Learn from the Past
1 Cor 10:1-13 (March 7, 2010)

Church (ekklesia in Greek) is an assembly that is called out to worship God. In this sense, the assembly of the Israelites in the wilderness can be a church. In today’s text, the Apostle Paul defines the assembly of Israel to be a church in this context.
The spiritual leader for that assembly was Moses leading them to be baptized as a group in the Red Sea. However, their baptismal ritual was far different from the way for us to be baptized. Actually their baptism was more like a symbolic one. The Apostle Paul understood the event that the Israelites came out of Egypt and crossed over the Red Sea as a symbolic act of their baptism. You will agree with his viewpoint when you consider the following: First, that they came out of Egypt means they separated themselves from the world (Actually baptism means separation from sin (the world)); Second, that they crossed over the Red Sea which was covered with clouds means they immersed into the water (Through the baptismal ritual, the candidate for baptism confesses he is dead with the Lord and he comes back to life again with the Lord).

Moreover, the Apostle Paul insists that the Israelites as a church participated in the Holy Communion while they were eating spiritual bread and drinking spiritual water in the wilderness. Of course, the spiritual bread indicates manna from the heaven and the spiritual water the water from the rock. As we eat and drink bread and wine that symbolize the Lord’s body and blood, the Israel assembly in the wilderness ate and drank manna and water in the same sense.

Along with the viewpoint of the Apostle Paul, I can consider the assembly of Israel in the wilderness to be a church and will name it “The Wilderness Church” for my sermon this morning. By the way, the Wilderness Church was quiet big in size for they were around 2,500,000 in number. I can claim that it was the biggest congregation gathered in the same place in history.
God set up the fire and the cloud to protect and guide the congregation day and night. He opened the Red Sea for them to cross over just as if they were walking on the land. He fed them with manna and quenched their thirst with the water out of a rock. He offered them a covenant that he would be their God and they would be his people forever. Moreover, he talked to them directly. When I was thinking of the Wilderness Church during my sermon preparation last week, I envied their intimate relationship with God.

However, most of the congregation in the Wilderness Church couldn’t enter the Promised Land but perished in the wilderness. Why? The Apostle Paul gives the answer in verse 5a: “God was not pleased with most of them” (NIV) God was not pleased with most of them. Then in what manner did they displease God? According to Paul, they displeased God by worshipping idols, formicating, tempting God and murmuring.

First, they worshipped idols (Exodus 32). When Moses went up to a mountain to receive the Commandments from God, the people saw how long it was taking him to come back so they demanded Aaron to make them some gods who could lead them. And then they took the gold rings from the ears of their wives and daughters and made a shape of a calf out of the gold. And afterward they claimed, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” (Exo. 32:4c. NIV) They built an altar in front of the calf image and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Afterward, they sat down to eat and drink and rose up to dance. They committed a horrible sin to God by converting their God to a shape of a golden calf.

Second, they committed adultery (Num. 25). When they were at Shittim, some of them defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. As they fell in love with the Moabite girls, they were invited to attend sacrifices to the gods of Moab. They ate and drank with the Moabites and worshipped their gods. So at the end, they became idol worshippers.

Third, they tempted God (Num. 21). The people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea. Their detour was  due to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey and began to speak against God and Moses. Then God sent venomous snakes among the assembly to bite and kill those who tried to put God to the test.

Fourth, they murmured against God (Num. 14). When the whole assembly of Israel was at Kedesh in the wilderness of Paran, he chose a man from each of the tribes, everyone a leader among them, and sent them to spy out the land of Canaan. After 40 days, they came back to Kedesh and gave the entire assembly of Israel their reports. Ten men except Caleb and Joshua told the assembly that it would be impossible for them to defeat the Canaanites because of their sizes, strengths and fortified cities. So when the congregation heard what their spies said, their hearts melt down. They refused to listen to Caleb and Joshua but lifted up their voices and cried all that night. And all the assembly of Israel began to grumble and said that they would appoint a leader and return to Egypt.

Their departure from Egypt was good. Indeed, their start was grandeur. In the beginning they were full of hope to conquer the Promised Land imminently. However, they lost their way during the journey in the wilderness. They betrayed God. They committed adultery with the Moabite women. They put God to the test. They complained to God and Moses over and over. As a result, most of them couldn’t see the Promised Land and finished their journey in the wilderness.

I am sure that you are familiar with those stories above because you have heard them over and over. However, we should not be satisfied with our knowledge of the Bible but make our best effort to learn lessons from the biblical stories and apply them into our life context. Thus the Apostle Paul exhorts us, “Now these things occurred as examples” (vs 6. NIV); “These things happened to them as examples.” (vs 11. NIV) During my meditation on today’s text, I found some valuable lessons for all of us to use as we try to learn from the past.

Learning from the Past:

First, don’t judge or condemn anyone who sins and gets punished!

When we think of the sins and punishments of the Israelites in the wilderness, we shouldn’t use them as an opportunity to judge or condemn them. Of course, because of their sins, they were perished. However, we don’t have any right to judge or condemn them for their sins and punishments. Oftentimes we fall into a mistake to justify ourselves by judging or condemning others for their mistakes and faults. However, please remember that judgment or condemnation belongs only to God himself.

Second, consider the past as the teacher!

“Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.” (vs 6. NIV) “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.” (vs 11. NIV)

Someone said, “Learn from the past, watch the present, and create the future.” Yes. The past is a good teacher for our present and future. I know the past successes can give us good lessons, but the past mistakes and failures do the same. Regretfully we have a tendency to love to remember the past successes but erase the past mistakes and failures at best. But we don’t have to lean on the past successes. We better learn from the past mistakes and failures. In fact, this is what I am firmly convinced: “The past mistakes and failures give us more lessons than the past successes.” Therefore, even though you made mistakes and sins, don’t give up! Rather try to be deeply regretful and thoroughly reflect what you did wrong and put your past into God’s grace and mercy and then begin a new life.

Third, don’t forget your vulnerability!

“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (vss 11, 12. NIV)

We all can make sins. Actually we are making sins during our life journeys, aren’t we? Therefore, when you see someone who sins and gets the punishment for the sin, try to use it as an opportunity to look at yourself. When you see someone falling into sin, you better be able to see your own weakness, too. And then be careful not to fall into the same trap that he fell into.

Fourth, trust in the Lord even in the temptation.

“No 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 a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (vs 13. NIV)
Despite all our best effort, we can’t escape from temptation during our life journey because Satan never gives up tempting us. Therefore, when we are tempted, we need to put our trust in God who is always faithful to us. Even God permits us get tempted, he still protects us and helps us to overcome the temptation, and provides a way for us to get over it. Trust in the Lord!

Let us honestly examine ourselves and our church! Are we a church pleasing God or displeasing him? If we put someone or something prior to God, it proves we are idol worshippers. We are called to be an assembly to love and worship him only. No more or no less than that. Moreover, as God’s assembly, we maintain ourselves as holy as possible. We can’t defile our holiness. Respect the marriage life. Don’t commit adultery. Avoid anything that hurts the body. Furthermore, never put the Lord to the test for he is not an object we can test but to adore and worship. Lastly, in any circumstances, do not grumble against God or anyone. If we grumble against anyone, the worst victim will be ourselves. Amen?