Apostle Paul gave a warning for
the danger of disqualification for the prize and so in order not to run to run
the race aimlessly like a boxer beating the air, he wanted to make his body to
his slave by striking a blow to it (1 Corinthians 9:26-27). And he gives an
example that there are many who were baptized into Moses and yet perished in
the desert. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in
truth (John 4:24). When King David found himself guilty of abusing power he
repented and confessed that what the Lord God was pleased was not to bring
numerous offerings and sacrifices but to bring a broken spirit and contrite
heart before him (Psalm 51:16-17). We’ve been saved and made righteous by the
grace and mercy of the eternal Father in heaven, so it is forbidden for us to
boast by any means. Rather, in fear and trembling we continue to work out our
salvation, because it comes from the Father, not from the flesh (Philippians
2:12). So, the Father disciplines and
tests every child of him to bear the fruits of the Spirit.
“For I do not want you to be
ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under
the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into
Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and
drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that
accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased
with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” (1
Corinthians 10:1-5)
Under the leadership of Moses,
the Israelites triumphed over the Egyptians that God sent the ten plagues which
forced the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go off the country with no conditions.
On the day of Passover, the angel of death killed all the firstborns of the
household of Egypt but passed over the household of Israel whose house was sprinkled
by the blood of animals in their doorframes. When they were led into the Red
Sea, the Lord God opened the way in the Sea and they passed through it on foot
as dry land. In this way, they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in
the sea. Baptism is the symbol of born again. They all passed through the Sea
and departed from Egypt toward the land of Canaan which God promised to go in
and possess to their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Egypt is the symbol
of the world, so crossing the Red Sea means that they’ve been cut off from the
world. During the wilderness wanderings forty years they all ate manna and
drank from the rock that was Christ. The Lord faithfully fed them with the
spiritual food and drink to sustain their lives. Nevertheless, God was not
pleased with most of them. In fact, only two, Caleb and Joshua were allowed to
enter the land but all their bodies were scattered in the desert.
“Now these things occurred as
examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not
be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: ‘The people sat down to
eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.’ We should not commit sexual
immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them
died. We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.
And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying
angel.” (1 Corinthians 10:6-10)
These things not only occurred
to themselves in the wilderness living forty years but also are occurring to
any people who set their hearts on evil things as the Israelites did. They are
given for us as examples. God is forever love, which means he does not change
but remains the same always in judging whether right or wrong. James says that
God does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17). He is just and faithful
forever and ever. There is no compromise, bend, or twist in his judgment. God
is light and there is no darkness or confusion in him. He neither turns to the
right nor to the left even a bit in making his judgment. The Book of Hebrews
warns against the continuous rebellion and unbelief of the people who were once
baptized into Moses but hardened their hearts and refused to enter God’s rest
and perished in the wilderness.
“So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today,
if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during
the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried
me, though for forty years they saw what I did. That is why I was angry with
that generation; I said, “Their hearts are always going astray, and they have
not known my ways.” So I declared on oath in my anger, “They shall never enter
my rest.”’” (Hebrews 3:7-11)
They committed idolatry by
making the golden calf and before it they sat down to eat and drink and got up
to indulge in revelry. It occurred when Moses went up to Mount Horeb to receive
the Ten Commandments and stayed on the sacred mountain forty days. They also
committed sexual immorality with the Moabite women which aroused the burning
anger of God and killed twenty-three thousand of them by plagues. The plagues
stopped only when they purged out the sin of sexual immorality by putting to
death of both an Israelite man and a Midianite woman whom the man brought into
the camp of Israel by a spear (Numbers 25:8). They were beaten and destroyed by
fiery snakes because they provokingly complained that they had no food and no
water and the manna was loathsome and worthless (Numbers 21:4-9). It was a
challenge and test of Christ whether God would respond in judgement. Korah and
some others rebelled against Moses and Aaron and the Lord burned anger against
them and destroyed them by opening the mouth of the earth and swallowing them
up with all that belonged to them (Numbers 17:32-33).
“These things happened to them
as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination
of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that
you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12)
As God acted against them who
committed idolatry, sexual immorality, test of Christ, and grumbling against the
leaders, so does he against anyone who commits these things against the Lord
God of havens and the earth. These things are given as examples and written
down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. It
happened in ancient days and has been happening throughout the centuries and
centuries. Now it’s time for the culmination of the ages has come as Apostle
Paul says in the Epistle to the Romans Chapter 13.
“And do this, understanding the
present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber,
because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is
nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness
and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not
in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in
dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,
and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Romans
13:11-14)
If the hour of salvation was
nearer and the night was nearly over in the first century, how much nearer our
salvation and how much nearly over the night in the twenty-first century. Our God
is patient and long-suffering for he does not want anyone to be perished. But in
due time, the appointed time of God will come and there will be the end of time
for individual and for the whole world. “My times are in your hands,” says the
Psalmist (Psalm 31:15). Moses says, “Teach us to number our days that we may
gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12). “It is not for you to know the times or
dates the Father has set by his own authority,” says our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts
1:7). Also, the Lord says, “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as
its twigs get tender and its leaves comes out, you know that summer is near.” (Matthew
24:32) As a matter of fact, the things happened in the wilderness occurred repeatedly
in the first century as well as twenty-first century. There have always been
rebellion and disobedience against God ever practiced and exercised by the
people of unbelief. However, God is delaying the coming of the Day of the Lord for
he wants them not to be eternally condemned.
“No temptation has overtaken
you except what is common to mankind. 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 endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
This is one of the most
stunning statement for the fallen race and one of the hardest truth for the
race to accept. Here temptation can be worded as test, the testing of faith. No
test has overtaken anyone except what is common to mankind. What a marvelous
revelation and truth to the race! Everyone shall agree that when they are in
temptation they believe there is no one else tempted than them. But the
Scripture says it is not. All temptation is common to mankind. In fact, it’s
been declared ever since Adam fell, eating the forbidden fruit of the tree in
the Garden, not for the curse of man but for the great recovery program of man,
the only way to the Father.
“To Adam he said, ‘Because you
listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, “You
must not eat from it,” Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful
toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce
thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the
sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since
from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.’” (Genesis
3:17-19)
No one can escape from toiling
and sweating all the days of their lives. But God is faithful and he will not
let anyone to be tested beyond what they can bear. Many think that it is not
true either. When they are in temptation they think that it is already beyond
they can bear. That’s the outcry of humanity everywhere around the world, even
those who are in Christ Jesus. No Scriptures say that when tempted be panicky
and bewildered like something shouldn’t be happened have happened. Rather, it
says exactly the opposite. “Rejoice in the sufferings,” says Apostle Paul
(Romans 5:3). “Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of all kinds,”
says Apostle James (James 1:2). Peter says, “In all this you greatly rejoice,
though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of
trials.” (1 Peter 1:6)
No testing of faith in any form
is enjoyable and pleasant, let alone to rejoice and be glad, but painful
(Hebrews 12:11). The reason to rejoice and be glad is because we know that the
testings of faith produce the fruits of the Spirit, perseverance, character,
hope, and the genuineness of faith. In fact, behind trial and test, there is
the love of God kindled and poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit
(Romans 5:5). Apostle Peter says to the saints in the trails of every kind, “These
have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of great worth than
gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory,
and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:7)
Our God is compassionate and
merciful. He is the Shepherd and the Father of all who is in need. He is
faithful and he will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. Remember he
is the Creator and Maker of humanity. He knows better than we know how much we
can bear. Once Peter saw Jesus walking on the water. He said, “Lord if it’s
you, tell me to come to you on the water.” The Lord said, “Come.” Then he got
down out of the boat and walked on the water. But when he saw the wind, he was
afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus
reached out his hand and caught him. (Matthew 14:28-31). Our Lord Jesus knew
Peter more than he did how much he could bear. When Peter cried out, Jesus
immediately helped him out, reaching out his hand. “The Lord is my shepherd, I
lack nothing,” says the Psalmist. (Psalm 23:1)
There is one more promise in the
stunning revelation on temptation and test. When we are tempted, he will also
provide a way out so that we can endure it. Here a way out is our Lord Jesus Christ.
As promised, the Father sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts when delivered
from the evil one by the blood of Christ. He indwells within us and never
leaves us nor forsakes us ever (Hebrews 13:5). That much we have confidence in
approaching the throne of grace for we’ve been made peace with him through the
faith in Christ. What a help, what a release even when tempted and tested! That
mystery of God has been revealed now, which was hidden for ages and
generations, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
“I have become its servant by
the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the
mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now
disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the
Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope
of glory.” (Colossians 1:25-27)
Prayer: Thank you Father for
teaching and revealing the truth on temptation and test of our faith in Christ
Jesus. Though temptation and test are unavoidable and inevitable, we shall not
forget that the love of God is behind of every kind of trials through which we
may produce perseverance and the genuineness of our faith after tested and
tried. Thank you Lord for teaching there is no temptation has overtaken us except
what is common to mankind. In Christ’s name. Amen.
July 21, 2016
© 2015-2016 David Lee Ministries – All
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