The Death of Twenty-Three Thousand Fornicators 1 Corinthians 10:8

Paul the apostle exhorted the church members in Corinth not to “be idolaters as some” of the children of Israel were in the wilderness. In chapter ten and verse eight of First Corinthians, Paul exhorted the church members, “Neither let us commit fornication” because “twenty three thousand” “fell in one day” where we read:

Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed,

and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

The verse begins, “Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed,” Paul began with the words, “Neither” which means “no, not even once or one time” “let us commit fornication” which is all one Greek word “porneuō” means “to prostitute or give one's self to unlawful sexual intercourse”, “as some” or “like certain ones” “of them” which refers to “the children of Israel” “committed” or “acted upon prostitution and giving themselves to unlawful sexual intercourse”. Paul instructed that there never once be “unlawful sexual intercourse” among the church members like was “acted upon” by some of the children of Israel in the wilderness.

The verse goes on to say, “and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.” Paul continued with the words, “and fell” or “came under judgement and condemnation” “in one day” which means “a single the interval between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from and contrasted with the night” “three and twenty thousand” which refers to “twenty three thousand people”. Because of their “fornication”, “twenty three thousand” of the children of Israel were judged and died.

When we think through these words from Paul, we realize he took this example from Numbers chapter twenty-five and verses one through nine which gives the account of this sin of “fornication”. Rather than continuing in their relationship with God, the children of Israel began to worship the “gods” of Moab where they not only “did eat, and bow down” to them, but also committed “fornication” with “the daughters of Moab”. God judged them for worshiping “Baalpeor” their “god” by instructing Moses to “take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun”. This satisfied the LORD's anger against them, and twenty-three thousand of them died as a result. Might we understand why Paul was so adamant in his charge to the church members in Corinth? Jesus Christ came to be the “exclusive” and “only” way to God, and any other “fornication” whether physical or spiritual shall only bring about God's “judgment” and “wrath”. Lest we be like those children of Israel in the wilderness, let us obey Paul's directive and not “commit fornication”.

Next time Paul exhorted the church members, “neither let us tempt Christ”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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