Paul
the apostle referred to the way the children of Israel worshiped
“idols”, “committed fornication”
and “murmured”
as they traveled through the wilderness. Each of these behaviors
caused punishment and death to come upon them, and Paul's warning was
for the church members in Corinth not to “once” have these
activities among them. In chapter ten and
verse eleven of First Corinthians, Paul shared how “all
these things happened to them for ensamples” and
“admonition”
where we read:
Now
all these things happened unto them for ensamples:
and
they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world
are come.
The
verse begins, “Now
all these things happened unto them for ensamples:”
Paul began
with the word, “Now”
which means “moreover and” “all
these things” which
means “each, every, the whole, and everyone of the examples Paul
employed” “happened”
or “came
together, met, turned out and came to pass” “unto
them”
which refers to “the children of Israel who wandered in the
wilderness” “for ensamples”
which is the Greek word “typos”
“as marks of a stroke or blow, a print, type or a figure or image
formed by an impression”. Paul stated that each of these behaviors
and their consequences were “examples and types” like printed
stamps of an image for the church members.
The
verse goes on to say, “and
they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world
are come.” Paul
continued with the words, “and they”
which refers
to “these examples employed by Paul” “are
written”
which means “delineated or formed letters on a tablet, parchment,
paper, or other material” “for”
or “towards, near and with regard to” “our
admonition”
which means “Paul and the fellow believers in Corinth's
exhortation, rebuke and warning”, “upon
whom” or
“unto and toward the the people who” “the
ends”
which refers to “the termination and limit at which a thing cease
to be” “of the world”
or “the unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity and age” “are
come”
which means “shall arrive and attain”. These “examples” given
by Paul were for “current day” Christians who are destined for
the “end”
of the “world”
age.
When
we think through these words from Paul, we see how these “past
examples” were not just for the children of Israel, but also
for those who have put their trust and faith in Jesus Christ today.
God the Father desires a relationship with everyone through His Son
Jesus, and when we surrender our lives to Him, we are to keep
ourselves from these wicked ways. May the Lord Jesus through the Holy
Spirit expose any area of sin that is like unto these “examples”,
and if they are found may we confess and turn from them straightaway.
Next
time Paul exhorts the church members, “let
him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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