1 Corinthians 10
June 28, 2022
“Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: ‘The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.’ We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.” (v7-8)
It’s not a coincidence that Paul uses this story in Israel’s history (in the desert) – as his example of what happens when God’s people treat God’s grace as a license to sin. The specific sins that bookended Israel’s time in the desert were idolatry and sexual immorality, the very sins Paul has been addressing with the Corinthians in this letter. Israel’s rebellion in the desert began (in Ex 32) with idolatry, when they made and then worshiped a golden calf - until God’s judgment came upon them. Israel’s rebellion in the desert concluded (in Num 25) with sexual immorality, when they were having adulterous sex right out in the open - until God’s judgment came upon them. The moral of the story is pretty clear, but Paul states it for the Corinthians anyway in v11: that God, in His grace, has given us these stories of His judgment – so that we will heed His warning, and not treat His forgiveness as a license to sin.
Father, I praise You for Your saving grace - that rescued me while I was still in my sin. And I thank You for your sanctifying grace - that is refining me from living a life of sin. And yet, I confess, as the hymn proclaims, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.” Forgive me for the tendency that still runs through me to slip into taking Your grace for granted. “Here’s my heart, O, take it and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.” Lord, continue to work Your sanctifying grace into my life - so that I seek (more than anything else) to live in a way that reflects Your great rescue!
— Pastor Joshua Brooks
Use the following steps to guide your daily time with the Lord…
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Start with prayer. Ask God to open your heart to help you understand and receive His Word.
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Read and observe the passage carefully. As needed, read a second Bible version to help with understanding.
➡️ What does it say?
What does this passage teach me about God? What does it say about my sinful nature and my need for God’s grace? How does this passage point to Jesus?
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➡️ What am I going to do about it?
Does this passage include a promise to claim, an action/attitude to avoid/embrace, or a principle to apply? How can this truth apply to my life? What could my next step be? How can I share this with others? Is there a verse or section of Scripture I need to memorize?
