Judgment Begins With The House Of God
Spring is upon us, and God’s grace is abundant! Greetings and God’s blessings to you.
It is hard for any of us to grasp the full measure of excitement the Children of Israel must have experienced as they passed through the dead sea on dry land and then watched as their nemesis was destroyed by the returning waters of the sea. The celebration would have been immense. The people witnessed the great miracles and experienced deliverance. How much more clearly could God have demonstrated His presence with them? Sadly, what they knew to be true did not persuade them to avoid sin, and because they chose sin over God, they experienced the judgement of God in their lives.
Paul is drawing a comparison between the Children of Israel who were delivered from bondage by the great working of God and our lives today. Have we not witnessed through our eyes of faith the destruction of our enemy as we were delivered from the bondage to sin and death and rescued to receive life and salvation. God has led us to freedom, and we have received the blessings of God today and the promise of even greater blessings in the days to come.
Even with all the Children of Israel experienced, they chose to turn from God, sin against Him and because of this they suffered the judgment of God. Paul recalls actual examples of this rebellion against God, and he lays out what the consequences were! Here is what he says.
Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they indeed craved them. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND TO DRINK, AND ROSE UP TO PLAY.” Nor are we to commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor are we to put the Lord to the test, as some of them did, and were killed by the snakes. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 1 Corinthians 10:6-11
The first example given my Paul comes from Exodus 32 and he actually quotes verse 5 when he says “THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND TO DRINK, AND ROSE UP TO PLAY.” Moses was on the mountain with God and the people, who had just been delivered through the Red Sea, called upon Aaron to build the golden calf. Aaron then called for a feast day and all the people ate, drank, and danced before their new god.
When Moses came down the Mountain a chain of events transpired. First, he broke the tablets (10 Commandments). He burned the golden calf in the fire, ground it to powder, cast it upon the water and the people were made to drink it. He called for those who wanted to be faithful to God to come to him, and the tribe Levi did so. They were told to retrieve their swords and Moses sent them to strike down those who were rebelling against God. Three thousand were killed on that day.
The second example Paul uses is from the days of Balaam and King Balak. Balak hired the prophet Balaam to curse the people of God because he feared them. Balaam attempted but every time he opened his mouth to curse the people, God made him speak a blessing instead. He even had Balaam’s donkey speak to him words of warning from God upon his sin. When it was obvious he could not curse the Children of Israel, Balaam counseled Balak to send women into the camp of Israel. The women enticed the men into immorality, and this brought the judgment of God upon them.
The men of Israel engaged in immorality and the worship of Midian’s gods. Sex and worship were often tied together in the cultures of the Old Testament. God sent a plague into their midst which began to kill thousands of people. It stopped when Phinehas the son of Eleazar saw an Israelite take a Midianite woman into his tent before the sight of everyone. Phinehas took a spear and pierced both of them through, pinning them to the ground. It was then that the plague stopped. This account is found in Numbers 24.
Paul then moves to yet another example of rebellion against God. Recorded in Numbers 21 is the account of the people complaining against Moses for bringing them out of Egypt. In the midst of their complaints, God sent snakes into the midst of Israel. People were being bitten and they were dying. Moses was told to fashion a snake out of brass and place it on a pole. Whoever looked to the snake on the pole and believed would be healed of their snakebite.
In Numbers 16 we find the account of the final example Paul uses. The people are again complaining against Moses, and God simply sent forth death into the midst of the people. Moses has Aaron make atonement for the sin of the people. He takes a censor of incense and runs into the midst of the camp. It is like a wave moving through the people. There is a dividing line which is clearly seen. There are those who are dead as the destroyer moves forward to the living. Aaron runs to that spot where people are lying dead, and the living are standing in fear for they know they are next. There Aaron places the censor of incense. Death stops at that spot, but not until almost 15, 000 people have died.
What is Paul’s purpose in giving us a history lesson? The Children of Israel received a great deliverance from bondage, yet they turned from God and engaged in bold, unrepentant sin. They were then judged by God as those unworthy to have life! We who have received a great deliverance through Christ Jesus must not turn again to the sin from which we were saved. To return to the bondage from which we were rescued is to make a mockery of Jesus and the sacrifice He made to save us. This will bring the harshest judgment of God upon us.
May we heed Paul’s warning and hold onto our faith in Jesus and receive the inheritance God desires to give to all who live by faith in Jesus.
In Christ,
Pastor Russ
It is hard for any of us to grasp the full measure of excitement the Children of Israel must have experienced as they passed through the dead sea on dry land and then watched as their nemesis was destroyed by the returning waters of the sea. The celebration would have been immense. The people witnessed the great miracles and experienced deliverance. How much more clearly could God have demonstrated His presence with them? Sadly, what they knew to be true did not persuade them to avoid sin, and because they chose sin over God, they experienced the judgement of God in their lives.
Paul is drawing a comparison between the Children of Israel who were delivered from bondage by the great working of God and our lives today. Have we not witnessed through our eyes of faith the destruction of our enemy as we were delivered from the bondage to sin and death and rescued to receive life and salvation. God has led us to freedom, and we have received the blessings of God today and the promise of even greater blessings in the days to come.
Even with all the Children of Israel experienced, they chose to turn from God, sin against Him and because of this they suffered the judgment of God. Paul recalls actual examples of this rebellion against God, and he lays out what the consequences were! Here is what he says.
Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they indeed craved them. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND TO DRINK, AND ROSE UP TO PLAY.” Nor are we to commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor are we to put the Lord to the test, as some of them did, and were killed by the snakes. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 1 Corinthians 10:6-11
The first example given my Paul comes from Exodus 32 and he actually quotes verse 5 when he says “THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND TO DRINK, AND ROSE UP TO PLAY.” Moses was on the mountain with God and the people, who had just been delivered through the Red Sea, called upon Aaron to build the golden calf. Aaron then called for a feast day and all the people ate, drank, and danced before their new god.
When Moses came down the Mountain a chain of events transpired. First, he broke the tablets (10 Commandments). He burned the golden calf in the fire, ground it to powder, cast it upon the water and the people were made to drink it. He called for those who wanted to be faithful to God to come to him, and the tribe Levi did so. They were told to retrieve their swords and Moses sent them to strike down those who were rebelling against God. Three thousand were killed on that day.
The second example Paul uses is from the days of Balaam and King Balak. Balak hired the prophet Balaam to curse the people of God because he feared them. Balaam attempted but every time he opened his mouth to curse the people, God made him speak a blessing instead. He even had Balaam’s donkey speak to him words of warning from God upon his sin. When it was obvious he could not curse the Children of Israel, Balaam counseled Balak to send women into the camp of Israel. The women enticed the men into immorality, and this brought the judgment of God upon them.
The men of Israel engaged in immorality and the worship of Midian’s gods. Sex and worship were often tied together in the cultures of the Old Testament. God sent a plague into their midst which began to kill thousands of people. It stopped when Phinehas the son of Eleazar saw an Israelite take a Midianite woman into his tent before the sight of everyone. Phinehas took a spear and pierced both of them through, pinning them to the ground. It was then that the plague stopped. This account is found in Numbers 24.
Paul then moves to yet another example of rebellion against God. Recorded in Numbers 21 is the account of the people complaining against Moses for bringing them out of Egypt. In the midst of their complaints, God sent snakes into the midst of Israel. People were being bitten and they were dying. Moses was told to fashion a snake out of brass and place it on a pole. Whoever looked to the snake on the pole and believed would be healed of their snakebite.
In Numbers 16 we find the account of the final example Paul uses. The people are again complaining against Moses, and God simply sent forth death into the midst of the people. Moses has Aaron make atonement for the sin of the people. He takes a censor of incense and runs into the midst of the camp. It is like a wave moving through the people. There is a dividing line which is clearly seen. There are those who are dead as the destroyer moves forward to the living. Aaron runs to that spot where people are lying dead, and the living are standing in fear for they know they are next. There Aaron places the censor of incense. Death stops at that spot, but not until almost 15, 000 people have died.
What is Paul’s purpose in giving us a history lesson? The Children of Israel received a great deliverance from bondage, yet they turned from God and engaged in bold, unrepentant sin. They were then judged by God as those unworthy to have life! We who have received a great deliverance through Christ Jesus must not turn again to the sin from which we were saved. To return to the bondage from which we were rescued is to make a mockery of Jesus and the sacrifice He made to save us. This will bring the harshest judgment of God upon us.
May we heed Paul’s warning and hold onto our faith in Jesus and receive the inheritance God desires to give to all who live by faith in Jesus.
In Christ,
Pastor Russ
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