1 Corinthians 10

1 Corinthians 10:1-33 . DANGER OF FELLOWSHIP WITH IDOLATRY ILLUSTRATED IN THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL: SUCH FELLOWSHIP INCOMPATIBLE WITH FELLOWSHIP IN THE LORD'S SUPPER. EVEN LAWFUL THINGS ARE TO BE FORBORNE, SO AS NOT TO HURT WEAK BRETHREN.

1. Moreover--The oldest manuscripts read "for." Thus the connection with the foregoing chapter is expressed. Ye need to exercise self-denying watchfulness notwithstanding all your privileges, lest ye be castaways. For the Israelites with all their privileges were most of them castaways through want of it.
ignorant--with all your boasted "knowledge."
our fathers--The Jewish Church stands in the relation of parent to the Christian Church.
all--Arrange as the Greek, "Our fathers were all under the cloud"; giving the "all" its proper emphasis. Not so much as one of so great a multitude was detained by force or disease ( Psalms 105:37 ) [BENGEL]. Five times the "all" is repeated, in the enumeration of the five favors which God bestowed on Israel ( 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 ). Five times, correspondingly, they sinned ( 1 Corinthians 10:6-10 ). In contrast to the "all" stands "many (rather, 'the most') of them" ( 1 Corinthians 10:5 ). All of them had great privileges, yet most of them were castaways through lust. Beware you, having greater privileges, of sharing the same doom through a similar sin. Continuing the reasoning ( 1 Corinthians 9:24 ), "They which run in a race, run all, but one receiveth the prize."
under the cloud--were continually under the defense of the pillar of cloud, the symbol of the divine presence ( Exodus 13:21 Exodus 13:22 , Psalms 105:39 ; compare Isaiah 4:5 ).
passed through the sea--by God's miraculous interposition for them ( Exodus 14:29 ).

2. And--"And so" [BENGEL].
baptized unto Moses--the servant of God and representative of the Old Testament covenant of the law: as Jesus, the Son of God, is of the Gospel covenant ( John 1:17 , Hebrews 3:5 Hebrews 3:6 ). The people were led to believe in Moses as God's servant by the miracle of the cloud protecting them, and by their being conducted under him safely through the Red Sea; therefore they are said to be "baptized unto" him ( Exodus 14:31 ). "Baptized" is here equivalent to "initiated": it is used in accommodation to Paul's argument to the Corinthians; they, it is true, have been "baptized," but so also virtually were the Israelites of old; if the virtual baptism of the latter availed not to save them from the doom of lust, neither will the actual baptism of the former save them. There is a resemblance between the symbols also: for the cloud and sea consist of water, and as these took the Israelites out of sight, and then restored them again to view, so the water does to the baptized [BENGEL]. OLSHAUSEN understands "the cloud" and "the sea" as symbolizing the Spirit and water respectively ( John 3:5 , Acts 10:44-47 ). Christ is the pillar cloud that screens us from the heat of God's wrath. Christ as "the light of the world" is our "pillar of fire" to guide us in the darkness of the world. As the rock when smitten sent forth the waters, so Christ, having been once for all smitten, sends forth the waters of the Spirit. As the manna bruised in mills fed Israel, so Christ, when "it pleased the Lord to bruise Him," has become our spiritual food. A strong proof of inspiration is given in this fact, that the historical parts of Scripture, without the consciousness even of the authors, are covert prophecies of the future.