1 Corinthians

10:1-13

4. Eating food offered to idols, 8:1-11:1

v] Learn from Israel's experience in the wilderness

Paul continues to deal with the danger of participating in pagan religion, in particular, eating food offered to idols. Paul's argument in this passage follows on from 9:24-27 where he pointed out that not all obtain the prize of eternity with Christ. We must run to gain the prize. That is, we must exercise self control or else suffer loss. Israel did not exercise self control, but rather continually flirted with idolatry and immorality. Due to this rebellion the people of Israel suffered loss and died in the wilderness. As far as Paul is concerned, his readers face a similar danger. The Corinthian believers were failing to exercise self control regarding their willful determination to attend cultic meals, and thus, in associating with the demonic darkness attached to idol worship, they now faced all the dangers inherent in that association.

This passage is a very important one when it comes to developing a methodology for the exposition and application of the Old Testament. We are prone to moralize, or spiritualize, our way through the Old Testament, but here Paul gives us a clue to the use of "type" when interpreting Old Testament scripture.

Israel experienced the presence of God in the cloud that sheltered them from the Egyptians, guided them through the wilderness and hovered over Mount Sinai. They experienced the salvation of God in the Red Sea as it opened up to take them out of bondage and into freedom. These were all signs of God's mighty act of salvation - freedom from bondage. For Israel, it was a release from the bondage of slavery. For us it is a release from the bondage of sin and death. They too were baptized into Moses as we are into Christ. Under that cloud they were immersed (baptized) into the teachings of Moses, as revealed to him on the mountain. We too are immersed into the gospel of Jesus, into truth.

Paul's point, of course, is that Israel had what we have, and yet when they went after idols they lost everything. Can we expect less?

The interesting point to note is how Paul treats these incidents from the Old Testament. In v6 and v11 he says that "these things occurred as examples." This may imply that he regarded them as analogies useful for exhortation. Yet, it is more likely that he regarded them as theological types. The events leading up to the establishment of kingdom of God, along with the maintenance of the kingdom, are repeated in every dispensation of the kingdom. What happened for Israel happens for us since the events are "typical"; they replay. So, the theological experience of Israel is also ours "on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come."

The realization of the Present Spiritual Kingdom, in the here and now, is the age of fulfillment for us. The warning then is that we should not get caught up in a repeat performance. This is why the examples "were written down as warnings for us." Syncretism will always manifest itself and there will only ever be a remnant who will not bow the knee to Baal. So, rather than warning us as if the potential can be averted, Paul's point is to warn us not to get caught up in it when it does occur, and occur it will. So, practice self-control, or else loose everything as they did long ago.

Paul's methodology is particularly represented in the way he draws on four examples of Israel's rebellion which aligns well with the present rebellion of the Corinthian believers, and most likely with the church today:

i) The idolatry of the Golden Calf, Ex.32. The people ate in the presence of the Golden Calf and then they rose up in sexual play. For this rebellion 3,000 were slain and the people infected with plague.

ii) The feast before Baal of Peor which was also associated with sexual immorality and which led to the death of 23,000, Num.25.

iii) The incident of the Fiery Serpents where Israel argued with Moses and God because they were forced to eat manna rather than the rich foods of Egypt, Num.21. Again, chastisement follows.

iv) The people fail to take hold of God's promised land and want to return to the safety of Egypt, Num.14:1-38.

So, in all four examples, Paul notes how Israel has been sucked into the ethos of paganism. Similarly, the Corinthians are heading down the same road and therefore face the same end. We are just as vulnerable today, but of course, the trick is identifying where the syncretism is to be found. What does our Golden Calf look like? In the sample sermon two of the many secular deities, or idols, that infest our world are identified, namely human ingenuity (effort - doing rather than receiving) and sensual power (signs and wonders, marketing, people management). There are, of course, many others and all usually found just outside our line of sight!

gar "-" - for. Possibly just functioning as a loose connective, but more likely explanatory, developing the argument already made in the previous verses. "They (the Corinthian believers) are to run as those intent on wining; that is, they must exercise self-control in all things lest they end up being disqualified", Fee.

agnoein (agnoew) pres. inf. "[I do not want you] to be ignorant" - The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "I do [not] want/will".

oJti "that" - that. Introducing a dependent statement of hoping expressing what Paul does not want the Corinthians to be ignorant of.

oiJ patereV hJmwn "our forefathers" - the fathers of us. To what degree Paul is including his Gentile audience in the "our" is unclear. Paul is quite happy separating Jew from Gentile with the pronouns "us" and "you", but at the same time he does recognize that "you" share with "us" in Christ. So, although the failure of Israel in the desert is a Jewish failure, this doesn't mean it is without implication for his Gentile readers.

panteV (paV ....) "all" - Paul stresses the collective nature of Israel's failure.

uJpo thn nefelhn "under the cloud" - The imagery is interesting in that it leaves us unsure of what cloud where. Is this the cloud that went before Israel in the desert, Ex.13:21? In v2 the people are immersed "in" the cloud. It is likely that what we have here is the cloud of God's Shekinah glory, an evidence of his presence, the bright misty cloud that has enveloped his people and the great ones (eg. Moses) in past ages. In later midrash the cloud is spoken of as enveloping Israel.

dia + gen. "through [the sea]" - through. Expressing spacial movement. The "sea" is obviously the Red/Reed sea.

ebaptisqhsan (baptizw) aor. pas. "baptized" - immersed. The constant use of the anglicized "baptize" for the Greek word meaning "immersed" in New Testament translations is unnecessary and confusing. So here, the inevitable consequence is to try to draw some link between what was happening to Israel in the cloud and the sea, with Christian water baptism. It is possible that Paul is suggesting that Israel was baptized with the Spirit, as are we, and yet they died in the wilderness, but it is more likely that he is saying they were immersed in the prophetic words of Moses, inevitably the Deuteronomic law, and yet they died in wilderness. The law did not save them.

eiV "into" - We should not make too much of this preposition as though it parallels "into Christ" = "united to Christ". Note the similar prepositions in v1, uJpo "under the cloud", dia "through the sea." The prepositions express corporate "participation in, and identification with, those redemptive events", Thiselton.

pneumatikon brwma "spiritual food" - Clearly a reference to manna, but probably not an allusion to the Lord's Supper. Manna is spiritual in the sense of "supernatural", Moffatt. Israel was blessed, but .......

panteV adj. "-" - all [drank]. Again expressing corporate participation.

pneumatikon adj. "spiritual [drink]" - As above, "supernatural", Moffatt.

gar "for" - Explanatory.

epinon (pinw) imperf. "they drank" - they were drinking. Durative.

petraV "[the spiritual] rock]" - rock. The water from the rock is probably that of the waters of Meribah, Numbers 20:1-13. The idea that the rock "accompanied", or better "followed" Israel during the wilderness journey, derives from a tradition that later developed in Judaism. It was understood that the rock was a well that followed Israel and supplied water for the journey. Water was supplied in the same way as Manna was supplied, supernaturally.

akolouqoushV (akolouqew) pres. part. "that accompanied them" - following, accompanying. The participle is adjectival limiting rock, "a rock which was following."

hJ petra de hJn oJ CristoV "and that rock was Christ" - and the rock was Christ. The point that Paul is making in this passage is that God was supernaturally supporting Israel in the wilderness, but they still turned from him and relied on other deities for their security, and so they died in the desert. The rock/well "was" divine in the sense of being miraculously supplied to give life to the people. It is not God, nor like God, but from God. Although a difficult phrase to interpret, Paul is not so much arguing for the preexistence of Christ, but that Christ was doing the providing. The divine provision, now for us in Jesus, is for us the same as it was for them. The rock serves as a "type" for the divine provision of God's people, yesterday, today and tomorrow. "The principle is that the Israelites drank from the source from which the Corinthians also obtain their blessings", Naylor. "Christ is the source of all divine gifts and succor. Therefore, it is the same Christ, acting in saving history, who is behind both the old and new saving events", Garland, cf. Cullmann.

all "nevertheless" - but. Should be taken as a strong adversative. Even though Israel had divine supernatural support, "God was not pleased ....."

ouk .... eudokhsen (eudokew) "not pleased" - not .... well pleased. Not used in the sense of emotion, but more in the sense of a determined will to act against faithlessness. "God did not spare them", Calvin.

gar "-" - for, set up an explanation for. Serves to explain the statement: "God was not pleased with most of them, and the evidence for this is that their bodies were ......"

toiV pleiosin "most [of them]" - the majority. Given that Paul has used "all" up to this point, why the change? We know that, other than Joshua and Caleb, only the children of that generation entered the promised land. Paul may just have these two men in mind.

katestrwqhsan (katestrwnnumi) "were scattered" - scattered, spread about. "Laid low", Barrett, Conzelmann, although "scattered" is to be preferred.

egenhqhsan (ginomai) aor. pas. "occurred" - became. "These things came about as pointers to the future", Cassirer.

tupoi (oV) "examples" - pattern, example. "Awful, warning example", Barrett, although better "prototype".

hJmwn "us" - The example is for "us". Paul has included himself.

eiV to mh einai "to keep us from" - for not to be. This preposition with the articular infinitive usually forms a purpose clause; "in order to not ...."

epiqumhtaV (hV) "setting our hearts on" - the one who desires or craves after. Here the craving after idolatry and its associated sexual immorality.

mhde ... ginesqe (ginomai) pres. imp. "do not be" - do not become. "You must not be idolaters", Moffatt.

fagein (esqiw) aor. inf. "to eat" - The infinitive, as with pein "to drink", is adverbial, forming a purpose clause, "sat down in order to eat and drink, and got up in order to play."

paizein (paizw) pres. inf. "to indulge in pagan revelry" - to dance, play. Possibly "amorous play", or used here in an illustrative way of idolatry. Calvin suggests the latter. Most likely describing the sexual revelry of cultic worship. The quote comes from Exodus 32:6.

Numbers 25:1, 9. Note the disparity in the quoted number for the Baal of Peor incident, 23,000 for 24,000. Such lapses in memory remind us of the human dimension evident in the Bible. The divine message is communicated and recorded despite human frailty.

mhde porneuwmen (porneuw) pres. subj. "we should not commit sexual immorality" - neither let us commit fornication. Hortatory subjunctive.

mhde ekpeirazwmen (ekpeirazw) pres. subj. "we should not test [the Lord]" - neither let us tempt, test. Hortatory subjunctive. Note general "us". Paul's intended meaning is not altogether clear. He is possibly using the word "test" from the waters of Massah narrative, as the verb is not found in the narrative of the bronze snake, Numbers 21:4-7. So rather than "test" in the sense of stir up to anger, the word is possibly being used in the sense of stir up to jealousy. "Do we think that by flirting with other deities we will force the Lord to act more kindly toward us?" Note also the possible use of Psalm 78:18 as a source, and of Jesus' use of the idea in the temptation.

ton Criston "the Lord" - Due to a textual variant the reference may be to "the Lord" or "Christ". If "Christ", again Jesus is linked with Israel's experience of the divine in their wilderness wanderings.

apwllunto (apwllumi) imperf. "were killed" - were being destroyed. Imperfect implies a continuation of the dying, "were killed day-by-day." uJpo + gen. "by [snakes]" - by. Expressing agency.

mhde gogguzete (gogguzw) pres. imp. "do not grumble" - neither grumble, murmur. As a second person plural, Paul is again directly addressing the Corinthians. Obviously, Paul is referring to Israel's complaining in the wilderness, possibly Numbers 14, or 16.

kaqaper "as" - evan as. Connecting particle used to form a comparative clause where similarities are being established. "Let us not grumble as they grumbled."

tou oloqreutou (hV) "the destroying angel" - the destroyer. The presence of the definite article indicates that Paul is following the popular understanding of these passages in Numbers where a special destroyer, an angel of punishment, was active during times of Israel's rebellion.

tupikwV adv. "as examples" - by way of warning example, or prototype. This time the prototypes are negative and illustrate what will happen to "us" if we follow Israel's lead. Davidson in his book "Typology" calls these prototypes "advance-presentations." The events did not overtake Israel just to serve as an illustration for the Corinthian church. God's reign over the kingdom of God is constant, such that his dealings with Israel are the same as for the Corinthians, and are the same for the church today. If we toy with syncretism we can expect the same consequences that befell Israel in the wilderness.

de - but, and . Adversative. "God's punishment overtook Israel in the wilderness, but it was written down / recorded to warn us."

proV "as" - for, for the purpose of, with a view toward. The events were written down for the purpose of warning us.

eiV ouJV ta telh aiwnwn kathnthken "on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come" - to whom the ends of the ages has come. The plural "ends" and "ages", does not imply a number of "ends" and a number of "ages". Note the "now/not yet", realized and inaugurated eschatology. All the prototypes point to an eternal reality with is both "now" and "not yet".

wJste "so" - so then. This inferential conjunction is quite strong and in this verse may be paraphrased as: "so / accordingly the moral is", Moule IB p144.

oJ dokwn eJstanai (iJsthmi) inf. "if you think you are standing firm" - the one assuming to have stood. The infinitive eJstanai is complementary, completing the sense of the verbal noun "the one assuming." The NIV translation is rather tame. Paul is warning those who think that they are free to eat meat offered to idols (irrespective of the damage they may do to a weaker brother while somehow remaining safe from the satanic influences associated with pagan cults) that such syncretic associations may well destroy them. "Let the person who is cocksure beware lest they fall."

mh pesh/ (piptw) aor. subj. "that you don't fall" - lest you should fall. Possibly a subjunctive of prohibition; "don't ever fall", but probably forming a negated result clause; "lest you fall", or purpose clause; "take care in order that you don't fall."

peirasmoV "temptation" - temptation, test. Bruce, Fee, NRSV, NEB, ... opt for test/trial, a time of testing which may well lead to temptation. Conzelmann, as NIV, on the other hand, opts for "temptation". Given the context, namely, the issue of eating meat offered to idols (covered as one subject in chapters 8 to 10), and Israel's wilderness test, Paul most likely has in mind a test of loyalty to God, rather than a temptation to break a commandment.

anqrwpinoV adj. "what is common to man" - human. It is likely that the tests Paul has in mind here are those which are humanly bearable, rather than "common", cf. NEB.

oJ dunasqe (dunamai) "what you can bear" - what you are able. Paul here defines God's sovereign hand in Satan's tests. The first point he makes is that God does not let us be tested beyond our endurance, although again, this is only so for the tests that are "common to man", which is why we must flee idolatry. Our loyalty to God can usually be maintained in the face of life's difficulties, but idolatry is like a whirlpool that sucks us into the abyss.

alla "but" - Paul has set up a contrast between the two phrases, "will not let ....." and "will also provide...."

poihsei sun tw/ peirasmw/ "when you are tempted, he will also provide" - he will make with the test. The NIV has read the phrase independent of the verb and formed a temporal clause. The natural reading is that along with the test the Lord provides/makes a way of escape. Either way, the meaning is the same. Note, it is "the test" as it is "the way of escape." The definite article should be read.

thn ekbasin (ekbasiV) "a way" - the way of escape, the way out. Yet, the word also means "end" or "result" and so the sense may be here of the Lord ending the test before it reaches a point beyond our endurance. The evil one does the testing, but the Lord keeps him in check, cf. Job.

dunasqai uJpenegkein "so that you can stand under it" - to be able to endure. "So that you are able to continue to bear it." The infinitive "to be able" is read by the NIV as a final (purpose) clause, but it could be epexegetic (explanatory), and this would make more sense of the sentence. God provides a way out of the test, by enabling us to endure it, rather than he provides a way out of the test "so that" we can endure it, cf. NEB.

1 Corinthians Introduction

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