The Pattern of Israel

So far in our study on discipleship, we’ve defined what a disciple is: he is chosen and loved by God, he abides in and waits on the Lord, and he serves others and makes disciples. The next obvious question is, “How do we make disciples?” If we are commanded to make them, what are the methods and tools we are to use? I began to answer this question last week, as we saw in Jesus’ Great Commission the command to “teach them to observe what I’ve commanded you.” As I pointed out, there are two actions there – teaching and observing (or holding fast to). So, as we did with the word “mathetes”, now I want to turn to the concept of observing or holding fast to the teachings of Christ as we walk as a disciple, and as we make other disciples.

There is an important Greek word, which Bible translators render as “example”. It is the Greek word, typos. It means “a pattern”, a “form”, or a “mold.” The Apostle Paul uses this word whenever he gives instruction to his disciples, and over the next four weeks we are going to look at four places where Paul instructs his disciples to follow a pattern. Today, we start with 1 Cor. 10:1-11, as we see that a disciple is to follow the pattern of Old Testament Israel as a witness and a warning.

First, let’s consider the pattern that Old Testament Israel gives us as a witness to the faithfulness of God. The point that Paul is making here is set within a broader teaching on the willingness that a disciple should have to give up his own rights for the sake of other believers. He’s just explained that a mature believer should be willing to sacrifice his own preferences and interests for the sake of his weaker brother. Now, he turns to a warning. He warns mature believers not to make an idol out of their freedom. There is real danger, because we are saved by grace and set free from the Law in Christ, that we would allow that freedom to get in the way of our relationship with the Lord and to harm the walk of other believers. For example, we understand, as Paul says in Rom. 14, that there is no day that is more sacred than the other, so if we miss church one Sunday, we haven’t sinned and broken faith with God. But, there is real danger in reveling in that freedom, and then missing every Sunday except for Easter and Christmas. To do that is to make an idol of your freedom, and God abhors idolatry.

To prove that God abhors idolatry, Paul points to the pattern of OT Israel. In verses 1-4, Paul makes three connections between the work of God in the OT and his work in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. First, he says that the fathers of OT Israel experienced God in the cloud and the sea. He’s referring to two powerful acts of God’s faithfulness to Israel: the pillar of fire and smoke that lead them out of Egypt, and the parting of the Red Sea. Both faithful acts have connection with Jesus’ ministry.  Clouds, for one, are always associated with the glory of God. In Isaiah 6, we read that smoke filled the heavenly throne room as Isaiah experienced the presence of God. In Daniel 7 we read that the Son of Man will come riding on a cloud. So, it’s no small thing that in Matt. 17:5, when the disciples witness Jesus transfigured before their eyes, that a cloud descends and a voice calls out, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.” The sea also represents God’s gracious deliverance of Israel. You remember how the Israelites were defenseless against the menacing Egyptian chariots. But God graciously parted the sea and they walked through on dry ground while that same water swallowed up their enemies. Twice, Jesus showed this same power and grace by delivering his disciples from the storm and walking on water. So Paul says that the cloud and the sea were like a baptism for the people of Israel. They faithfully followed God in the pillar of smoke through water, and on the other side they received deliverance from bondage. In a similar way, we follow Jesus Christ through the waters of baptism, and through faith in him we are delivered from bondage to sin and death.

The second connection Paul makes between OT Israel and the Gospel is in the spiritual food and drink that they enjoyed. In verse 3, Paul says that they ate spiritual food and drank spiritual drink. This refers to two instances in the book of Exodus. Spiritual food refers to the manna that God provided in the wilderness. Spiritual drink refers to the water that flowed from the rock. Paul intends both references to draw our minds to spiritual food and drink that we now enjoy in Christ. As Jesus says, in John 6, he is the bread of life, and anyone who eats his flesh has eternal life. In John 4, he tells the woman at the well that he will give her living water which will spring up to eternal life.

This leads me to the third Gospel connection that Paul makes with OT Israel. In verse 4 he says that the rock that Israel received water from was Christ. Now, in saying this, Paul does not mean that God the Son took the form of a rock and issued forth water for the Israelites. Instead, what he means to show is that every OT story points to Jesus. Every OT story is a story of sin, judgment, grace, faith, and redemption. So, every OT story ultimately points to Jesus Christ. The Word that created the world in Genesis 1 points to Christ. The deliverance of Noah through the baptism of a flood points to Christ. The sacrifice of Isaac points to Christ. The deliverance of Israel from slavery points to Christ. All of it points to Jesus. It is all a pattern that points to God’s graciousness and faithfulness to his people, even when they are hard hearted and rebellious.

That brings me to my second point, the warning of Israel. In verses 6-11, Paul says that the stories of Israel give us another pattern. In verse 6 it says that these things took place to serve “as examples, that we may not desire evil.” Again, in verse 11 it says that they were written for our instruction. The word “instruction”, in verse 11, is better translated as a rebuke or warning. So, the failures of Israel are recorded for us as a warning, that we may not follow their examples in their faithlessness and idolatry.

There is a great deal of confusion about how to rightly handle the OT. So, I want to end by challenging two errant ways of reading these stories of Israel. First, many people make the error of straining at gnats with the OT stories. As a pastor, I’ve dealt with some strange questions and beliefs. People will get caught up on the smallest of details and miss the larger picture of the story. For example, some have read a justification for race-based slavery into the story of Noah and his sons in Genesis 9. Others obsess over the meaning of David’s selection of five stones in 1 Samuel 17. Yet, those details are not the point of the story, and to strain at them is to miss the bigger picture of those OT stories.

Second, some read the OT stories as examples that give us principles for moral living. Now, I want to be careful here, because it is true, as I just preached, that the OT believers are examples to us. But, I want to draw a distinction and say that we need to follow the right example. Here’s what I mean. Paul says that Abraham is the father of faith. So, we can read the story of Abraham and see that faith is a matter of perseverance. But, what we should never do is look at Abraham’s story as an example of godly marriage or how to be a shrewd business man. Samson does not give us an example of sexual purity. David’s story isn’t there to show us how to face the giants of our life. And, Daniel wasn’t written to give us a biblical diet plan. As I said earlier, all of these stories teach us about God’s faithfulness, which should point us to Christ.

Instead of mining the OT for minute details or trying to find principles for healthy living, we should see in them a pattern of God’s faithfulness, and a warning of how easily we can fall into temptation and the sins of idolatry and faithlessness. We should also recognize in those stories the pattern of faithful men and women. We should imitate Abraham in his faith. We should follow Moses in his obedience. We should desire David’s heart for God. We should pray for Daniel’s courage to stand for truth in a wicked nation. May we leave this place seeking to pattern our lives in faithfulness to our God.