“But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Corinthians 10:5 Mean?
"But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness." Paul points to Israel's wilderness generation as a warning. They had every spiritual advantage: miraculous deliverance from Egypt, the cloud, the sea crossing, manna, water from the rock. And God was not pleased with most of them. They were "overthrown" — literally, their corpses were scattered across the wilderness. Privilege and provision did not guarantee approval.
Paul presents this as directly relevant to the Corinthian church (v. 6: "these things were our examples"). The Corinthians similarly had spiritual advantages — baptism, the Lord's Supper, spiritual gifts — and were similarly in danger of presumption. The warning is: don't assume that spiritual experiences guarantee spiritual safety.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What spiritual experiences or advantages might you be relying on as proof that you're okay with God?
- 2.How did Israel see so many miracles and still fail — and are you at risk of the same pattern?
- 3.What does it mean that spiritual provision doesn't guarantee spiritual safety?
- 4.What is God's power supposed to produce in you beyond the experience itself?
Devotional
They had everything. The cloud by day, the fire by night, the Red Sea parting, manna every morning, water from a rock. Every spiritual advantage God could provide. And most of them died in the wilderness, never seeing the promised land.
"God was not well pleased." The understatement is chilling. He wasn't just disappointed. Their bodies were scattered across the desert. An entire generation — minus two — failed to enter what God had prepared for them. Not because the provisions were insufficient. Because their hearts were wrong.
Paul writes this as a warning to the Corinthian church, and it's a warning for you too. Having spiritual experiences doesn't guarantee spiritual safety. Being baptized, taking communion, attending worship, seeing God move — none of it automatically means you're in good standing. Israel had the ancient equivalent of every church sacrament and still fell.
The wilderness generation's problem wasn't lack of evidence. They'd seen more miracles than any generation before them. Their problem was that encounters with God's power didn't produce faithfulness. They saw the miracles and still craved Egypt. They ate the manna and still wanted what they'd left behind.
If you've experienced God's power — if you've seen him move in real ways — don't assume the experience protects you. The question isn't what you've experienced. It's what the experience produced in you.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
But with many of them God was not well pleased,.... As he is with none but those that are in Christ; and with none of…
But with many of them ... - That is, with their conduct. They rebelled and sinned, and were destroyed. The design of the…
They were overthrown in the wilderness - And yet All these persons were under the cloud - All passed through the sea -…
In order to dissuade the Corinthians from communion with idolaters, and security in any sinful course, he sets before…
with many of them Rather, most. The point aimed at is, that in spite of their high privileges and great opportunities,…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture