#DailyDevotion Sometimes God’s People Are A Bad Example Not To Follow

1 Cor. 10:6-13 ⁶Now, this happened in order to warn us not to long for what is evil as they did. ⁷Don’t worship idols as some of them did, as the Bible says: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to play.” ⁸Let us not sin sexually as some of them did — 23,000 died on one day. ⁹Let us not go too far in testing the Lord’s patience as some of them did — the snakes killed them. ¹⁰Don’t complain as some of them did – the angel of death killed them. ¹¹These things happened to them to make them a lesson to others and were written down to warn us who are living when the world is coming to an end.

Sometime we may wonder why do we still use the Old Testament if we are New Testament people. We, after all, are not bound by the covenant God made with Israel on Mt. Sinai. Well the obvious thing is Moses and the prophets point us to Jesus as the Savior of the World. We reference it when we show how Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the prophecies concerning the Messiah.

Secondly we have this from St. Paul, the people of the Old Testament are to served as an example of the LORD and his people as we are now his people in baptism. Having been rescued from the hands of Egyptians and having heard the LORD speak from the mountain his commandments what is the first thing they do? They get impatient waiting for Moses and make an idol of YHWH, two golden calves and worship with eating, drinking and playing. They sinned sexually with the daughters of Moab and worshiped their gods. The LORD killed 23,000 of them in one day. The Israelites complained about the food the LORD provided for them and snakes killed them. When the Israelites got to the Promised Land they did not believe the LORD would give those people into their hands but rather the LORD was going to let those people kill them and their children. They were going to chose another leader and go back to Egypt. Moses had to intercede for them before the angel of death killed them all.

So what lesson are we to learn from all these bad examples? Don’t be like them. All these acts of destruction prophecy the judgment of God’s people at the end of the world. The judgment against the nations in the Promised Land are a prophecy against the nations of the world. Just as the LORD promised the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants through Isaac and Jacob, he has promised the world to all who put their trust in Christ Jesus.

Having been delivered from the world we should not seek to be entangled in it once again. Because of our weakened flesh we may still sin, but we must hate it. We may still fall into gross sins, but we must repent of them. With the Holy Spirit dwelling in our bodies let us not hand the members of our bodies which is the temple of God back into slavery of sin and fear of death. Let us not adopt the ways of the world not only sinning but approving of those who do. We should not have the facade of having Christ name and use his name to promote sinfulness. We are taught here not to grumble against what the LORD has given us. We should not fear the world and what they could do to us. We should not be enticed by the pleasures of the flesh and forget whose body our bodies belong to. Jesus Christ has bought us with his blood. We are not our own anymore, thanks be to God! He has redeemed us from sin and death. He has delivered us our old taskmaster the devil. Judgment begins with the house of God. Let us be found trusting in Christ alone, repenting of our sins, confessing our unworthiness and living God’s life.

Heavenly Father, give us your Spirit that we may look upon the bad examples of your people, learn our lesson from them and put our trust in Christ Jesus alone for our life and salvation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.