1Cor 10:5-12 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 5. But with many of them , etc. That is, with their conduct. They rebelled and sinned, and were destroyed. The design of the apostle here is to remind them, that although they enjoyed so many privileges, yet they were destroyed; and thus to admonish the Corinthians that their privileges did not constitute an absolute security from danger, and that they should be cautious against the indulgence of sin. The phrase rendered here "with many," (εντοιςπλειοσιν,) should have been rendered, "with most of them ;" literally, "with the many;" and it means, that with the greater part of them God was not well pleased; that is, he was pleased with but few of them. Was not well pleased . Was offended with their ingratitude and rebellion. For they were overthrown , etc. That is, by the pestilence, by wars, or died by natural and usual diseases, so that they did not reach the land of Canaan. But two men of that generation, Caleb and Joshua, were permitted to enter the land of promise, . (*) "many" "most" (+) "overthrown" "Destroyed" (a) "in the wilderness"

1 Corinthians 10:5-12

Verse 5. But with many of them, etc. That is, with their conduct. They rebelled and sinned, and were destroyed. The design of the apostle here is to remind them, that although they enjoyed so many privileges, yet they were destroyed; and thus to admonish the Corinthians that their privileges did not constitute an absolute security from danger, and that they should be cautious against the indulgence of sin. The phrase rendered here "with many," (εντοιςπλειοσιν,) should have been rendered, "with most of them ;" literally, "with the many;" and it means, that with the greater part of them God was not well pleased; that is, he was pleased with but few of them.

Was not well pleased.

Was offended with their ingratitude and rebellion.

For they were overthrown, etc. That is, by the pestilence, by wars, or died by natural and usual diseases, so that they did not reach the land of Canaan. But two men of that generation, Caleb and Joshua, were permitted to enter the land of promise, Nu 14:29,30.

(*) "many" "most" (+) "overthrown" "Destroyed" (a) "in the wilderness" Nu 14:29-35, 26:64,65, Heb 3:17, Jude 1:5 Verse 6. Now these things. The judgments inflicted on them by God for their sins.

Were our examples. Greek, Types, (τυποι;) margin, Figures. They were not designed to be types of us, but they are to be held up as furnishing an admonition to us, or a warning that we do not sin in the same way. The same God directs our affairs that ordered theirs; and if we sin as they did, we also must expect to be punished, and excluded from the favour of God, and from heaven.

Lust after evil things. Desire those things which are forbidden, and which would be injurious. They lusted after flesh, and God granted them their desires; and the consequence was a plague, and the destruction of multitudes, Nu 11:4,31-34. So Paul infers that the Corinthian Christians should not lust after, or desire the meat offered in sacrifice to idols, lest it should lead them also to sin and ruin.

(1) "examples" "the figures" (&) "lust after" "desire" (b) "they also lusted" Nu 11:4,33,34 (|) "lusted" "desired" Verse 7. Neither be ye idolaters. This caution is evidently given in view of the danger to which they would be exposed if they partook of the feasts that were celebrated in honour of idols in their temples. The particular idolatry which is referred to here is, the worship of the golden calf that was made by Aaron, Ex 32:1-6.

As it is written. Ex 32:6.

The people sat down to eat and drink. To worship the golden calf. They partook of a feast in honour of that idol. I have already observed, that it was common to keep a feast in honour of an idol, and that the food which was eaten on such an occasion was mainly the meat which had been offered in sacrifice to it. This instance was particularly to the apostle's purpose, as he was cautioning the Corinthians against the danger of participating in the feasts celebrated in the heathen temples.

And rose up to play. παιζειν. The Hebrew word used in Ex 32:6, (,) means to laugh, to sport, to jest, to mock, to insult, (Gen 21:9;) and then to engage in dances accompanied with music, in honour of an idol. This was often practised, as the worship of idols was celebrated with songs and dances. This is particularly affirmed of this instance of idol worship, (Ex 32:19;) and this was common among ancient idolaters; and this mode of worship was even adopted by David before the ark of the Lord, 2Sam 6:6, 1Chr 13:8, 15:29. All that the word "to play" here necessarily implies is, that of choral songs and dances, accompanied with revelry in honour of the idol. It was however the fact, that such worship was usually accompanied with much licentiousness; but that is not necessarily implied in the use of the word. Most of the oriental dances were grossly indecent and licentious; and the word here may be designed to include such indelicacy and licentiousness.

(c) "as it is written" Ex 32:6 Verse 8. Neither let us commit fornication, etc. The case referred to here was that of the licentious intercourse with the daughters of Moab, referred to in Nu 25:1-9.

And fell in one day. Were slain for their sin by the plague that prevailed.

Three and twenty thousand. The Hebrew text in Nu 25:9, is twenty-four thousand. In order to reconcile these statements, it may be observed, that perhaps twenty-three thousand fell directly by the plague, and one thousand were slain by Phinehas and his companions, (Grotius;) or it may be that the number was between twenty-three and twenty-four thousand, and it might be expressed in round numbers by either. --Macknight. At all events, Paul has not exceeded the truth. There were at least twenty-three thousand that fell, though there might have been more. The probable supposition is, that the three and twenty thousand fell immediately by the hand of God in the plague, and the other thousand by the judges; and as Paul's design was particularly to mention the proofs of the immediate Divine displeasure, he refers only to those who fell by that, in illustration of his subject. There was a particular reason for this caution in respect to licentiousness.

(1.) It was common among all idolaters; and Paul, in cautioning them against idolatry, would naturally warn them of this danger.

(2.) It was common at Corinth. It was the prevalent vice there. To Corinthianize was a term synonymous among the ancients with licentiousness.

(3.) So common was this at Corinth, that, as we have seen, (see the Introduction,) not less than a thousand prostitutes were supported in a single temple there; and the city was visited by vast multitudes of foreigners, among other reasons on account of its facilities for this sin. Christians, therefore, were in a peculiar manner exposed to it; and hence the anxiety of the apostle to warn them against it.

(d) "some of them" Nu 25:1-9 Verse 9. Neither let us tempt Christ, etc. The word tempt, when applied to man, means to present motives or inducements to sin: when used with reference to God, it means, to try his patience, to provoke his anger, or to act in such a way as to see how much he will bear, and how long he will endure the wickedness and perverseness of men. The Israelites tempted him, or tried his patience and forbearance, by rebellion, murmuring, impatience, and dissatisfaction with his dealings. In what way the Corinthians were in danger of tempting Christ is not known, and can only be conjectured. It may be that the apostle cautions them against exposing themselves to temptation in the idol temples--placing themselves, as it were, under the unhappy influence of idolatry, and thus needlessly trying, the strength of their religion, and making an experiment on the grace of Christ, as if he were bound to keep them even in the midst of dangers into which they needlessly ran. They would have the promise of grace to keep them only when they were in the way of their duty, arid using all other precautions. To go beyond this, to place themselves in needless danger, to presume on the grace of Christ to keep them in all circumstances, would be to tempt him, and provoke him to leave them. Mt 4:7.

As some of them also tempted. There is evidently here a word to be understood, and it may be either "Christ" or "God." The construction would naturally require the former; but it is not certain that the apostle meant to say that the Israelites tempted Christ. The main idea is that of temptation, whether it be of Christ or of God; and the purpose of the apostle is to caution them against the danger of tempting Christ, from the fact that the Israelites were guilty of the sin of tempting their leader and protector, and thus exposing themselves to his anger. It cannot be denied, however, that the more natural construction of this place is that which supposes that the word "Christ" is understood here rather than" God." In order to relieve this interpretation from the difficulty that the Israelites could not be said with any propriety to have tempted "Christ," since he had not then come in the flesh, two remarks may be made: First, by the "angel of the covenant," and the "angel of his presence," (Ex 23:20,23, 32:34 Ex 33:2, Nu 20:16, Isa 63:9, Heb 11:26,) that went with them, and delivered them from Egypt, there is reason to think the sacred writers understood the Messiah to be intended; and that he who subsequently became incarnate was he whom they tempted. And, secondly, we are to bear in mind that the term Christ has acquired with us a signification somewhat different from that which it originally had in the New Testament. We use it as a proper name, applied to Jesus of Nazareth. But it is to be remembered that it is the mere Greek word for the Hebrew "Anointed," or the "Messiah;" and by retaining this signification of the word here, no small part of the difficulty will be avoided; and the expression then will mean simply that the Israelites "tempted the Messiah;" and the idea will be that he who conducted them, and against whom they sinned, and whom they tempted, was the Messiah who afterwards became incarnate; an idea that is in accordance with the ancient ideas of the Jews respecting this personage, and which is not forbidden, certainly, in any part of the Bible.

And were destroyed of serpents. Fiery serpents. Nu 21:6.

(e) "tempt Christ" Ex 17:2,7 (f) "serpents" Nu 21:6 Verse 10. Neither murmur ye. Do not repine at the allotments of Providence, or complain of his dealings.

As some of them also murmured. Nu 14:2. The ground of their murmuring was, that they had been disappointed; that they had been brought out of a land of plenty into a wilderness of want; and that instead of being conducted at once to the land of promise, they were left to perish in the desert. They therefore complained of their leaders, and proposed to return again into Egypt.

And were destroyed of the destroyer. That is, they were doomed to die in the wilderness without seeing the land of Canaan, Nu 14:29. The "destroyer" here is understood by many to mean the angel of death, so often referred to in the Old Testament, and usually called by the Jews Sammael. The work of death, however, is attributed to an angel in Ex 12:23. Compare Heb 11:28. It was customary for the Hebrews to regard most human events as under the direction of angels. In Heb 2:14, he is described as he "that had the power of death." Comp. the Book of Wisdom, xviii. 22, 25. The simple idea here however is, that they died for their sin, and were not permitted to enter the promised land.

(a) "murmured" Nu 14:2,29 (b) "destroyer" 2Sam 24:16 Verse 11. For ensamples. Greek, Types. (τυποι). The same word which is used in 1Cor 10:6. This verse is a repetition of the admonition contained in that verse, in order to impress it more deeply on the memory. 1Cor 10:6. The sense is, not that these things took place simply and solely to be examples, or admonitions, but that their occurrence illustrated great principles of human nature and of the Divine government; they showed the weakness of men, and their liability to fall into sin, and their need of the Divine protection, and they might thus be used for the admonition of succeeding generations.

They are written for our admonition. They are recorded in the writings of Moses, in order that we and all others might be admonished not to confide in our own strength. The admonition did not pertain merely to the Corinthians, but had an equal applicability to Christians in all ages of the world.

Upon whom the ends of the world are come. This expression is equivalent to that which so often occurs in the Scriptures, as "the last time," "the latter day," etc. See it fully explained Acts 2:17. It means the last dispensation; or, that period and mode of the Divine administration under which the affairs of the world would be wound up. There would be no mode of administration beyond that of the gospel. But it by no means denotes necessarily that the continuance of this period called "the last times," and "the ends of the world," would be brief, or that the apostle believed that the world would soon come to an end. It might be the last period, and yet be longer than any one previous period, or than all the previous periods put together. There may be a last dynasty in an empire, and yet it may be longer than any previous dynasty, or than all the previous dynasties put together. The apostle Paul was at special pains in 2Thes 2 to show, that by affirming that the last time had come, he did not mean that the world would soon come to an end.

(*) "things" "types" (1) "ensamples" "examples" Verse 12. Wherefore. As the result of all these admonitions. Let this be the effect of all that we learn from the unhappy self-confidence of the Jews, to admonish us not to put reliance on our own strength.

That thinketh he standeth. That supposes himself to be firm in the love of God, and in the knowledge of his truth; that regards himself as secure, and that will be therefore disposed to rely on his own strength.

Take heed lest he fall. Into sin, idolatry, or any other form of iniquity. We learn here,

(1.) that a confidence in our own security is no evidence that we are safe.

(2.) Such a confidence may be one of the strongest evidences that we are in danger. Those are most safe who feel that they are weak and feeble, and who feel their need of Divine aid and strength. They will then rely on the true source of strength; and they will be secure.

(3.) All professed Christians should be admonished. All are in danger of falling into sin, and of dishonouring their profession; and the exhortation cannot be too often or too urgently pressed, that they should take heed lest they fall into sin. The leading and special idea of the apostle here should not be forgotten or disregarded. It is, that Christians in their favoured moments, when they are permitted to approach near to God, and when the joys of salvation fill their hearts, should exercise peculiar caution. For

(a.) then the adversary will be peculiarly desirous to draw away their thoughts from God, and to lead them into sin, as their fall would most signally dishonour religion;

(b.) then they will be less likely to be on their guard, and more likely to feel themselves strong, and not to need caution and solicitude. Accordingly, it often happens that Christians, after they have been peculiarly favoured with the tokens of the Divine favour, soon relapse into their former state, or fall into some sin that grieves the hearts of their brethren, or wounds the cause of religion. So it is in revivals; so it is in individuals. Churches that are thus favoured are filled with joy, and love, and peace. Yet they become self-confident and elated; they lose their humility and their sense of their dependence; they cease to be watchful and prayerful, supposing that all is safe; and the result often is, that a season of revival is succeeded by a time of coldness and declension. And thus, too, it is with individuals. Just the opposite effect is produced from what should be, and from what need be. Christians should then be peculiarly on their guard; and if they then availed themselves of their elevated advantages, churches might be favoured with continued revivals and ever-growing piety; and individuals might be filled with joy, and peace, and holiness, and ever-expanding and increasing love.