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.
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.
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! 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 10:1-13
"Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did" What are these examples? They are examples of people who received God's blessing, but were still judged. Blessings are not always a statement of how well we are doing. Sometimes when things are going OK, we assume that we are basically doing OK with regard to God. Sometimes when we receive blessings, we assume they are our blessings.
In the first verses of this chapter, Paul lists several examples of blessings that everyone in Israel received: living under the cloud of God's presence, crossing the Red Sea, eating water and food provied miraculously by God. But Paul says, "nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness." They received God's blessing but still they were judged.
We receive many good things in life because God is a good God. But it does not mean that He does it because we are good. Don't get me wrong: blessings are a sign of God's favor, but often it is a sign of his undeserved favor. Maybe we are blessed in spite of who we are or what we're doing. Sometimes, he blesses us because he wants to bless someone else. Conversely, sometimes we are blessed merely as the side effect of his blessing someone else. Or maybe we are blessed, just to keep us alive until we can repent or until something else in God's time table happens.
So Paul warns: you still need to be serious about living an obedient life. We are always tempted to revert to a selfish me-focused lifestyle that grumbles, complains, bargains and flirts with other priorities. And God's favor gives us the leeway to get away with that for a while, but it isn't the healthy way. These temptations, the temptation to revert, isn't fatal, but giving in to them rots the soul because doing so doesn't leave us in the direction that God wants.
Are there areas where I am reverting? Is God asking me who is really first in my life and would I really like the honest answer to that question? Blessings are a test much the same way as trials are a test. I pray that I pass the test.
not just the side effect of someone else's blessings.
