Although the examples that Paul sited were from 2,000 years before he wrote, the hearts of people had not moved closer to God.  Although Paul wrote 2,000 years before our time, his words are still relevant.  Of course, Paul carefully selected the vignettes that he recalled for the Corinthian audience.  Corinthians struggled particularly with idolatry, pagan revelry, sexual immorality, and testing the Lord.  In western civilization we do not worship gods carved from stone, however our lives are still governed by material wants and desires.  We may not party in the same exact way as the pagans.  However, as our leisure time has increased we do not sit as a society to contemplate deep questions of existence.  We ‘entertain ourselves to death.’  Since Freud postulated that sexual repression was the foundation for neuroses, sexual fixation and experimentation has exploded.  There are many high profile cases of people who walk away from God when he fails to supply their wants and perceived needs.  People who live in such a pattern of life can not claim to walk with God.

1 Corinthians 10:6-10

⁶Now these things occurred as examples^[a] to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ⁷Do 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 pagan revelry.”^{[b] 8}We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. ⁹We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. ¹⁰And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

Questions

1. What should examples keep us from doing?
2. What were some of the people?
3. How many things in this paragraph should we avoid doing?
4. What is Paul’s purpose in recounting the fate of people in the past?
5. How might your actions be changed when you look back and see the fate of those who have gone before?

Going Deeper

Observation

1. What occured as examples?
2. On what were people’s hearts set?
3. What did the people do before they got up to indulge in pagan revelry?
4. How many died in one day?
5. By what means were people killed?

Interpretation

1. What exactly is ‘evil’ and when do you know that someone’s heart is set on it?
2. What are the differences and similarities between ancient near eastern paganism of Moses’ time and the Greco-Roman paganism of Paul’s time?
3. Paul says that 23, 000 died ad the Old Testament says 24, 000 died.  Is that a problem?
4. Are Corinthians meant to live in fear?
5. How does God have the right to destroy people?

Application

1. If the Americans talk of an ‘Axis of Evil’, what are they describing about the hearts of those ruling those countries?
2. Why do modern intellectuals distance themselves from terms like ‘good and evil’?
3. How does replacing the term evil with mistakes affect how a western world perceives itself?
4. How can fear be healthy to personal development?
5. How does a person alleviate guilt and not live in an egocentric entitlement?