Brit Chadasha Foundations-Concepts in First Corinthians-Chapter 10

1 Cor 10.1-33 is a lesson from the book of Numbers (B’Midbar in Hebrew) warning us not to be overconfident like Israel was in the wilderness and suffer judgment; back to the issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols and temple banquets to the idols; eating meat sold in the markets; doing everything to the glory of God.

v 1…For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren that our fathers (here we see the concept of non-Jews having the same heritage as Jews spiritually; part of the commonwealth of Israel-Eph 2.11-22) were all under the cloud (symbolic of the Shekinah or presence of God), and all passed through the sea;

v 2…and all were immersed into Moses (his purposes and benefits, just like people were immersed into John’s or Yeshua’s immersion-Luke 7.30; Acts 20.27, 19.3-5) in the cloud and in the sea;

v 3…and all ate the same spiritual food (the Torah, the Manna-Matt 4.4; John 6.26-37);

v 4…and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them (in their travels to provide for them), and that rock was Messiah (a type-Num 30.8; Matt 16.18; Deut 1.6, 32.1-4; Gen 49.14, 28.10-13; Zech 3.9; Isa 2.10; 1 Sam 17.40; Dan 2.31-45; Zech 12.3).

v 5…Nevertheless, with most of them (an understatement) God was not pleased, for they were laid low (died) in the wilderness (of the 600, 000 that were numbered, only two made it in).

v 6…Now these things happened as examples (types) for us that we should not crave evil things, as they also craved (learn from their mistakes).

v 7…And do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written (already recorded), “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play (idolatrous practices of Egypt).”

v 8…Nor let us act immorally as some of them did (Num 25.1-9), and twenty-three thousand fell in one day (Moses’ number of 24,000 in Num 25.9 included those who were hung in Num 25.4).

v 9…Now let us try (test) the Lord as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents (Num 21.1-9).

v 10…Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer (Num 16.1-4; the same angel who killed the Egyptian first-born in Exo 12.23; the 70,000 in David’s census in 2 Sam 24.15-16; and 185,000 Assyrians who besieged Jerusalem and Hezekiah in 2 Chr 32.21).

v 11…Now these things (examples, types) happened to them as an example (type), and they were written for our instruction upon whom the ends of the age (the Olam Ha Zeh in Jewish eschatology-the first 6000 years from creation to the beginning of the day of the Lord, or the last 1000 years, equalling 7000 years until the Olam Haba).

v 12…Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (don’t trust yourself or your self-righteous works for salvation; be cautious and come by faith in Yeshua).

v 13…No temptation (trial, test) has overtaken you but such as is common to man (1 Pet 4.12-13-don’t think our trials and testings are unique only to us and different from anyone else) and God is faithful (trustworthy), who will not allow you to be tested beyond what you are able (to bear), but with the testing will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it (like Jog; Israel at the Red Sea, Yeshua, Paul, at the Jordan; the three friends of Daniel at the furnace; Peter, Silas, Joseph, David, etc).

v 14…Therefore, my beloved, flee for idolatry (in participation and appearance).

v 15…I speak to you as wise men (chachamim), you judge what I say.

v 16…Is not the cup of blessing (in a meal consecrated to God; a Lord’s Supper was a real supper, not what is done a “church” today) which we bless a sharing of the blood of Messiah (a sign or a symbol of it; a visual aid)? Is not the bread (Greek “artos” not necessarily unleavened) which we break a sharing in the body of Messiah (a sign or a symbol of it; in a meal consecrated to God it was the realization of what the effects of it were; a visual aid)?

v 17…Since there is one bread, we also are many all in one body (the kahal in the body of the Messiah); for we all partake of the one bread.

v 18…Look at the nation of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices (korbanot) sharers in the altar (identified with it)?

v 19…What do I mean then? That anything sacrificed to idols is anything; or that an idol is anything (neither one is anything-1 Cor 8.4)?

v 20…No, but that the things which the Gentiles (nations) sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons (Hebrew “shedim”- the power behind the deception of idols) and not to God (there are only two choices, God or the Shedim), I do not want you to become sharers in demons (in close association with the shedim, who hide behind the pagan “gods”).

v 21…You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils (Greek “diamonion” or demons; share two masters; cannot mix the two); you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons (the goal of a meal consecrated to God is the kingdom; every Sabbath, festival, life-cycle changes,harvests, marriage, etc, in the first century had one; you could have a Lord’s Supper for various reasons and they had themes, Scriptures, teachings, ceremonies, music, prayers and psalms especially for that occasion; the emphasis of the meals all came back to the marriage supper; a Lord’s Supper pointed to Sukkot and Sukkot points to the marriage supper of the Lamb and the Shulchan Ha Lechem Ha Pannim, or “bread of the faces” in the Temple; like being in the presence of God in a glorified body; that was the idea behind a Lord’s Supper, or a meal consecrated to God-Matt 22.1-4; 25.10; Deut 16.1-16, Deut 12.7; Gen 18.1-8, 24.54, 26.25-30; Exo 24.4-11; Luke 12.35-37; Job 1.4; Psa 22.26-27; Est 9.18-28).

v 22…Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than he, are we?

v 23…All things are lawful (justified if done before a weaker brother), but not all things are profitable (if he wants to influence a brother and they consider what he does is a sin ).

v 24…Let no one seek his own (interests), but each one that of the other.

v 25…Eat anything that is sold in the meat market (certainly not rabbinically slaughtered if sold there; many today teach that one cannot eat meat unless it is kosher slaughtered and certified by rabbinical authority, but this meat wasn’t even close to that and Paul told the Torah observant believers that they could buy it; the pagan priests sold meat sacrificed to an idol there; Paul says buy it and take it home to eat), without asking questions (as to whether it was sacrificed to idols or not) for conscience sake (of the buyer or anyone else-1 Cor 8.1-13).

v 26…For the earth is the Lord’s and all it contains.

v 27…If one of the unbelievers invites you (to eat), and you wish to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions (about it being sacrificed to idols or not; this is not a festive pagan meal) for conscience sake.

v 28…But if anyone should say to you, “This meat is sacrificed to idols, do not eat, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience sake (his conscience by your eating might convey the idea that you sanctioned idol worship).

v 29…I mean not your own conscience, but the other; for why is my freedom judged (restrained) by another’s conscience (or hang-ups-because people of a different conscience must be saved)?

v 30…If I partake with thankfulness (meat sacrificed to an idol), why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks (a person will condemn him saying that giving thanks over sacrificial meat was hypocritical; not understanding our liberty just described in v 25-29)?

v 31…Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

v 32…Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the kahal of God (body of Messiah);

v 33…just as I also please all men in all things (in doing things that might be done or avoided without breaking the Torah), not seeking my own profit (by taking advantage of others or getting glory for himself; he did not have an inflated ego), but the profit of the many (the elect in the lost masses) that they may be saved (delivered).

Posted in All Teachings, Articles, Idioms, Phrases and Concepts, Prophecy/Eschatology, The Festivals of the Lord, The Tanak, Tying into the New Testament

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