10:1-5 What is Paul's purpose in saying what he does here?
10:1-5 What is Paul's purpose in saying what he does here?
What Paul says here continues on from what he said in 9:27. Paul wants Christians to understand that one may be redeemed, partake of divine grace, and yet later be rejected of God because of evil conduct (CP 9:27 with 2Cor 13:5).
Ancient Israel had a redemptive experience similar to the experience of believers in the New Testament. The cloud Paul refers to in V1 is the pillar of a cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, in which God dwelt, and guided the Israelites on their journey in the wilderness (CP Ex 13:21-22; 14:19-20, 24; Nu 14:14).
The pillar of a cloud and the pillar of fire remained with the Israelites throughout the whole forty years of their wilderness journey (CP Ex 40:34-38 with Mt 28:20 and He 13:5).
The sea they all passed through is the Red Sea (CP Nu 14:25; 21:4; De 1:40; 11:2-5 with Ex 14:9, 13-16, 21-22, 29).
The Israelites also had sacramental ordinances in the wilderness similar to those of New Testament Christians.
Their baptism unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea is illustrative of New Testament believers' baptism in water, and into Christ and His body, the church (CP 1Cor 10:1-2 with 1Pe 3:18-21 and Ro 6:3-5; 1Cor 12:13; Ga 3:26-27).
The spiritual meat the Israelites ate and the spiritual drink they drank are typical of the elements of Christian communion (CP 1Cor 10:3-4 with Ex 16:4, 13-17; 17:1-7 and Jn 6:31-33, 47-58; 1Cor 11:23-26).
The manna, or bread from heaven which the Israelites ate in the wilderness typified Jesus as the bread of life in the New Testament. And the rock from which they drank was another Old Testament type of Jesus as the water of life, or the living water (CP Ex 17:1-6 with Jn 4:6-14).
As the Israelites received bread from heaven and water from the rock to sustain them in the wilderness, so New Testament Christians are also sustained by feasting on the living bread, and drinking of the living water - Jesus. As despite all their blessings a whole generation of Israelites died in the wilderness because of unbelief, and so failed to enter the promised land, so too New Testament Christians for their part are exhorted to take warning lest they fail also (CP 1Cor 10:6-12).
Paul teaches here that what befell the Israelites is a warning of what will befall us if we do not heed the warning. The words examples in V6, and ensamples in V11 mean type or figure. The history of the failure of the Israelites is summed up for us in Psa 78 (CP Psa 78:1-72).
See also comments on Ro 1:29-31; 1Cor 3:16-17(A), 6:9-10, 7:1-2, 10:1-5; Eph 4:25, 5:3-4; He 3:7-11, 4:11-12, 6:4-6, 19:26-31; 2Pe 2:20-21 and author's study Christian - Beware of Failing God's Grace and Forfeiting your Salvation in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 2).