thy Holy Spirit would come and would be Lord over this time, that He would help us to speak and to hear, Lord, that which is on Your heart. Oh, set us aside, O Lord, that it may be all of You and to Your glory. In Jesus’ name.
Brothers and sisters, what is on my heart this morning? Well, maybe I should back up first of all. Some of you do not know, but I work in the project management office at the bank where I am employed.
One of the best practices done in this realm is that, at the conclusion of a project, you complete what is called a project closure document. Now, my role in this office is that I am an auditor, and this is one of the deliverables I have to go out and check and make sure is completed. I make sure it is signed off, et cetera—all that good, you know, Sarbanes-Oxley stuff.
But anyway, within this document, there is a section called “Lessons Learned.” If you will permit me to read something, this is actually out of our document:
Provide the lessons learned, positive and negative, from this project. Document what worked well and what did not work well. Future action: avoid or repeat.
Now, we read some verses from our beloved apostle Paul, and he was writing to the Corinthians. We see here in 1 Corinthians 10 that he has actually a list of lessons learned that he wants to make them aware of.
These lessons learned are none other than the examples of the children of Israel, from the time that they came out of Egypt until the time they went into the promised land. Paul takes some very specific incidents that happened to speak to these people in Corinth.
Now, we want to run through these and see if some of this can apply to us. Let us go ahead and jump in.
Paul speaks to them of the illustrations in 1 Corinthians 10, but I wanted to back up a little bit into the verses in 1 Corinthians 9 so we could get it a little more into context—to see really what Paul was driving at, what his heart really was.
Now, we did not read it, but I want to start off by reading 1 Corinthians 9:23.
I do all things for the sake of the gospel.
I think you can paraphrase that and say, “Christ.” Just look at the heart of the apostle: “I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”
Then he goes on to use this illustration of a race. He talks about, “Do you not know that all those who run in a race—all those that enter—run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.”
So he likens this Christian pilgrimage to a race. Now, there are some differences here between the illustration of a race and our race. Some of them are obvious, such as where he says, “But only one receives the prize.”
It is true that we all run. All those who have been born again, blood-washed by the Lord Jesus, you are in this race today. And Paul would exhort us to run well.
But in the illustration he says only one receives the prize, and that is not true in our case. We all have the ability to win that prize. So he lays down and says, “Run in such a way that you may win.”
Now, obviously, if you are in a race, you are going to do certain things to win. You are going to exercise self-control.
If you have a race tomorrow morning, you are not going to stay up all night long, eat candy bars, and drink soda. You are probably going to eat protein bars, or maybe a lot of spaghetti—you know, get a lot of carbs in you. You are going to go to bed early. You are going to rest.
So there are some very obvious things that are needed in this Christian race. We must exercise self-control. We must be very mindful of the things we do and take upon ourselves.
And why? Because unlike them, who will receive a perishable wreath—I like the version that says “crown”—we have a crown that is set before us. We have a prize that is a crown, which speaks of authority. A crown speaks of reigning.
Now, when I think of running in such a way, as it says in 1 Corinthians 9:24 and then repeats again in verse 26, I immediately think of Hebrews 12.
Hebrews 12:1-2 says:
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us.
We find that there is a very needful thing: we need to put aside encumbrances. We need to take those things that would weigh us down.
Now, when these runners would run in a race, they would run with weights around their ankles when they practiced, to build up. But obviously, when you get in that race, you are not going to go with those. You are going to take those off. You are going to strip down as much as you can to get any weight off of you so that you can run effectively.
In fact, it is actually a known fact that when they ran these races, they ran naked. They did not wear any clothes. Now, I do not prescribe to that, but the point is, you do not want anything to weigh you down. You want to be able to run as fast as you can.
So the apostle Paul says, “Run in such a way.” Get rid of the encumbrances and the sin which so easily entangles us.
Now, what is this sin that so easily entangles us that he is referring to here? If we went around the room, I imagine we would probably have a lot of different answers. You might speak of something specifically that besets you.
But I think, in the context, what the apostle is speaking about is unbelief. It is the sin of unbelief. So he says, lay aside that weight. Lay aside that unbelief, and run with endurance.
Now, the King James Version has “patience.” I actually think they are both good translations. I think you could actually translate this “patient endurance.” So he says, “Run with patient endurance the race that is before us.”
Now, Wuest translates this as a passive endurance or an active persistence. Let me explain that a little.
As far as a passive endurance, we find that as we run this race, as we are in this Christian pilgrimage, there are trials that come our way. There are tests that come our way. When they do, we need to have a passive endurance toward them.
In other words, when we are going through these things, we need to acknowledge them as from the Lord, and we need to remain under them as long as it takes until we learn that lesson. That is the act of endurance that he is talking about there.
That word “endurance” actually means “to remain under.” So we stay under, as opposed to what I have done so often in my life. When a trial comes, I quickly want to skirt around it. I quickly want to say, “Uh-oh, what can I do to get away from this?”
No, we need to have a passive endurance to stay under it. Yet there is an active persistence also, in that we want to keep the goal in front of us. We keep wanting to press on.
Now, Hebrews 12:2 says, “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of faith.” I like the Wuest translation. He says, “Looking off and away to Jesus.”
It is actually a twofold thing. We actually look away from, and we look to.
Think of the illustration of when the Lord was walking on the water and He came out to the disciples.
Let me get rid of my dry mouth. Everything within me does not like being up here. It is by the grace of God I stand before you.
But the illustration is of the Lord coming to the disciples on the water. Peter said, “Lord, I want to come out to You.” So the Lord called him out. We all know the story.
Peter came out, and as long as he kept his eyes on the Lord, he stayed on the water. He stayed above the circumstances. But soon he looked around. He saw the storm. He saw the clouds, the waves, and he started to sink.
That is our illustration here: fixing our eyes on Jesus. We look away from, unto the Author and Perfecter of faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross.
That word “endured” there of the Lord is the same word, “endurance,” back in verse 1. Our Lord was so willing to remain under that which the Father had sent Him to do, even to the point of death—death on the cross. Obedience to the end.
So Paul says:
Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air. But I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
There is a discipline to this Christian pilgrimage. There is a grabbing a hold, if you will, of yourself by the neck and saying, “I will persist and go on.”
We are not talking about any type of sloppy grace. Grace is there to enable us to go on, and we have to grab hold of that. We have to be diligent to enter into that.
Now, I want to take a look at this word in 1 Corinthians 9:27, where Paul said, “I myself will not be disqualified.” I said that the Young translation says “disapproved.” The Greek word there is adokimos.
We will define that in a minute. But first of all, before we do that, I want to go to a couple of other Scriptures that have the root of the same word.
First of all, a very familiar one in 1 Peter 1:6-9:
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
This word translated “proof” and the word translated “tested” are the same Greek word. Dokimion is the noun in the beginning of the verse, and dokimazō is a verb form of that word, translated “tested” in the NASB.
Now, he says this means, “Tried with a view to approval; if found worthy, to recognize as genuine after examination.”
So we see that our faith—it is very necessary that it be tested. It is very necessary to be proven so that we can see of what matter it really is.
Verse 8 goes on to say:
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
So we see the very important matter here of why our faith is tested, why our faith would progress and grow: because the outcome of that will be the salvation of our souls.
Now, we recently studied a topic on the cross, and we talked about the full salvation from the cross that reaches into spirit, soul, and body.
Everybody who has come to the Lord, your spirit has been saved. That is past tense. But when it speaks of your soul, it speaks in the present tense. That is what is going on right now. That is what God is after right now in your life: the saving of your soul, the bringing you through, maturing your faith—the salvation of your soul.
Look at a couple other verses with the same word. James 1:2-4 says:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
And in 1 Corinthians 3, very familiar verses:
For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—
Notice that everybody is building something. You are building with one of these materials now. We know that the gold, the silver, and the precious stones speak to the character of God. The wood, hay, and straw speak to the character of man. So you are building now on one or the other.
Verse 13 goes on:
Each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.
If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.
If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
So we are tested. We are tested to see what quality our work is. But notice it says that if your work is a quality that is of no value, though it be burned up, yet you will be saved.
We want to make that clear. It is not a question of eternity that is spoken here. It is a question of the salvation of the soul, which has to do with attaining that crown, which has to do with reigning and ruling position with Christ.
And one more verse very quickly: James 1:12.
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
So Paul was very aware there was something to gain. He was very secure in his position before God. He knew he had been justified, but he also knew there was something more to be gained—something called the salvation of the soul.
Now, let us return back to our text in 1 Corinthians 10. I want to go through the first few verses rather quickly because I really want to hit the latter ones more.
We read where it said, “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud.” That is verse 1.
Now, let me say something about this cloud. The cloud was a representation of the presence and leading of God.
You know the story. When the cloud moved, the people moved. When the cloud stopped, the people stopped. The cloud may move for a whole day; the people would move for a whole day. The cloud may stop for a week, and the people were to stop for a week.
God was slowly teaching them how to be led. He was slowly disciplining them not to move apart from Him.
Thus it is, obviously, in our lives. The Lord wants to also teach us not to move apart from Him. But how often do we want to move on our own terms? How often do we skirt, if you will, waiting upon the Lord when we are unclear as to what we should do?
We find that when we do such, we are going to lose our appetite for the Lord, and we will seek other things to satisfy. May the Lord have mercy.
Now notice that when he spoke of the fathers, he said they all passed through the sea, all were baptized, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink.
Why did Paul put this in here? Why is he all of a sudden giving this all? Well, first of all, he is saying there is no difference between all the children of Israel that came out. They all came out together. They all enjoyed and partook of the same privilege from God, each and every one of them.
But I think he put this in here simply because, when he was writing to the Corinthians and was going to give these illustrations in the next few verses, he might have been concerned that some of them would think, “Well, I am a child of God. I am blessed of God. I am justified. I am saved. Why do I need to be concerned? Why can’t I just float and be as I want to be?”
You know, it is sad that there are many in the church who have this type of attitude today. They say, “Because I am saved and justified, I can live as I wish to.”
Does not the Scripture say, “But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”? Thus, we can live as we like because grace will be sufficient.
What was Paul’s response to such a thought? We read out of Romans 6:
Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be!
You know, the Scriptures never teach justification apart from sanctification. They always go hand in hand. The whole reason the Lord has brought us into this relationship, which is an eternal relationship, a secured relationship, is so that we can grow up into all things that He wants us to.
He does not want us to stay, as it were, just babies, but He wants us to go on with Him.
So we see that all the children of Israel had the same privilege, one and the same. Yet in 1 Corinthians 10:5 we see:
Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
Nevertheless—though you are privileged—nevertheless.
Now, it mentions the word “wilderness” here. Maybe we should speak for a moment to the purpose of the wilderness before we go on. Let me just say very quickly that it is a place of exposure. It is a revealer. It is a training ground: the wilderness.
Turn with me, if you wish, to Deuteronomy 8:1-6. We will see here an explanation of the wilderness.
All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land.
There is God’s heart for His people: to possess the land, which speaks of Christ for us today.
You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
Here we see the first purpose of the wilderness: that we are to come to a place of knowing ourselves. We are to learn the important lesson that, in ourselves, we cannot please God; that it is not in us to live this Christian life.
We need to learn of our spiritual poverty, that, as Paul said, “Nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.”
It goes on and says in verse 3:
He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.
Ooh boy, I like that.
We see the second part of what we are to learn in this wilderness: that we need to learn that the Lord is the source of all our needs. We need to learn the important truth that God loves us, is faithful, and can be trusted in all matters.
So we see it as a twofold thing. We come to know ourselves first, but we also come to know the Lord. We come to know His character. Thank goodness He does not stop at the first one, or we would be devastated.
If He just sat there and exposed us, if you will, of what we are in ourselves—but it is for the purpose that we will let go of ourselves, if you will, and learn to deny ourselves.
Verse 5 says:
Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.
We also see here one of the purposes of the wilderness: that the Lord disciplines us there. You know, we all are in need of much discipline. We naturally are very lazy, lackadaisical-type people. If we go our own way, we are going to float. We will be aimless.
So the Lord disciplines us so that, therefore, verse 6:
You shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.
Now let us return back to our text in Corinthians. In verse 6, we read earlier:
Now these things happened as examples.
The Greek word there is tupos, like the word from which we get “type.” These happened as types for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
Now, what are these evil things that he is speaking about here? I think, to put it simply, it is anything that is outside the will of God for us. It is anything that would divert, distract, hinder, or occupy us from the purpose of God in our lives.
These are the things that are defined as evil.
Now, this example that Paul mentions here in verse 6 is actually taken out of Numbers 11 in particular. We would like to read a couple of verses out of there to see exactly what tripped up the children of Israel.
Numbers 11:4 says:
Now the rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?”
I actually like the King James Version, which says “mixed multitude.” When I read that, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. When I saw that word “mixed,” I thought, “Whoa, mixture.” You know, the Lord is working in our lives right now to get the mixture out.
The King James Version also says, “Who will give us flesh to eat?”
And it goes on in verse 5:
We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic. But now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.
The literal meaning of that phrase is, “Our soul is dried up.”
Now, we all know the story of the manna. It was God’s supernatural provision for the children of Israel in the wilderness, for them to feed upon, for them to eat, to sustain them so they could make that journey.
The type for us today is the Word of God. Our Lord Jesus Himself is our manna today through the Word of God.
We see that because they had this craving for evil things—these things that came out of Egypt, which was a type of the world—their appetite was gone. Their soul was dried up because they wanted to feed upon that which was of the world.
They said, “Now our soul is dried away. There is nothing except this manna.”
Can we not live on what God has provided for us? Do we find ourselves saying like them, “This manna is not enough for us”?
How often does the Bible lie neglected as we fill the day with trivial things? Must we pamper the old man as the flesh cries out?
You know, we read the verses from the summer conference out of Philippians 3. I will just read two of them right now:
For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ,
whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.
Now, in Numbers 11:7, it says:
Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. The people would go about and gather it and grind it between two millstones, or beat it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of cakes baked with oil.
It is amazing to me what these children of Israel did with the manna. They wanted to grind it. They wanted to beat on it. They wanted to bake it, because it did not appear to be sufficient to them. They were trying to change it because it appeared to be tasteless to them.
When, in reality, they did not have a taste for it.
Does it seem to us at times that manna is tasteless? Bland? It does not satisfy, and you find yourselves wanting to feed on the onions and garlic of the world?
If we find ourselves in this position where the manna is not sufficient, may I say we are in a very alarming position. We need to acknowledge that we have fallen and wandered, and we need to return to Him Who alone is able to save our souls.
Now the story goes on. I am going to pick up in Numbers 11:31.
Now there went forth a wind from the Lord, and it brought quail from the sea, and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on that side, all around the camp and about two cubits deep on the surface of the ground.
Just imagine all these birds everywhere. You would be, like, walking into them up through your ankles.
The people spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. He who gathered least gathered ten homers, and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.
And it says in verse 33:
While the meat—the King James Version says “flesh”—was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague.
Psalm 106:13-15 says, speaking of the children of Israel:
They quickly forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but craved intensely in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. So He gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them.
The King James Version says, “But sent leanness into their soul.”
You know, brothers and sisters, we need to be careful what we desire. It says He gave them their request. They got what they longed for, and they found death. They wanted flesh, and with the flesh came the judgment of God.
May we not be those who walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. As it says in Romans:
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so.
And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
May the Lord grant us grace to keep our hearts fixed on Him alone.
Let us go back to 1 Corinthians 10:7. We see the second type or example. Paul says:
Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.”
Now, this first one that we mentioned—craving evil things—seems to be a door that opens Pandora’s box. We will see now that he speaks of idolatry, and then he will speak of fornication.
But here in verse 7, he says, “Do not be idolaters.” Look what these people did. This quote is out of Exodus 32.
Beginning in verse 1, it says:
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.
He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it a molten calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses:
Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
“For your people”—interesting. It was as if almost the Lord wanted to disown them.
Idolatry, simply put, is anything that takes the place of God in our lives. It is anything that you become enslaved to. The Scripture teaches we ought to be bondslaves of God.
You know, there are many idols out there today attempting to steal your worship—that is, your time, your energy, your money.
We need to establish the presence of the Lord. We need to learn to establish the presence of the Lord in our lives to guard us against idols.
Verse 8, 1 Corinthians 10:
Nor let us act immorally—the King James Version says “fornication”—as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.
Wherever you find idolatry, you are going to find fornication. The two really kind of go hand in hand.
Idolatry is going after a false god, going after something that replaces God. When we do so, we find that fornication comes out of that. That is, we become unfaithful to the One to Whom we really belong. We fall into spiritual fornication.
You know, this Greek word for fornication here is the word porneia. We get the word “pornography” from it today.
How many in the church of God today are enslaved to that? The idol of pornography, which causes them to fall in fornication. May the Lord have mercy.
Verse 9:
Nor let us try—the King James Version says “tempt”—the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents.
The reference here is out of Numbers 21:4-6. But I want to read something first out of Hebrews 3, if I may. Sorry, Keene, I am probably putting you through quite an exercise.
Hebrews 3:7-11 says:
Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tried Me by testing Me.”
They were to be led there to be tried of the Lord, and what did they do? They tried God.
As in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, and saw My works for forty years.
I am so glad He put that on the tail end of that. Though they tried God, they saw His works for forty years. He remained faithful to them despite their condition.
Therefore I was angry with this generation, and said, “They always go astray in their heart, and they did not know My ways.” As I swore in My wrath, “They shall not enter My rest.”
Now, we said that this reference here of trying the Lord is out of Numbers 21. I would like to read three verses, starting with verse 4:
Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey.
Have you found yourself at times becoming impatient because of the journey? Have you found yourself at times waning?
The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”
This is in reference to the manna.
The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people so that many people of Israel died.
How was it that the children of Israel tried the Lord? They did so by questioning His character. They did so by questioning His wisdom, His providence, and His power.
It is sad to see that at the very earliest appearance of trial, there came forth the cry, “Have You brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?”
Have we found similar words coming out of our mouths at times, questioning the goodness and wisdom of our God? How often in the midst of a trial do we act like there is no God? May the Lord have mercy on us.
And the last one, in verse 10, says:
Nor grumble.
The King James Version says “complain.” Now, we never do that, do we? We never grumble.
Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
The reference here is out of Numbers 14. To put it into context, it is when the twelve spies came back from going through the land and gave their report.
We know that all but two of them gave a negative report of the land. They said there were giants in the land. They said, “We cannot go in and possess it. We are like grasshoppers.”
So in Numbers 14:1, it says:
Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!”
Reminds you a little bit of Elijah, does it not, in the brook?
Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword?
Do we find ourselves in that position at times, feeling like we are the punching bag of the Lord, as it were? So we think.
Our wives and our little ones will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”
What was the cause of the people’s response? Why were they complaining?
Is it not simply because they were occupied with themselves and their difficulties instead of with God and His promise? Do we find ourselves at times allowing circumstances to shut out God?
What is at the root of complaining, or these other sins that we have looked at? Is it not simply unbelief?
What eventually led to the children of Israel being shut out from entering into the promised land? Look at Numbers 14:11:
So the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?”
And in verse 30:
Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb and Joshua.
Now, in Hebrews 3, beginning with verse 12, there is an admonition, there is a warning:
Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Sin is deceitful in nature.
For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.”
For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?
Notice how unbelief and disobedience go hand in hand, even as faith and obedience do.
So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
And in Hebrews 2:1-3, we see that he says:
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?
First Corinthians 10:11 says:
Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
In conclusion, I would just like to read a few more verses out of Hebrews 4:11 and verses 14-16.
Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.
This is referencing the children of Israel.
Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One Who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need in our Christian pilgrimage.
Amen.