Is the Lord Among Us?

Who were the people Paul was describing, when he wrote, “Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer” (1 Corinthians 10:8-10, NKJV)?

These were not any of the heathen nations surrounding Israel. No, Paul was speaking here of believers, people of God’s own choosing!

In the wilderness, God’s people witnessed incredible miracles. They had been fed by supernatural means and had drunk water from a rock. They were well taught and well taken care of. However, the apostle tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:5 that these Israelites so displeased God that he “overthrew” them in the wilderness. The Hebrew word used here means, “He cast them out of his hand, scattering them to the ground like so much dust.”

What does this mean? The Lord was telling Israel, “I will not accept this from you. If you were innocent—if you hadn’t received spiritual food from my hand or seen evidence of my glory—then I would deal with you. But in spite of my many blessings, you have chosen lusts and idols. So, now I am going to scatter you and cast you out of my hands completely.”

How could this be? Why would the Lord deal so severely with his own people? Paul tells us very clearly that they tempted Christ. He is referring to an episode in Exodus 17 when the Israelites had just experienced the miracle of manna. The people did not earn or merit this supernatural food; the Lord fed it to them by his grace alone, and all they had to do was gather it up. However, they had no water. Immediately, the people accused Moses and God of being heartless liars who had led them into the wilderness to destroy them.

We tempt Christ when we have seen God’s clear provision and yet murmur, “Is God here? Does he even see my situation? He’s lied to me, claiming he loves me.” Dear believer, do not murmur these things, even in your heart! Trust your heavenly Father’s provision, that his eyes have not left your case. He is waiting to see if your heart will stay faithful.