There is a saying, believed to have been said by Winston Churchill, that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. If we don’t learn from our own mistakes or the mistakes of others, we are likely to repeat them. This is why military leaders study the battles and military maneuvers from past wars. Often sports coaches have their players watch and study recordings of previous games to learn from mistakes they made. And parents try to guide their children so that they won’t make the same mistakes in life that they did. In our Scripture today from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, he shared that one of the things that we are to learn from Biblical accounts is to not to make the same mistake that the people of the past did.
As our Scripture opens, Paul discusses the account of the people of Israel while they journeyed through the wilderness, enroute to the Promised Land. As we read through the Old Testament books of Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy we see how the people repeatedly sinned against the Lord God as they worshiped false pagan gods, complained about their food and provisions, and rebelled against Moses and their leaders. The Israelites misused their newly-achieved freedom, fell into idolatry, immorality, and rebelliousness, thus disqualifying themselves from receiving the Lord’s blessings. Now Paul was warning the Corinthians that they needed to take a good look at this example, and not fall into the same sins that the Israelites did (vs. 6).
The Israelites died in the wilderness because of their failure for self-discipline, and indulgence of their every desire. Four major sins characterized them: idolatry, sexual immorality, testing God, and complaining. There were several specific events that Paul brought up that we need to take notice of and learn from (vs. 7-10). The first is when the people made the golden calf and worshiped it (Exodus 32:1-28). The next is when they worshiped Baal of Peor, and then engaged in sexual immorality with Moabite women (Numbers 25:1-9). The third was when they complained about the food that the Lord miraculously provided them with, and put God to the test (Numbers 21:5-6). Lastly, Paul gives as an example when they complained against Moses and Aaron, and God judged them with a plague (Numbers 14:2, 36; 16:41-50). In each case the people were tempted, and they failed by yielding to the temptations, and were thus judged.
There are several things we can learn about temptation here. First, temptation deceives us. It offers one thing, but delivers another. The bait on the hook looks good, that is, until we take it. Then, when we give in to temptation, it increases sinful desires. We become tempted by more, and have the potential to give in again and again. Christians are free to say no to temptation. We don’t have to give in. Lastly, our past doesn’t have to define our future. Just because we failed doesn’t mean we have to again.
Paul warns those who are over-confident, and think that they would never fall into sin like the Israelites did, or like the people they love to point the finger at (vs. 12). It is easy to look at someone else who has fallen into sin and think that this would never happen to us. Yet it easily can!
Lastly, we come to verse 13, one that many people like to quote. People often use this verse to refer to suffering and sorrow. However, the context of this verse is temptation, not suffering. God always provides a way for us to choose to follow, in order to get out from falling into temptation. We don’t always have a way out of suffering that comes our way. In those times, when suffering is great, we need to throw ourselves on God’s mercy, and He will hold us.
God will not allow us to be tempted to sin above our ability to withstand. He will show us a way out as we run to Him. Every day God shields us from the devastating onslaughts of Satan that would otherwise leave us defeated. When temptation hits, He makes a way for us to escape. We need to identify what lures us to sin, and then run from things and situations we know are wrong. Wrong desires and temptations happen to everyone. Others have resisted temptation, and so can we. God will help us resist it.
When warnings are given, whether a coming tornado warning, or warnings of sharks in the water, we need to listen. Those who ignore the warnings are likely to pay the consequences. Paul tells us the Bible is filled with warnings to avoid the temptations that brought down people in the past. Remember these lessons, so we can avoid repeating their errors. There is a coming Day of Judgment. God warns us, and we need to heed His Word!
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