Warnings from Israel’s Past

Paul reminds them that Israel all shared the cloud, the sea, the same spiritual food, and the same spiritual drink from the rock that was Christ. Yet despite these common privileges, God was not pleased with most of them, and they fell in the wilderness.

I¹ do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. ²They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness.

Paul says these things happened as examples so believers would not desire evil as Israel did through idolatry, sexual immorality, testing Christ, and grumbling. Therefore the one who thinks he stands must take heed, yet Paul also adds that temptation is common to humanity and that God's faithfulness provides both limits and a way of endurance.

⁶These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did. ⁷Do 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.” ⁸We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. ⁹We should not test Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by snakes. ¹⁰And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel. ¹¹Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. ¹²So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall. ¹³No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.