September 16, 2024
Yesterday we talked about the curious case of Ananias and Sapphira. The time flew by, and I felt I had only pushed through about half of what I wanted to say. But, the main point was that the Church is made up of many individuals and that the whole is only as strong as the individuals that make it up.
We also talked about the idea that some of the severe or quick judgments on God’s people for their sins may have actually been a show of mercy. We quickly read through that amazing passage in 1 Corinthians, chapter 10 that, I think, said exactly that. Just to review, let’s look at it again;
1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness.
6 These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and to drink, and got up to indulge in revelry.” 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 Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel.
11 Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall. 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 an escape, so that you can stand up under it.
Notice that the severe judgments, or from a New Testament perspective, the WAGES of sin was death, however, Paul said these things happened as “examples”, or in Greek, “tupos” and were written down as “warnings” for us. It’s as though he is hinting that, as tragic as those events may have been, God used them for His own redemptive purposes, and those redemptive purposes have to do with us!
To flesh this concept out, let’s drill down a bit more on a few words in the original language of this passage to bring the big picture into better focus. “Example” or “Tupos” is the word Jesus used in his conversation with doubting Thomas. He said, “put your finger in the ‘tupos’ in my hands and side, and stop being faithless and believe.” The Greek word translated “warning” or “admonition” here is a compound word. It means to take the mind and put it in the right place.
Then in the last verse he says that dealing with temptation is the one thing all human beings have in common, but that God will make a way of “escape” for us. The Greek word translated “escape” is also a compound word and means to be taken “OUT of one place and TO another place that allows you to march forward.”
When we factor all those nuances together we can see even more clearly that the “way of escape” that God provides for us in the midst of inevitable trials and temptations is the marks (tupos) left in the pages of the living Word of God about those who received the wages of their sins in a very open and frightening way.
In other words, even the story of Ananias and Sapphira can provide a redemptive “reset” for us when we are tempted to covet, to be greedy or to serve “mammon” rather than God. Reading about their cautionary tale helps to take our minds, filled with tempting thoughts, and place them back on the right road…the road that leads us to knowing Jesus and making Him known.
PRN: Father, how good You are. You are slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Even in judgment, you show mercy. Thank you for Your Word. It is our lifeline and the means through which you bring merciful correction into our lives. Please bring the “tupos” of Scripture to our minds as we encounter temptations, and be glorified by leading us in the paths of righteousness for Your Name’s sake. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
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