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1 Corinthians 10
[11] Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. KJV

1 Corinthians 10
[11] All these events happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us, who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close. NLT

1 Corinthians 10
[11] These are all warning markers--DANGER!-in our history books, written down so that we don't repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel--they at the beginning, we at the end--and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. MSG

Examples of the children of Israel traveling through the desert to the Promised Land and how God dealt with them:

1) COMPLAINT #1 - Numbers 11: 1-3 The children of the Lord complained about their hardships.

[1] Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD , and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. [2] When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the LORD and the fire died down. [3] So that place was called Taberah, because fire from the LORD had burned among them. NIV

[1] The people fell to grumbling over their hard life. GOD heard. When he heard his anger flared; then fire blazed up and burned the outer boundaries of the camp. MSG

No sooner had the fire subsided and the children of the Lord began to complain AGAIN!

2) COMPLAINT #2 - Numbers 11:4-25 This time the children of the Lord complained about having only manna to eat.

[4] The riff-raff among the people had a craving and soon they had the People of Israel whining, "Why can't we have meat? [5] We ate fish in Egypt--and got it free!-to say nothing of the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic. [6] But nothing tastes good out here; all we get is manna, manna, manna."

[7] Manna was a seedlike substance with a shiny appearance like resin. [8] The people went around collecting it and ground it between stones or pounded it fine in a mortar. Then they boiled it in a pot and shaped it into cakes. It tasted like a delicacy cooked in olive oil. [9] When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna was right there with it.

Manna, manna, manna………….complain, complain, complain!

The Bible speaks of manna being likened to angels food so you would think that the people would be glad to eat the bread of angels and be content…..Wrong!

We remember the good things: fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onion, garlic.

Umm, umm good! But now all we have is this "Angel Bread" Nothing tastes good out here.

The children of Israel had a short memory:
•	They forgot about the hard taskmasters
•	They forgot about having to work in the slime pits to make mortar and work hard every day
•	They forgot they had to gather their own straw and yet make as many brick as before

Not only did the people complain to each other but they complained in their homes.

Numbers 11
[10] Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.

Moses start complaining with God.

[11] He asked the LORD , "Why have you brought this trouble on your servant?

What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? [What did I ever do to you to deserve this?] MSG
[12] Did I conceive all these people?

Did I give them birth?

Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers?

[13] Where can I get meat for all these people?

They keep wailing to me, 'Give us meat to eat!'

[14] I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.

[15] If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now-if I have found favor in your eyes-and do not let me face my own ruin." NIV

Moses then questions God's ability to feed all the people

[21] Moses said, "I'm standing here surrounded by 600,000 men on foot and you say, "I'll give them meat, meat every day for a month.'

[22] So where's it coming from? Even if all the flocks and herds were butchered, would that be enough? Even if all the fish in the sea were caught, would that be enough?"

[23] GOD answered Moses, "So, do you think I can't take care of you? You'll see soon enough whether what I say happens for you or not." MSG

God then shows his power in the miracle of the quail and then brings judgement.

[31] A wind set in motion by GOD swept quails in from the sea. They piled up to a depth of about three feet in the camp and as far out as a day's walk in every direction. [32] All that day and night and into the next day the people were out gathering the quail--huge amounts of quail; even the slowest person among them gathered at least sixty bushels. They spread them out all over the camp for drying. [33] But while they were still chewing the quail and had hardly swallowed the first bites, GOD's anger blazed out against the people. He hit them with a terrible plague. [34] They ended up calling the place Kibroth Hattaavah (Graves-of-the-Craving). There they buried the people who craved meat. [35] From Kibroth Hattaavah they marched on to Hazeroth.

3. COMPLAINT #3 - Numbers 12:1-3

[1] Miriam and Aaron talked against Moses behind his back because of his Cushite wife (he had married a Cushite woman).

[2] They said, "Is it only through Moses that GOD speaks? Doesn't he also speak through us?"
GOD overheard their talk.

[3] Now the man Moses was a quietly humble man, more so than anyone living on Earth.

Zipporah, Moses' wife, seems to have died some time before. Marriage with a Canaanite was forbidden, but not with an Egyptian or Cushite. Joseph's wife was an Egyptian (Gen. 41:45).

[4] At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you." So the three of them came out.

[5] Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam.

When both of them stepped forward,

[6] he said, "Listen to my words: "When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams.

[7] But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.

[8] With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD . Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"

[9] The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them.

[10] When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam-leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy;

[11] and he said to Moses, "Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed.

[12] Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away."

[13] So Moses cried out to the LORD , "O God, please heal her!"

Israel seemed like they go from one problem to the next. It seems they would learn from the previous problem to do what was right HOWEVER they continue to do the things that provoke the anger of the Lord.

4. They have unbelief at Kadesh-Barnea

Finally, God is fed up and disinherits them. Because of their sin of unbelief God does not allow any of those living at the time to cross over into the Promise Land except Joshua and Caleb. God even tells Moses that He is going to kill these people and raise up another people who would be mightier than these. Moses intercedes for the people telling God if He does that then the Egyptians will hear about it and tell the inhabitants of the land that their God was not able to bring them into the land.

God pardons them at Moses' word but because the children of Israel have tempted the Lord ten (10) times(Numbers 14:22) and did not listen to God's voice, God does not allow any of them to escape the wilderness. They wander for 40 years in the wilderness.

Psalms 78:
[7] That they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but might keep His commandments

[8] And might not be as their fathers--a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their hearts aright nor prepared their hearts to know God, and whose spirits were not steadfast and faithful to God.

[9] The children of Ephraim were armed and carrying bows, yet they turned back in the day of battle.

[10] They kept not the covenant of God and refused to walk according to His law

[11] And forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them.

[12] Marvelous things did He in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan [where Pharaoh resided].

[13] He divided the [Red] Sea and caused them to pass through it, and He made the waters stand like a heap.

[14] In the daytime also He led them with a [pillar of] cloud and all the night with a light of fire.

[15] He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as out of the deep.

[16] He brought streams also out of the rock [at Rephidim and Kadesh] and caused waters to run down like rivers.

[17] Yet they still went on to sin against Him by provoking and rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness (in the land of drought).

[18] And they tempted God in their hearts by asking for food according to their [selfish] desire and appetite.

[19] Yes, they spoke against God; they said, Can God furnish [the food for] a table in the wilderness?

[20] Behold, He did smite the rock so that waters gushed out and the streams overflowed; but can He give bread also? Can He provide flesh for His people?

[21] Therefore, when the Lord heard, He was [full of] wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob, His anger mounted up against Israel,

[22] Because in God they believed not [they relied not on Him, they adhered not to Him], and they trusted not in His salvation (His power to save).

[32] In spite of all this, they sinned still more, for they believed not in (relied not on and adhered not to Him for) His wondrous works.

[41] Time and again they pushed him to the limit, provoked Israel's Holy God.

[56] Yet they tempted and provoked and rebelled against the Most High God and kept not His testimonies.

I have said all that to say this:

The reason the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church as he did was his desire under the inspiration of the Spirit to sound a warning to the church then and this closing age of the church.

Let's notice carefully again his words in I Corinthians 10:1-12.

Warnings From Israel's History

[1] For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, 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; their bodies were scattered over the desert.

[6] Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on 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 drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry."

[8] We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.

[9] We should not test the Lord, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes.

[10] And do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel.

[11] 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, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! NIV

[3] They all ate [4] and drank identical food and drink, meals provided daily by God. They drank from the Rock, God's fountain for them that stayed with them wherever they were. And the Rock was Christ.

[5] But just experiencing God's wonder and grace didn't seem to mean much--most of them were defeated by temptation during the hard times in the desert, and God was not pleased.

[6] The same thing could happen to us. We must be on guard so that we never get caught up in wanting our own way as they did.

THE DANGER OF NOT GETTING THE MESSAGE:

Numbers 16 - Story of Korah and those whom God destroyed.

The very next day after God caused the ground to open up and swallow up their families before the entire assembly of the children of Israel the children of Israel came and murmured against Moses and Aaron……..the very next day!

Numbers 16:41
[41] The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. "You have killed the LORD's people," they said.

[42] But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared.

[43] Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting, [44] and the LORD said to Moses, [45]"Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once." And they fell facedown.

[46] Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD ; the plague has started." [47] So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. [48] He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.

[49] But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. [50] Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.

The point is: If we are not careful we can sit right here on these pews and get caught up in the very things the children of Israel did. The end result will be that we will fail to be saved ourselves and be with the Lord.