» 9:24-27 (THE MOTIVATION – ACCOMPLISHING THE GOAL)
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. 25 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. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Paul’s long-winded answer to the church’s question as to whether they could eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols was “become a slave to others by giving up your rights if it will benefit them” (chapters 8-9).

How can I find the motivation to become a slave to another? By taking my eyes off of the present and running for the prize - a crown that will last forever. Do not run aimlessly, beating at the air. Have this specific goal in mind and run toward it. Give up my rights when necessary in order to accomplish the higher purpose I am striving for.

» 10:1-5
1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness. 6 Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.

The Old Testament can teach us a lot about our own Christian lives. God’s people and their failings are on full display, and they aren’t much different from you or me. Paul grew up with the OT scriptures and had advanced education in them. Knowing Old Testament history helps us understand 1 Corinthians 10.

Reading through this section can make me feel pretty small. I’ll summarize its references so I can focus more on the lessons I need to learn here.

1. The people of Israel were captured by the Egyptians and lived for a period of time in Egypt under its rule. They maintained their identity as Israelites but lived hard lives as Egyptian slaves.
2. 400 years later, God set them free. There were about 600,000 men, so there were about 2 million people in all! (This story is in the book of Exodus).
3. In setting them free, God started them on a journey to the Promised Land (Canaan), where they would live as a nation. (This story is in the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy).
4. God put a cloud in front of them to show the way to Canaan. If they just followed that cloud they would reach their destination.
5. God miraculously parted the water and took them through the Reed Sea but made the water come together again when the Egyptians chased after them. The Jews made it safely, the Egyptians drowned.
6. God also took them through a desert where it would be hard to find food and water. Not to worry. He miraculously fed them – with a full day’s supply of bread every morning and water that flowed from a rock whenever Moses wacked it (see Exodus 17:6 and Numbers 20:1ff).
7. Forty years later, they arrived at the promised land, Canaan.
8. Although 600,000 men started this journey of promise, only two – Caleb and Joshua – made it to the end. God was not pleased with the rest because their hearts were focused upon their current undesirable circumstances rather than upon the land of milk and honey that lay ahead of them. They took their eyes off of their God and their goal. They died in the wilderness. They didn’t experience His promise.
   

That’s the history Paul describes in the first 5 verses of this chapter. God rescued His people from a terrible place, promised to bless them greatly if they would trust Him even through tribulations, gave them a leader to follow who had direct access to Him, guided them supernaturally, and took care of them with bread and living water.

It’s clear why Paul brought up that story here. He is charging us to take our eyes off of this life, this world, these pleasures and to keep our eyes steadily fixed upon our destination ahead - the crown which we will receive in the kingdom. Focusing on that future promise will make giving up our rights for the benefit of others (which has been his theme since chapter 8) a cinch. Focusing on our present circumstances will make doing that impossible.

» 10:7-11
7 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.” 8 Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. 9 Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. 10 Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 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.

VERSE 7: He is referring to a time when Moses was up on the mountain getting the 10 Commandments in God’s own handwriting. Those waiting for him at the bottom of the mountain got impatient. After all, he was gone for 40 days and 40 nights! By that time, they had lost faith that he would come back. But if they couldn’t even remain faithful 40 days how would they last 40 years?

Eventually, they gave up on Moses and his God and decided to create a god of their own – one they hoped would bring them immediate pleasure. They melted all their jewelry and made an idol in the shape of a calf. They worshiped it, made sacrifices to it, and ate and drank and partied. (You can read that in Exodus 32:6).

Note: That’s the first biblical example of God’s people eating food that was sacrificed to idols. See the link to our context?

So Paul warns these Christians (and me, and you) to not be idolaters as they were a couple thousand years earlier.

VERSES 8-9: Another thing God’s people did during that time is described in Numbers 25. Some of God’s people didn’t like the restrictions God placed on them. Some women (who didn’t belong to God) tempted God’s men. They fell for it, and committed sexual sin with those women. A plague broke out in the camp that killed 23,000 people. It wouldn’t go away until Moses’ great-nephew (Phinehas) found a couple who were committing this sexual sin. He took a spear and stabbed them to death. That got rid of the plague. DON’T COMMIT SEXUAL IMMORALITY! DON’T TEST GOD.

VERSE 10: Finally, Paul warns us to be humbly grateful rather than grumbly hateful. Numbers 16 tells about three guys named Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. They didn’t like Moses’ leadership. They were jealous of him, didn’t like his style, and decided they didn’t need him. They led a revolt and caused a lot of other of God’s people to wonder whether they should continue to follow Moses. God said He would clearly show them whether He wanted Moses or these guys to lead, then he ground opened up and swallowed the three men alive. Any questions?

Then in Numbers 21, the Israelites actually accused GOD of being unfaithful to THEM!! God promised to take them out of Egypt into a wonderful place – the Promised Land, Canaan – which must’ve had a lot of cows and bees (“flowing with milk and honey”). They were excited to get there! But they had to pass through a very large desert, and while suffering in the desert they got angry at God and accused Him of being a liar. This land was miserable! God sent poisonous snakes to get their attention, and some of people were killed by the snakes. The snakes stopped only when Moses raised a bronze serpent on a pole, as God told him to. Moses’ obedience overcame the disaster of their disobedience, just as Christ’s obedience overcame the disaster of our own disobedience.

Again, these things happened to serve as warnings and examples to us.

To summarize: Stay away from idolatry. Worship God alone. Trust Him to take care of me. Stay away from sexual immorality. Remain pure for God. Don’t trust anything or anyone but God for fulfillment. Don’t put God to the test. Trust that He has allowed me to be in whatever circumstance I am in, He will take care of me there, and He will eventually provide something much better for me. Don’t complain about the direction God is leading me and go off on my own path. He’s leading me the way I need to be led right now.

As a Christian, if I fail to do these things I reap something much worse than what the Israelites experienced. The Israelites’ death was fleshly. My death could be spiritual and eternal.

» 10:12-13
12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

VERSE 12: It is 80 degrees outside today with a pleasant sun, low humidity, and cool winds. The flowers and vegetables in my gardens are looking great, and they display well against my nice lawn! I had a great breakfast and lunch and have some delicious plans for dinner. There’s a great movie on tonight and my wife and I may make a date of it and even splurge on some popcorn and candy. Tomorrow is Father’s Day and I’ll hear from all my adult kids and maybe even my grandkids. Friends are coming over for a cookout tomorrow and we’ll play some games.

How fulfilling. Life is good!

NO IT’S NOT! This is NOT a beautiful, pleasant world designed for our enjoyment. The quicker we get over that idea the better. We are in a fallen world and are under constant attack by Satan. This world and its pleasures are a battlefield. Our enemy is ruthless. He is clever, his strategies are subtle, and we can easily be deceived and fall. He can trip us and trap us, even mature Christians. If we are not alert, if we get too comfortable, or if we get to feeling too homey in this world, we may become unfit for God to use us in the battle.

VERSE 13: The circumstances in my life – especially the things I find pleasure in! – are the enemy’s greatest weapons because they distract me from the goal.

You wouldn’t want to hire Jesus to do your company’s recruiting or marketing. In Matt 10:16-23, this is what He told His disciples – while they were still relatively new! –about what it would mean to follow Him:
“16 I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves… 17 men… will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 … you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake… 19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say… 21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 You will be hated by all because of My name… 23 …whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next…”

Who wants to sign up for that? A shepherd sending is sheep into a pack of wolves? Shepherds don’t do that! They keep them from the wolves, they don’t send them out into the wolf packs.

But Jesus also promised in those verses that He would be there to protect them, to make them successful! These horrible things that He said His followers would experience would not be beyond what they could bear. Beyond what they would choose for themselves? Certainly, because we are all selfish creatures when it comes down to it. But not beyond what they could bear, and the very point of it all is to pull them out of their self-centeredness and center them instead on the work and will of God.

So how will the sheep survive in the wolf pack? Paul answered that in v. 13: “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

God is faithful and will not allow me to be tempted beyond my strength. I don’t know anything more difficult to believe than that when we are in the midst of trials. I feel certain I can’t take this anymore – I may even cry out those words when the pressure is strong.

But yes I can. God knows my strength better than I do. He knows how much I can handle and how much I cannot. God does with our spirits what athletes do with their bodies when they continually force themselves to go just slightly beyond their previous record. Add an extra pound to the barbell when it seems impossible to lift any more. When I lift that, add another, and then another. Pretty soon, I’m far stronger than when that first extra pound seemed impossible.

Similarly, God puts additional challenges on us to build our strength and endurance. But He controls it. He will never allow more than I can handle if I will trust Him for the strength. He’ll always provide a way to not fail His testing.