The Rock and the Cloud

I Corinthians 10:1  Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea.

When St. Paul says, “Brethren, I would not have you ignorant…” we know that he is about to impart some great spiritual truth or insight to us. Our epistle selection from I Corinthians 10 is certainly no exception to that rule. The Apostle begins by recalling the great miracles of the Old Testament to his first century Christians audience, many of whom were Jews, as well as the Greeks of Corinth. By so doing, he knew that these mighty acts would resonate in their collective consciences and thus have great significance to them. As we shall see, they also have great significance to us twenty-first century Christians as well. This passage also beautifully illustrates the unity of the Scriptures as we take instruction from both the Old Testament and the New.

It is significant, I believe, that St. Paul uses the term “our fathers” being under the cloud and passing through the sea. He is speaking of the Old Testament church, the holy people of God, who, although they had no blood relationship with the Gentile Church of Corinth, certainly were their spiritual forebears. As such, these people had the early promises of God in the form of the Old Covenant and were the first ones to have the possibility of a relationship with God Almighty. Paul says that they were “baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (I Corinthians 10:2). These, of course, are references to the mighty miracles God performed for the Israelites’ benefit when they were delivered from Egypt. They were led by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night as they proceeded out of the land of bondage, as told to us in the book of Exodus. When pursued by Pharaoh’s host, they were stopped briefly by the Red Sea. Moses, by the instruction and power of God, struck the sea with his rod and the waters parted for the people to pass through on dry land, even while God held back the Egyptians by the pillar of fire. As a result, the Israelites passed safely through the sea to freedom.

What is most fascinating about this passage is how St. Paul ties it to both an instruction and an admonition for the Corinthian church. First, he uses the term “baptism” to signify the change in the Israelites after this experience. Note here the use of a cloud and of water to signify this “baptism into Moses.” This cloud has significance, for we hear of a cloud many times in both the Old Testament and the New, always associated in some way with God’s glory. For example, God came to Moses in a great cloud when He came to speak to him. Ezekiel also saw a cloud, which most biblical scholars agree was the so-called Shikinah Glory Cloud, surrounding Ezekiel’s vision by the river Chebar. He also saw the glory of the Lord depart from the Temple in the same cloud. In the New Testament, we see Christ enveloped in a cloud, on the Mount of Transfiguration. Out of the cloud came the mighty voice of God the Father, proclaiming his joy and approval of His Son, Christ Jesus our Lord. Again, in the book of Hebrews, chapter 12, the author exclaims “seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Very likely, he is speaking about the Glory Cloud. Thus, it is no coincidence that Israel is overshadowed by a cloud as they move, protected and guided by the Almighty Hand of God. Even though their wanderings were, in actuality, punishment for their disbelief in the potential of the Promised Land, God still protected and guided them day and night.

Aside from the imagery of the cloud, St. Paul uses water to mention that the Israelites were “baptized into Moses.” As many commentators have observed, Israel passed through the sea and emerged a changed people. They entered the sea as a fleeing, fearful slave people but emerged on the other side as the free people of God. This change was not so much evidenced by their actions after they emerged, as much as by their nature. They had changed from a rabble of Egyptian slaves into a consecrated, sacramental people. Although we see a considerable percent still rebelling against God and wanting to return to Egypt as time progressed, the greater percent became the People of God. In the same way, using water, the New Testament Church would embrace Holy Baptism as the new covenantal sign for entrance into the Church of Jesus Christ. There is a marvelous duality here, as both peoples are bound in some way in the symbolic use of water.

St. Paul continues to tie both the Old Testament People of God and the first century Church by saying that the first people all ate the same spiritual meat, manna, and drank the same spiritual drink, the water from the Rock. Sometimes we forget about the ongoing miracle that God worked for his people as He provided the water-yielding Rock which was always near the Israelite camp. Paul says the Rock “followed” them and that Rock was Christ.

At any rate, the Jews always had life-giving water with them as they traveled. One must surely think of St. John 4 as Jesus tells the woman at the well about “living water.” Once again, the symbolism is the same: Christ gives us life.

The important point to remember here, as John Calvin reminds us, is that St. Paul is bringing forth the two dominical sacraments, Holy Baptism and the Holy Communion, in order to equate them to both the Old and New Testament Church. True, in the Old Testament these sacraments were at best shadowy and mysterious, but through the ministry of Jesus Christ, they would be brought to life and force for the New Testament Church. Thus, as the Israelites ate life-giving manna and drank the wondrous water from the Rock after having been baptized in the Red Sea, so would the Christian Church eat the Body and Blood of Jesus symbolically after having risen from the waters of Holy Baptism. In the larger sense, as we modern Christians know, God’s Story is the same: deliverance and salvation foreshadowed in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New by Jesus Christ.

These are the wonderful, positive, examples of the glory of God in our lives. Yet, St. Paul also takes occasion to instruct the Corinthians by using the Jews as a negative example. He mentions their lusting after evil things, such as the sin of Baal-Peor, where there was a mass defection by Israelites to pagan practices. Paul also references the great sin of the people at Mount Sinai, where they constrained Aaron to construct a great golden calf from their earrings and gold pieces. He says that the people were idolators, brcause they needed something visible and tangible among them to indicate the presence of God. Then, the people sinned more by engaging in a pagan feast and celebration in honor of it! Paul echoes the words of Exodus 32 as he tells us they “sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.” (1 Corinthians 10:7, Exodus 32:6). Note that these games would not be merely innocent athletic pursuits, but would involve all sorts of licentious, lewd dancing and celebrating involving nudity and ritual fornication in honor of their idol. It would not be the sort of behavior that God would expect or condone from His People. This would have special significance for the Corinthians, as they too were guilty of joining with their pagan associates in various feasts and bachaanals that were held routinely all over Corinth. In fact, as we learn in both Corinthian Epistles, sexual immorality was a problem for the Corinthian Church, even to the point of intra-family relations.

Paul continues with other sorts of sins that the Israelites committed, such as murmuring against God and against His leaders. One must think of the rebellion of Korah, where, after a confrontation, God opened the ground and swallowed up the rebels. Although our Lord does not act so drastically today when confronted with “murmurers” we’ve all been in congregations where the destructive power of the tongue is so evident.

The point is plain: just as the Old Testament Church foreshadowed the blessings of the New, so do the misdeeds and sins of God’s People provide us today with examples and lessons. The chief among these is a feeling of pride and self-satisfaction, because, after all these negative examples, St. Paul warns us, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (I Corinthians 10:12).

Just as the Corinthian Church, prosperous and rich, thought it was excellent and righteous, so do all of us in our private souls need to keep watch against spiritual pride and self-sufficiency. We must bear in mind that as Christians, anything good that we do comes not from us, but from the graciousness of God. It is always His Grace that impels us to the good and guards us from the bad. We too are guarded by God’s cloud of glory and grace. We too can take comfort from the Rock that is Christ always with us.

In one of the most inspiring and hopeful passages in the Epistles, St. Paul ends by giving us a glorious word of encouragement. First of all, he mentions that all of us are tempted in various ways, but all of them are the common temptations of man. No one is tempted in strange and unfamiliar ways. Also, most gloriously, no one is tempted above their ability to withstand it. God, in His mystery and glory, makes it possible to use both our human wills and His ever-present Grace to withstand temptation, if we want to. Ultimately, it’s up to us. If we want to be righteous, He is there to help us. If we desire freedom from sin, He is there. We are free, not bound or forced to embrace His love and mercy and grace. We are free to embrace the fullness of God. May we always call upon that grace in times of need. May we always seek that fullest, purest, most holy relationship with Him. AMEN.