Rev. Paul J Cain
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
God Is Faithful
Ninth Sunday after Trinity, 24 July 2016
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Paul writes:
For I do not want
you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all
passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in
the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual
drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock
was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were
overthrown in the wilderness.
If you find a
passage on water in the Scriptures, ask yourself if it has a connection to Holy
Baptism. The miracle God performed through Moses in getting Israel as a nation
across dry ground while the waters were held at bay doesn’t seem to be about
baptism—until Paul says it is. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of
fire by night was the Lord’s abiding presence with His people. The spiritual
food and drink that they fed on was of Christ. The spiritual rock that followed
them was Christ. God was faithful. And, as Paul clearly says, “Nevertheless,
with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the
wilderness.” The people spent forty years in the wilderness as a consequence of
their unfaith, disobedience, and sin. The Lord raised up a new generation who
would take possession of the Promised land under Caleb and the prophet Joshua.
St. Paul tells us
that these are not merely idle tales. They are not dry and dead history. He
says: Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire
evil as they did. Hearing verses 1-5 explains what Paul means by “these things.”
St. Paul is pithy.
He continues: Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The
people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in
sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a
single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were
destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by
the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were
written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
Scripture was
recorded for you. We are all given to imitate the examples of the faithful
according to our common vocations. We are to all learn from the counter
examples of every unfaithful thought, word, and deed. God is faithful. We must
not put Christ to the test in our unfaithfulness against the Commandments,
especially the First to have no other gods.
This section of 1
Corinthians 10 concludes with a regularly-misunderstood passage.
Does God promise to
never give you more than you can handle? Be careful in paraphrasing the
promises the Lord gives us.
Therefore let anyone
who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken
you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be
tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the
way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Does God promise to
never give you more than you can handle? Not exactly.
He will not let you
be tempted / beyond your ability to resist the temptation / with a way of
escape / that He alone provides. That sounds a lot different than the common
paraphrases that float around the internet and come as intended comfort from the
mouths of friends.
Not one of us is so
strong, so wise, so popular, so pious that he or she is incapable of falling
into sin. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to mankind. Yet,
there is a big difference between being presented with a temptation and giving
in to temptation. We pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” James tells us that
“God tempts no one.” We do know that the Lord tests our faith. Translators have
offered alternatives to “Lead us not into temptation.” A common one in
progressive Christian circles is “Save us from the time of trial.” Like it or
not, it is a valid alternative translation. Still, it doesn’t sound right.
“Save us from the time of trial” sounds too different. Consider: “Do not allow
us to be led into temptation.” It is not as brief, but it makes the same point
and sounds similar enough to “Lead us not into temptation.”
God is faithful
where we are not. Jesus resisted Satan’s own temptation after forty days and
forty nights in the wilderness. He remained faithful when Israel was
unfaithful, and, as a result, spent forty years in the wilderness.
When you are in the
midst of a temptation, flee. Don’t be alone. Find another Christian. Until you
can, and especially after you have found the company of another believer, pray.
Pray the Lord’s Prayer. Pray from your heart and off the top of your head. Pray
faithful printed prayers. Pray the Psalms. Fill your mind and heart and time
with God’s Word. Read it aloud. Pray it. Pray in response to it. Resist the
devil and He will flee from you. And in all of these actions of fleeing,
finding Christian company, hearing Scripture, and praying, we are relying on
the Lord’s strength, the Lord’s Word, the Lord’s Spirit, even the God the Holy
Spirit Himself.
Does God promise to
never give you more than you can handle? Not exactly. He will not let you be
tempted beyond your ability to resist the temptation with a way of escape that
He alone provides. That way is Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one
comes to the Father but through Him. Cherish His Word. Remember your Baptism
into Christ. Repent. Be reconciled to God. Prepare to receive the Lord’s Supper
at your next opportunity. God is faithful where we are not. When and where you
have been unfaithful, God is faithful to forgive you and increase your faith. God
Is Faithful. Amen.
In the Name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
