1 Corinthians 10:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,

NIV: 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.

NASB: For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and they all passed through the sea;

CSB: Now I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea,

NLT: I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground.

KJV: Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

NKJV: Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,

The previous chapter concluded with Paul's statement about treating his spiritual discipline much as an athlete does his physical training. He continues to keep himself under control to avoid the possibility he would be disqualified. He did not mean by this that he feared he would lose his salvation, but that he could wander into sin and be removed from spiritual success in this life.

Paul turns now to a warning to the Christians in Corinth. The God who disciplined the Israelites in the wilderness for sin is also their God. Paul will warn them of the possibility of being disciplined by God, especially for the sins of worshiping idols and participating in sexual immorality.

Paul begins by pointing to the great blessings the Israelites had received after the exodus from Egypt. All of them passed under the cloud. That is, they travelled through the wilderness under the direction and guidance of the Lord in the form of pillars of cloud and fire that went before them to lead the way. In addition, they all passed through the Red Sea on dry land, making possible their escape from the Egyptian army (Exodus 14:21–28). This was evidence of God's great protection for them.

In a similar way, all Christians experience God's guidance through His Word and the Holy Spirit. We experience His protection, by salvation from sin and hell through faith in Christ.

First Corinthians 10:1–13 describes how the generation of Israelites who escaped from Egypt were blessed by God and yet fell repeatedly into idol worship. God severely punished many of them, including the fate of wandering the desert until death. The Corinthians should read their example as a warning unless they, too, fall at God's hand for participating with idols. Their standing in Christ does not mean that God will not act against unfaithfulness to Him with false gods. Still, such temptations are common, and God always provides His children a way to escape from sin.

Idol worship is an extremely serious sin. Paul reminds the Christians in idol-saturated Corinth of that by referring to the history of the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness. Though blessed by God, they worshiped false idols. God killed many of them for it. Paul commands his readers to flee from idol worship. To participate with idol worship in any way is to participate with demons. God always provides some way to avoid sin. So, they must avoid giving anyone the idea that they approve of idol worship, even by knowingly eating food offered to idols. Their first question must always be, ''Will this glorify God?''

The previous chapter concluded with Paul's commitment to continue to control himself. He exercises discipline so he does not become ineffective in his ministry. He begins chapter 10 by reminding the Corinthians of how the Israelites brought consequences on themselves in the wilderness. Among their many sins was worshiping idols, and God killed many of them for it. The Corinthians must flee idol worship and any appearance of supporting the demonic practice. They are free to eat meat if they don't know that it is idol food. However, they should be ready to set aside their own freedoms and rights whenever doing so will glorify God and win others to Christ.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.