Will You Learn From History?

Will You Learn From History?
“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Winston Churchill
1 Corinthians 10:1-13  Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers
were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,  2  all were baptized into Moses in the cloud
and in the sea,  3  all ate the same spiritual food,  4  and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they
drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.  5  But with most of them
God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6  Now these things
became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also
lusted.  7  And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat
down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”  8  Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of
them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;  9  nor let us  [a] tempt Christ, as some of them
also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;  10  nor complain, as some of them also
complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.  11  Now  [b] all these things happened to them as
examples, and they were written for our  [c] admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have
come. 12  Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.  13  No temptation has
overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to
be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape,
that you may be able to  [d] bear it.
Paul has just finished telling the church that he disciplined his flesh, like a boxer; he walked in
discipline and self control over his flesh and walked in accordance with the Holy Spirit in order
that he would not miss the mark and be disqualified from the heavenly prize. “Moreover” what
Paul is saying here is a continuation of how you should run your race as a disciplined Christian,
not giving any room for the flesh. The information that he is about to give is to support what he
has just told the church.
 The Apostle Paul now passes on to show that Jewish history contains solemn examples of the
falling-away of those who seemed to stand strong in divine favor and privilege. The thought
here is not that his readers were not ignorant of the historical fact which he writes them, but that
they were probably unmindful of the spiritual lessons which are to be learned. Paul tells the
church that all (five times emphatically repeated) of the Israelites that came out of Egypt had
great favor, all had Divine mercy and grace, all had the leading of the Spirit and the Rock of
Jesus Christ and then refers to the apostacy of most of them. The Apostle assumes their
familiarity with the history and does not feel it needful to mention that of the “all,” literally only
two (Joshua and Caleb) gained the ultimate approval of God.
Paul induces them to “take heed” GIVE IT YOUR UTMOST ATTENTION to the exhortation and
warning from Israel’s history, and to run the Christian race with resolution, zeal, and diligence,
and not become reprobates. But rather to consider how highly favored the Israelites were, who
were God’s elect and priveleged people yet nevertheless were rejected by Him. They were
all under the cloud, the token of God’s gracious presence with them; being led by a cloud in the
day and a light by night. And all passed through the sea — God opening a way through the
midst of the waters; and were all baptized, as it were, unto Moses — Initiated into the law of
God which he taught them; in the cloud and in the sea — Perhaps sprinkled here and there with
drops of water from the sea, and from the cloud, by which baptism might be signified. And did
all eat the same spiritual meat — That is, the manna, which was symbolic of the bread of life;

that came down from heaven, and they drank from the rock that gave water representing
Christ’s flesh and blood.
Paul warns the church- Christ was with them through the whole journey, leading them,
protecting them, feeding them, sustaining them, delivering them, nourishing them ALL. But,
most failed to discipline their flesh. Most failed to believe God’s Word. Most failed the test of
faith. All these things happen as an example for future believers. Why do we need an example?
We are prone to deceive ourselves because God is so gracious and merciful. We need only to
look to Samson and King Saul for evidence of deceiving ourselves.
Paul lists some things that we need to be aware of in our own lives if we are to run our race with
endurance. If we do not learn from Israel’s history, we will find ourselves in the same apostasy.
We should not lust after evil things-
Psalm 106:13-14   They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, 14  But lusted
exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert.
The reference is to their excessive and unreasonable desire of better food than the manna
which the Lord had provided.
they wanted to go back to Egypt because the food was better.
God sought to prove them as to whether they would be obedient. The wilderness was a test.
They lusted after evil things. They craved those things which they enjoyed before they were
redeemed and which would be harmful to them. God granted them their desires, but the
consequence was terrible.
Lust has to do with our physical, fleshly desires. Biblical lust refers to strong craving or desire,
often of a sexual nature or idolatry.
Whatever pleases my flesh, give it to me. Lust reveals a lack of discipline and self control.
Lust has more to do with our heart than our actions, but Jesus told us that we have to control
what kinds of things we let into our heart and our spirit
Matthew 5:27-28   “You have heard that it was said  [a] to those of old, ‘You shall not commit
adultery.’  28  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed
adultery with her in his heart.
This is surely the case in every present day believer’s life. Are YOU satisfied with God’s
provision and place He has you in right now? The wilderness is a test of our endurance. It is not
how we start out, it is how we finish.
Deuteronomy 8:2   And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these
forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart,
whether you would keep His commandments or not.
Do not become idolaters
Idolatry is not just lifting something up higher than the Lord or His Word, it is making something
equal to God. The nature of idolatry is that we think we can serve the idol and God at the same
time.
The children of Israel made a golden calf and called it “Yahweh”. This is the very nature of
idolatry.
Paul tells the Corinthian church there is no middle ground in idolatry
1 Corinthians 10:14: Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

1 Corinthians 10:20-21   Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to
demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.  21  You cannot
drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of
the table of demons.