1 Cor 10: Meeting & Eating

• v.1-14 Warnings from Israel’s History
• v.15-22 The Lord’s Supper and Idol Feasts
• v.23-33 The Believer’s Freedom in Eating

[Chapter Synopsis: Having just laid out his own strategy of being careful to train and discipline himself while maintaining his freedom – to both exercise it and as appropriate give it up – he goes on to challenge them to ensure they make sure their lives take into account the warnings that come through Israel’s history. He further compares eating at the Lord’s Supper with eating food offered to idols and says treat the former as holy and steer clear of the latter if it offends the conscience of another.]

v.1-14 Warnings from Israel’s History

[Passage Synopsis: Remember in the previous chapter Paul had been defending himself against arrogant boasters. Now he simply reminds them that we have a whole host of warnings in the form of the Old Testament, examples and warnings against unbelief, idolatry, immorality, even grumbling against God. In all this he is reminding them that the community of God’s people is supposed to be a holy community and God acts against unrighteousness.]

v.1-7 Illustrations from Israel’s past

v.1 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.

v.2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

v.3,4 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.

v.5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

v.6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.

v.7 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.” 

[Note: He wants to use the examples of Israel’s history. They experienced God with Moses on Sinai and crossing the Red Sea and God provided supernaturally for them by manna and water from the rock but, viewing outside of time, ultimately all their resources came courtesy of the work of Christ. They failed in faith and died in the wilderness, and this should come as a warning to us, so avoid idolatry, for the record shows many of them fell to this. [Exo 32:6]

v.8-11 Further lessons we should learn

v.8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.

v.9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.

v.10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

v.11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.

[Note: Likewise they mixed with foreign women – Num 25 – and many died. We should not test the Lord for when they grumbled many died – Num 21:4-9.  The record of these things stands as a warning to us today.]

v.12-14 Beware temptations that might pull you down

v.12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

v.13 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.

v.14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

[Note: So if [in your arrogant arguing] you feel secure, be careful, temptations come to all of us, although God will always provide a way of overcoming, so steer clear of worshipping anything other than God.]

v.15-22 The Lord’s Supper and Idol Feasts

[Passage Synopsis: Because we’ve just said we’re supposed to be a holy community, when we come to the Lord’s Supper or Communion, realise it is a holy meal. Idol worshippers share in the enemy and we should not, we should appreciate the holiness of the Lord’s Supper.]

v.15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.

v.16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

v.17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.

v.18 Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?

v.19 Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?

v.20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.

v.21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.

v.22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

[Note: I assume you will be sensible in the way you respond to what I say. No more is this true than in respect of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, a holy meal. We are to see ourselves as one body as we share in one loaf. Look at Israel; those priests who ate the sacrifice shared in the holiness of the occasion. I’m not trying to make idol food special, it’s nothing yet such sacrifices are to the enemy and I don’t want you to do that; you can’t share food from both camps for if you do you make God jealous.]

v.23-33 The Believer’s Freedom in Eating

[Passage Synopsis: Particularly in a day when food was often offered to idols, Paul takes the arguments about eating food into that arena, saying idol food is nothing but for the sake of the conscience of others it might be wiser not to eat it.]

v.23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.

v.24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

v.25,26 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” 

v.27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.

v.28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience.

v.29 I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience?

v.30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

v.31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

v.32,33 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

[Note: As we said before, we are free to live as we will but not everything is good and helpful; we shouldn’t be selfish but should consider others. Don’t worry about the background of what you buy in the market, see it as God’s provision [Psa 24:1]. Similarly, if a non-believer invites you to a meal and they boast it has been given to a sacrifice, for the sake of appearance, refuse it. It’s not your conscience at stake but you will be pricking theirs. If I thank God for it, that’s fine. So do all to God’s glory but be careful not to make others stumble. ]

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