1 Corinthians 10

1 Corinthians 10:1

10:1 The apostle reminds the Corinthians that all the Jewish fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea. The emphasis is on the word all. He is thinking back to the time of their deliverance from Egypt and how they were miraculously guided by a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. He is thinking back to the time when they passed through the Red Sea and escaped into the wilderness. As far as privilege was concerned, they all enjoyed divine guidance and divine deliverance. 10:2 Not only that, but all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. To be baptized into Moses means to be identified with him and to acknowledge his leadership. As Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt toward the Promised Land, all the nation of Israel pledged allegiance to Moses at first and recognized him as the divinely appointed savior. It has been suggested that the expression under the cloud refers to that which identified them with God, and the expression through the sea describes that which separated them from Egypt. 10:3 They all ate the same spiritual food. This refers to the manna which was miraculously provided for the people of Israel as they journeyed through the wilderness. The expression spiritual food does not mean that it was non-material. It does not mean that it was invisible or unreal. Rather, spiritual simply means that the material food was a type or picture of spiritual nourishment, and that the spiritual reality is what the writer had primarily in mind. It may also include the idea that the food was supernaturally given. 10:4 All through their journeyings, God wonderfully provided water for them to drink. It was real water, but again it is called spiritual drink in the sense that it was typical of spiritual refreshment, and miraculously provided. They would have died from thirst many times had not the Lord given them this water in a miraculous way. The expression they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them does not mean that a literal, material rock journeyed behind them as they traveled. The Rock signifies the river that flowed from it and followed the Israelites. That Rock was Christ in the sense that He was the One who provided it and the One it represents, providing living water to His people. 10:5 After enumerating all these marvelous privileges that were theirs, the apostle must now remind the Corinthians that with most of the Israelites God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Although all Israel left Egypt and all professed to be one in heart and soul with their leader, Moses, yet the sad truth is that although their bodies were in the wilderness, yet their hearts were still back in Egypt. They enjoyed a physical deliverance from the bondage of Pharaoh, but they still lusted after the sinful pleasures of that country. Of all the warriors over twenty years of age who left Egypt, only two, Caleb and Joshua, ever won the prizethey reached the Promised Land. The carcasses of the rest of them fell in the wilderness as an evidence of God’s displeasure. Note the contrast between the word all in the first four verses and the word most in verse 5. They were all privileged, but most of them perished. Godet marvels: What a spectacle is that which is called up by the apostle before the eyes of the self-satisfied Corinthians: all those bodies, sated with miraculous food and drink, strewing the soil of the desert! 10:6 In the events that happened in the time of the Exodus, we see teaching that applies to us. The children of Israel were actually examples for us, showing us what will happen to us if we also lust after evil things as they did. As we read the OT, we should not read it merely as history, but as containing lessons of practical importance for our lives today. In the verses to follow, the apostle is going to list some of the specific sins into which they fell. It is worth noticing that many of these sins are concerned with the gratification of bodily appetites. 10:7 Verse 7 refers to the worship of the golden calf and the feast that followed it, as recorded in Exodus 32. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, he found that the people had made a golden calf and were worshiping it. We read in Exo_32:6 how the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play, that is, to dance. 10:8 The sin mentioned in verse 8 refers to the time when the sons of Israel intermarried with the daughters of Moab (Num. 25). Seduced by Balaam the prophet, they disobeyed the word of the Lord and fell into immorality. We read in verse 8 that in one day twenty-three thousand fell. In the OT, it says that twenty-four thousand died in the plague (Num_25:9). Critics of the Bible have often used this to try to show a contradiction in the Sacred Scriptures. If they would read the text more carefully, they would see that there is no contradiction.

Here it simply states that twenty-three thousand fell in one day. In the OT, the figure of twenty-four thousand describes the entire number that died in the plague.10:9 Paul next alludes to the time when the Israelites complained about the food and expressed doubt as to the goodness of the Lord. At that time God sent serpents among them and many perished (Num_21:5-6). Here again it is noticeable how food gratification was their downfall. 10:10 The sin of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram is referred to here (Num_16:14-47). Again there was complaining against the Lord because of the food situation (Num_16:14). The Israelites did not practice self-control with regard to their bodies. They did not discipline their bodies or put them in a place of subjection. Rather, they made provision for the lusts of the flesh, and this proved to be their downfall. 10:11 The next three verses give the practical application of the events. First of all, Paul explains that the meaning of these events is not limited to their historical value. They have a significance for us today. They were written as a warning to us who are living after the close of the Jewish age and during the gospel age, to us to whom the revenues of the past ages have descended, as Rendall Harris put it so well. 10:12 They constitute a warning to the self-confident: Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Perhaps this refers especially to the strong believer who thinks he can dabble with self-gratification and not be affected by it. Such a person is in greatest danger of falling under the disciplinary hand of God. 10:13 But then Paul adds a marvelous word of encouragement for those who are tempted. He teaches that the testings, trials, and temptations which face us are common to all. However, God is faithful, who will not allow us to be tested beyond what we are able. He does not promise to deliver us from temptation or testing, but He does promise to limit its intensity. He further promises to provide the way of escape, that we may be able to bear it. Reading this verse, one cannot help but be struck by the tremendous comfort it has afforded to tested saints of God through the centuries.

Young believers have clung to it as to a life-line and older believers have reposed on it as upon a pillow. Perhaps some of Paul’s readers were being fiercely tempted at the time to go into idolatry. Paul would comfort them with the thought that God would not allow any unbearable temptation to come their way. At the same time they should be warned that they should not expose themselves to temptation. 10:14 The section from 10:14 through 11:1 returns to deal more specifically with the subject of meat offered to idols. First of all, Paul takes up the question as to whether believers should participate in feasts in idol temples (vv. 14-22). Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. Perhaps it was a real test for the believers at Corinth to be invited to participate in an idol feast at one of the temples. Some might feel that they were above temptation. Perhaps they would say that surely it would not hurt to go just once. The apostle’s inspired advice is to flee from idolatry. He does not say to study about it, to become better acquainted with it, or to trifle with it in any way. They should run in the opposite direction. 10:15, 16 Paul knows that he is addressing himself to intelligent people who can understand what he is saying. In verse 16 he makes reference to the Lord’s Supper. He says first of all: The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The cup of blessing refers to the cup of wine which is used at the Lord’s Supper. It is a cup which speaks of the tremendous blessing which has come to us through the death of Christ; therefore it is called the cup of blessing. The clause which we bless means for which we give thanks. When we take that cup and press it to our lips, we are saying in effect that we are participants in all the benefits that flow from the blood of Christ. Therefore we might paraphrase this verse as follows: The cup which speaks of the tremendous blessings which have come to us through the blood of the Lord Jesus, and the same cup for which we give thanks, what is it but a testimony to the fact that all believers are partakers of the benefits of the blood of Christ? The same thing is true of the bread which we break, the communion loaf. As we eat the bread, we say, in effect, that we have all been saved through the offering of His body on the cross of Calvary and that we are therefore members of His body. In short, the cup and the loaf speak of fellowship with Christ, of participating in His glorious ministry for us. The question has been raised as to why the blood should be mentioned first in this verse whereas in the institution of the Lord’s Supper, the bread is mentioned first. A possible answer is that Paul is speaking here of the order of events when we come into the Christian fellowship. Usually a new convert understands the value of the blood of Christ before he recognizes the truth of the one body. Thus this verse might give the order in which we understand salvation. 10:17 All believers, though many, are one body in Christ, represented by that one loaf of bread. All partake of that one bread in the sense that all have fellowship in the benefits that flow from the giving of the body of Christ. 10:18 What Paul is saying in these verses is that eating at the Lord’s Table signifies fellowship with Him. The same was true of those Israelites who ate of the sacrifices. It meant that they had fellowship with the altar. The reference, no doubt, is to the peace offering. The people brought their sacrifices to the temple. A portion of the offering was burnt on the altar with fire; another portion was reserved for the priests; but the third part was set aside for the offerer and his friends. They ate of the offering on the same day. Paul is emphasizing that all who ate of the offering identified themselves with God and with the nation of Israel and, in short, with all of which the altar spoke. But how does this fit in with the portion of the Scripture that we are studying? The answer is quite simple. Just as partaking of the Lord’s Supper speaks of fellowship with the Lord, and just as the Israelites, partaking of the peace offering, spoke of fellowship with the altar of Jehovah, so eating at an idol feast in the temple speaks of fellowship with the idols. 10:19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or that what is offered to idols is anything? Does Paul mean to imply by all this that meat offered to idols changes its character or quality? Or does he mean to say that an idol is real, that it hears, sees, and has power? Obviously the answer to both of these questions is No.10:20 What Paul does want to emphasize is that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice are offered to demons. In some strange and mysterious way, idol worship is linked with demons.

Using the idols, the demons control the hearts and minds of those who worship them. There is one devil, Satan, but there are many demons which are his messengers and agents. Paul adds: I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.10:21 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. In this verse the cup of the Lord is a figurative expression to describe the benefits which come to us through Christ. It is a figure of speech known as metonymy, where the container is used to denote the thing contained. The expression the Lord’s table is likewise a figurative expression.

It is not the same as the Lord’s Supper, although it might include the latter. A table is an article of furniture where food is set out and where fellowship is enjoyed. Here the table of the Lord means the sum total of the blessings which we enjoy in Christ. When Paul says that you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons, that you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons, he does not mean that it is a physical impossibility. It would be a physical possibility, for instance, for a believer to go to an idol temple and to participate in a feast there. But what Paul means here is that it would be morally inconsistent. It would be an act of treachery and disloyalty to the Lord Jesus to profess adherence or allegiance to Him, on the one hand, and then to go and have fellowship with those who sacrifice to idols. It would be morally improper and utterly wrong. 10:22 Not only that, it would not be possible to do this without provoking the Lord to jealousy. As William Kelly said, Love cannot but be jealous of wandering affections, it would not be love if it did not resent unfaithfulness. The Christian should fear to thus displease the Lord, or to provoke His righteous indignation. Do we think that we are stronger than He? That is, do we dare to grieve Him and risk an exhibition of His disciplinary judgment upon us? 10:23 The apostle turns from the subject of participation in idol feasts and takes up some general principles that should govern Christians in their daily life. When he says all things are lawful, he does not mean all things in an absolute sense. For instance, he is not implying for a moment that it would be lawful for him to commit murder or to get drunk! Here again we must understand the expression as referring only to matters of moral indifference. There is a great area in Christian life where things are perfectly legitimate in themselves and yet where for other reasons it would not be wise for a Christian to participate. Thus Paul says: All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful.

For instance, a thing might be quite lawful for a believer and yet might be equally unwise in view of the national customs of the people where he dwells. Also, things that are lawful in themselves might not be edifying. That is, a thing might not result in building up a brother in his most holy faith. Should I then be high-handed in demanding my own rights or should I consider what would help my brother in Christ? 10:24 In all the decisions we make, we should not be selfishly thinking of what will benefit ourselves, but we should rather think of what would be for our neighbor’s well-being. The principles we are studying in this section could very well be applied to matters of dress, food and drink, standards of living, and the entertainments in which we participate. 10:25 If a believer went to the meat market to buy some meat, he was not required to ask the merchant whether that meat had been previously offered to idols. The meat itself would not be affected in one way or another, and there would be no question of loyalty to Christ involved. 10:26 In explanation of this advice, Paul quotes from Psa_24:1 : The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness. The thought here is that the food that we eat has been graciously provided by the Lord for us and is specifically intended for our use. Heinrici tells us that these words from Psalms 24 are commonly used among the Jews as a thanksgiving at the table. 10:27 Now Paul takes up another situation which might cause the believers to ask questions. Suppose an unbeliever invites a believer to his home for dinner. Would a Christian be free to accept such an invitation? Yes. If you are invited to a meal in an unbeliever’s home and you are disposed to go, you are at liberty to eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. 10:28 If, during the course of the meal, another Christian should be present who has a weak conscience and informs you that the meat you are eating has been offered to idols, should you eat it? No. You should not indulge, because in so doing you might be stumbling him and hurting his conscience. Neither should you eat if an unbeliever would be hindered from accepting the Lord through this action. At the end of verse 28, Psa_24:1 is once again quoted : The earth is the LORD’S, and all its fullness.10:29 In the case just cited you would not refrain from eating because of your own conscience. You would have perfect liberty, as a believer, to eat the meat. But the weak brother sitting by has a conscience about it, and so you refrain from eating out of respect to his conscience. The question, For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? could perhaps be paraphrased as follows: Why should I selfishly display my freedom to eat the meat and in so doing be condemned by the other man’s conscience? Why should I expose my freedom to the condemnation of his conscience? Why should I let my good be evil spoken of? (see Rom_14:16). Is a piece of meat so important that I should cause such an offense to a fellow-believer in the Lord Jesus Christ? (However, many commentators believe that here Paul is quoting the objection of the Corinthians, or asking a rhetorical question, before answering it in the following verses.) 10:30 What the apostle seems to be saying is that to him it seems very contradictory to give thanks to God on the one hand, when by so doing he is wounding a brother. It is better to deny oneself a legitimate right than to give thanks to God for something which will cause others to speak evil of you. William Kelly comments that it is better to deny one’s self and not allow one’s liberty to be condemned by another or incur evil speaking for that for which one gives thanks. Why make such a use of freedom as to give offense? Why let my giving of thanks be exposed to misconstruction or be called sacrilege or scandal? 10:31 There are two great rules to guide us in all our Christian lives. The first is the glory of God, and the second is the welfare of our fellow men. Paul gives the first of these here: Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Christian young people are often faced with decisions as to whether a certain course of action would be right or wrong for them. Here is a good rule to apply: Is there any glory for God in it? Can you bow your head before you participate in it and ask the Lord that He will be magnified by what you are about to do? 10:32 The second rule is the welfare of our fellow men. We should give no offense or occasion for stumbling, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God. Here Paul divides all mankind into three classes. The Jews, of course, are the nation of Israel. The Greeks are the unconverted Gentiles, whereas the church of God includes all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, whether of Jewish or Gentile stock. In one sense we are bound to offend others and excite their wrath if we faithfully witness to them. However, that is not what is spoken of here. Rather, the apostle is thinking of needless offense. He is cautioning us against using our legitimate rights in such a way as to stumble others. 10:33 Paul can honestly say that he seeks to please all men in all things, not seeking his own profit, but the profit of many. Probably few men have ever lived so unselfishly for others as the great Apostle Paul.