Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Debelak
Did that prohibit me from "eating" or appreciating the substance of what was being shared?
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Peter,
I believe the need to "flee idolatry" is a call to the hearts and minds of the Corinthian believers, but not with each man operating in island mode. Rather, we are brothers and sisters in the Lord and can help one another just as we have done on some of these forums.
I think I understand some of where you are coming from. I would like to respond with two things which are not necessarily direct responses to all of your inquiry. I've been studying 1 Corinthians 10 pretty closely and even in connection to the whole issue of Balaam and Balak as we looked at it in Revelation 2:14.
Let me start with the verse from John that many are familiar with:
Joh 6:63
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
I believe it has been previously pointed out that the word "word" in the greek here is actually
rhema, not
logos. I believe this is relevant. Jesus Christ is saying that the words
He speaks to you are spirit and they are life. In my life I have to agree with this. Sometimes the "words" that others speak to me, even if they are from the Bible itself are not spirit and not life to me. Why? Because the Lord did not give them to me. I'm not discounting knowledge of the Word or study of the Word. It is the study and knowledge of the Word keeping the Lord as my Lord that has allowed His Word to be spoken to me at various times. I have been caught in the trap at times of study and knowledge of the Word in such a way that I believe I have gained some measure of control over it. The Bible can be lifted over God himself in some cases (I believe we know one of them from our previous foruming) in how a man relates to the concepts in the Word.
Now moving to 1 Corinthians 10 for a minute.
Paul parallels the OT children of Israel who have just exited Egypt with us. He makes a
very strong and surprising parallel. He tells us that the children of Israel were eating and drinking the very same spiritual meat and spiritual drink.
1Co 10:1-4
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; (2) And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; (3) And did all eat the same spiritual meat; (4) And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
The spiritual meat and drink of the OT children of Israel was manna from heaven and water from the rock. It was Christ.
Personally, I believe there is a strong linkage to John 6:63 here in 1 Corinthians 10 and when you explore the rest of it.
1 Corinthians 10 shows us that we cannot have the table of the Lord and the table of demons. They don't go together. What is the Lord's table? Is it not the Lord coming to dine with us and us with him. I know that the LC emphasizes the whole "eating" thing. I'm not going off on that tangent, but I believe it is important to realize the significance of what is happening at the Lord's table. It is communion at table with the Lord. There are pictures of this in the OT that help to clarify this further.
So, what happens when a man comes to the table of the Lord and offers up "Brother Lee says..." in reverence to Lee? Or what happens when someone offers up "in the Lord's Recovery we have..." in reverence to a unique (and conceptually divided) portion of the Body of Christ?
What is happening here? Are we remembering the Lord for what He did on the Cross that would bring us all into one body with all believers? Or are we partaking of something else when we begin to "partake" of what this man has offered to his/her idol?
I believe that when this happens we begin to mix the wrong kinds of things together with the table of the Lord. God cannot stand it. He departs. We cannot have both. From what I have heard this did not happen instantly, but the Enemy introduced an "angel of light" who had much "knowledge of the Word", but was dirty. He (the Enemy) subtly replaced the table of the Lord with the table of demons. I know this will not come across well. Sorry. I'm continuing to be blunt, because it is time to move beyond ignorance on some of these issues.
Again, back to Corinthians 10. The idol is nothing, but if we know something is offered to an idol we are not supposed to accept it. It is not holy. It's not in communion with the Lord, but with something else.
Back to the point here, we are given manna from heaven. We have the Lord in our lives and we have His Word. We are able to partake without adding to or taking away from the meal He provides (Give us this day our daily bread). We can become aware of when others are making their offering to someone other than the Lord. It may not have been possible in the past because of the level of ignorance among God's children, but God has been faithful to provide and begin to help us see.
We are given much admonition and instruction in the OT, which many set aside and put under the title of "that's Old Covenant, i'm under the New Testament" without realizing how much God gave us in the Old Covenant for our protection. It is rich with so much that the Lord can use to help shine light in our hearts. It can lead us to Christ (as Paul says) and it can help us guard against idols.
There is no way to avoid our sins of ignorance when they are done in true ignorance. We must be faithful to repent when the light comes and count on the mercies of God. He is faithful. Having been given a measure of light, we seek to be diligent knowing that even in our efforts (and with knowledge) we will still fail. We must be faithful to repent and again, receive the mercy of God. He is faithful.
Remember Paul calls on the OT in 1 Cor 10 to instruct the Corinthians and tells not to be ignorant (Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant). We can become informed, but this alone will not protect us.
We have to receive our spiritual food from
one source. The Lord. We must learn how to walk in obedience to Him with the full knowledge of how much he loves us and is a true shepherd over us even if we are wayward sheep because we can be so dumb at times. I know I need a good shepherd. I've been a real idiot on many more than one occasion.
Important Note: I have no thought or ideal that people should only read the Bible. The Lord has spoken ("rhema") to me in various ways. Almost all of it through or based on scripture, but the main thing is that it is from the Lord. I have come to realize that in my life I have received things from other sources (not God) which have lead me astray and as I realize it, I simply repent of it and return back to the Lord.
Matt