Let’s continue with our passage in 1 Corinthians, remembering Paul has just written of self control for the believer. In our passage today, Paul brings up the history of Israel in the wilderness for us to consider.

Not a great example of victory!

Paul just spoke of his own danger of being disqualified due to a lack of self control. We saw in our last passage, that he also warns the believers that disqualification was a very real danger to the “rank and file” believer. (See Conditional Security – 2 Corinthians 13:5-9).

In the very next passage, in chapter 10, Paul emphasizes this very truth by reaching back into the history of Israel, of their deliverance from Egypt and guidance into the promised land.

In this passage I would like to draw your attention to the qualifiers in the passage. When I speak of qualifiers in this passage, I am thinking of qualifiers of quantity, or a description of the amount of subject being described. The two that are obvious for our study are…

ALL

“All” typically speaks of the totality of the subject matter, a 100% factor, implying in this instance entirely everyone in the group.

I know there is a faction within the Body that considers “all” to not be describing “all” but a subset of “all”, as in “all” the chosen, or “all” the predestined. Don’t you just love quote marks! It is as if those who are not in the all, may never be in the all, and are not to be considered of the all.

Alright – A bit of a rant on my part. Your forgiveness is requested. I will leave that discussion for another time, but in this instance, when Paul speaks of all, he is referring to all the Israelites, the entire nation. It seems obvious.

• all under the cloud
• all passed through the sea
• all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea
• all ate the same spiritual food
• all drank the same spiritual drink.
• For they (all) drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
  • (italicized added for completeness of thought)

The entire nation is represented as having went through each of the above actions. To go through these actions was to establish those that would become the nation of Israel. It is also of benefit to note that though some of these actions were experienced, or entered into by the tribes of Israel in one day, some actions, such as eating and drinking of the spiritual food and drink, occurred much later in their experience. Paul may be referring to a continual action in the last two actions.

MOST

Most is our second qualifier of quantity. Unlike “all”, most speaks of a majority, or of the greatest in quantity, but falls short of including all.

As Paul uses this term, it is shocking that he refers to most as having failed to please God.

An instance that comes to mind is the sending out of the twelve spies. Ten of the spies did not please God! That is an 83% rate of failure in pleasing God.

Another instance that occurs to me is the provision of quails due to the grumbling of the people, and the resultant death of many with a very great plague

Numbers 11:33 While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague.

One more instance will suffice. Consider Israel and the serpents.

Numbers 21:5-6 And the people spoke against God and against 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 worthless food.” Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.

As an aside, the people spoke of God’s manna as “worthless food”. How thankless, how insulting to God, the supplier and sustainer of the people, to reject the bread of life. Yet this is the history Paul brings to mind.

When Paul speaks of most that were in the wilderness, he speaks of all but two. The only two who made it through from Egypt to the promised land was Joshua and Caleb. Two men who left Egypt that did not fail to please God. The remaining fathers who saw the mighty works of God lay strewn in the desert. Paul says they were overthrown in the wilderness. This is the very same term Moses uses in Number 14:13

Numbers 14:16 ‘It is because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them (overthrown them) in the wilderness.’

How incredible to consider this warning. The Lord was not able, because the people would not submit, and were doomed to the wilderness.

Earlier I mentioned a percentage of 83%. Let us not consider the percentage of those who ultimately failed to please God in the wilderness, for it is truly a sad tale! Yet Paul speaks of it as a reminder of the challenge before us.

If there is something going on in that you are struggling with in the Lord’s will, take heart and understand the Lord is seeking the best for you. But let this warning be understood.

Rebellion against Him and refusal of His will will not go well for any of us! Submit to Him and seek to please Him. Humble yourself and admit your error before Him. Consider the Bread of Life as worthy and not worthless.

After the Lord spoke of the overthrow of the people, He reminded those listening.

Numbers 14:18 ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’

He is good. Trust Him. Seek to please him is all the ways you know of.

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