Lessons from the Past (Rewind)

Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.  1 Corinthians 10:11  NASB

Our instruction – Paul is a curious teacher.  He actually expects his students to learn from the stories of the Tanakh.  In fact, he considers the Tanakh as “written for our instruction’ (nouthesian hemon).  That’s a bit stronger than a simple application.  This Greek word contains the idea of admonition.  It is very close to the Hebrew musar, a word that is not only instruction but also chastisement.  Why is this curious?  Because if Paul really taught that Torah has no value in the life of the new believer under grace, then he certainly picks a strange way of speaking about the teaching of the Torah.  To suggest that Torah is nouthesia is to suggest that it has authority; otherwise what would be the point of saying that it was written for our correction and admonition?  Could we use the Torah as examples without describing it as nouthesia?  Certainly.  Pastors do this all the time.  “Let’s take an example,” usually treats some Old Testament passage as a kind of verbal flannel-graph.  But those same pastors are likely to quickly assert that Torah has been done away with under the new dispensation.  Really?  Then why does Paul tell us that it has authority, enough authority to admonish us when we don’t follow its lessons?

So what is the lesson in the rabbinic Torah allusion?  The story is about the children of Israel, recently freed from slavery in Egypt, demanding a representation of YHVH in the form of a golden bull.  When this idol was finished, the people had a festival that included at least some pagan practices.  Paul uses this illustration to make the following point:  These people who were punished, who died because of their infraction, were the same people that God delivered out of Egypt.  In spite of grace, they acted disobediently and it cost them their lives.  Point:  Don’t be so arrogant in your newfound relationship with YHVH that you think obedience doesn’t matter any more.  You were rescued just like the children in the wilderness, and you can die just as easily.  Paul concludes, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”  Ah, yes, rescue isn’t quite as unobligated as we thought.  Hen implies hesed.  If you want God’s offer of grace, you will inherit God’s expectation of obedience.

Note that Paul deliberately speaks of the written Torah.  He could have said, “The Law and the traditions,” but he didn’t.  He tells us that what is written was intended for us.  It had meaning to those who heard it first, but its larger scope includes the present followers.  Since Paul deliberately uses egraphe (written), he can only have one thing in mind – the Tanakh.  Paul did not teach from the New Testament.  All of his instruction is derived from the Tanakh.  We might be inclined to say, “If it was good enough for Paul, it’s good enough for me.” In the end, each of us must settle the issue of the authority of the Tanakh, not the authority of Scripture.  Why the difference?  Because far too often believers say that they accept the entire Bible as their authority, but when it comes to practice, they start with Matthew and end with Revelation.

Topical Index: egraphe, hemon nouthesia, instruction, Torah, 1 Corinthians 10:11-12

AND FOR ALL OF YOU WHO RESPONDED YESTERDAY

These children say “Thank you.”