My dad served in the military for 30 years as a dentist. One particular memory I have while growing up was when he would bring home some color slides that he would load up in his slide projector and have us boys sit down to watch. They were pictures of the most hideous mouths you had ever seen. I mean, we are talking close up color images of rotten teeth and mouths devoured by gum disease. Why, you ask... would he subject three young boys to such images? He wanted to get across to us what could happen if we didn’t take good care of our teeth. Let me assure you, on those evenings we were subjected to viewing those images, (that I can still see in my head today)...we would spend an extraordinary amount of time that night brushing our teeth furiously...before we went to bed.

When I was back in Texas and spending much time taking pictures with my cameras, one particular event I found myself photographing annually in the local schools were these presentations put on by local law officers and EMT and rescue departments. Perhaps you are familiar with the term ‘Mock Wreck’. In a nutshell, a horrific car accident scene was staged with old cars towed in to recreate a collision scene and the aftermath with empty beer cans strewn about along with banged up, severely injured...and yes...always one dead high school student, complete with dramatic makeup, screaming mothers, and ‘jaws of life’ being used to dismantle car doors to get the injured kids out. Helicopters were flown in and local funeral businesses got involved playing out in dramatic fashion...the possible outcome of what could happen to you if you got careless and drove drunk or distracted. These were usually put on in the spring as proms and graduations drew near. On more than one occasion, I found myself wiping away a tear or two even while behind my camera as I documented the drama play out.

With these mock wreck presentations, it was usually the upperclassmen (11-12th grade) students who were paraded out to stand and watch these events unfold. Snapping photos of those students wiping away tears as a sheet or coat was placed over their ‘dead’ classmate while a screaming mother arrived on the scene... was a given. But as you might expect, there were always the scoffers who saw it all as a joke, not to be taken seriously. I picked up over the years that one or two officials would be looking for those who seemed amused, and would not berate them, but would usually call them out to help load the body into the hearse that was waiting nearby.

Whether trying to educate your boys to brush their teeth, or to discourage bad driving practices...the message was always loud and clear- “This could happen to you!”...Don’t be dumb! God only knows how effective these presentations were, but obviously...people today still make bad choices and suffer needlessly...the consequences of their actions; and even worse, other ‘innocent’ people suffer as well. Which all leads me back to what we have been studying this past week. God was trying to get across to His people, as He still is today... we would do well to listen to Him and heed His words. And in our New Testament, we have two chapters in particular that pointed back to this first generation of people who God delivered from their bondage of slavery back in Egypt, as He truly wanted to bless them and bring them into a good land. But there were ‘conditions’. And they just didn’t ‘get it’, despite the clear warnings given to them by God.

Paul points to this group in his first letter to the Corinthians which we read about in chapter 10. But keep in mind, before we get to chapter 10, Paul begins by making it known that “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing...” (1 Cor. 1:18). And may I remind you once again...it is “not the will of God for ANY...to perish, but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). Yes...Jesus Himself had much to say on this matter as well (Luke 13:1-5).

Then, we read in 1 Cor. 3 where Paul is calling out those ‘babes in Christ’ who are still walking in and demonstrating ‘carnal’ behavior like ‘envy and strife’, rebuking them for not ‘growing up’ (3:1-3). Sadly, many in the church today look at that text as if to excuse their own carnality...thinking they are ‘safe and saved’ because of some distorted message on ‘grace’ they have been taught. Paul would address these folks in his second letter warning them that unless they repented of such behavior...that things would not be pretty when he came to see them (2 Cor. 12:20-21). How serious was he regarding this? Well, Galatians 5:21 might give you a better idea.

Then there was the matter of some sin in the church there that was not being dealt with... in chapter 5. It seems as if they had turned a blind eye to the sexual immorality taking place among them...and Paul was not happy, nor was God. You might want to refresh your memory on how they were counseled to deal with this individual in verses 1-6. They were NOT commended for wringing their hands as they asked themselves: “Who are we to judge one another...since nobody is perfect...right?” On the contrary, to whom did Paul advise this man be ‘handed over to’ in vs 5? And for what purpose? (You might also jot down Heb. 12:7-11)

Clearly...Paul was not on some mission in this first letter to the Corinthians to tickle ears and gain adoration from the congregants. Look at chapter 6:9-11 and see if you can detect a serious tone in his words there, while exhorting them to ‘be not deceived’. And then, we get to chapter 10 as he pleads with them...’not wanting them to be ignorant or unaware’ (10:1). He then spends the next 10 verses reminding them of their ‘fathers’, that first generation who came out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses, and how they experienced God’s goodness in their deliverance...and yet...we read in vs. 5 that “with most of them...God was not well pleased...for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.”

If you took the time yesterday to read the rest of Numbers 14, you saw what became of that first group out of Egypt. Instead of going in to possess the land, they wandered aimlessly for the next 39 years as they dropped off and died in the desert, as Paul just reminded the Corinthians. And as I pointed out...the reason they did not go in...was because they refused to believe what God had told them about overcoming the enemies that were on the land. All but two of them ...were convinced...they could not be victorious...despite God’s promise. So God basically washed His hands of them...and said ‘Fine. Have it your way!”

So why point all this out today? Well, Paul tells us why... there in 1 Cor. 10:6-11. You can read for yourself. I hope you join me back here tomorrow.