“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. … Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (1 Corinthians 10:1-4, 11)
For anyone familiar with the Old Testament, these verses remind us how the Israelites were miraculously delivered from Egypt; how they traveled, under the visible presence of God, right through the Red Sea; and how they were fed for forty years with manna in the wilderness. Then the Apostle Paul makes it very clear that all those events and circumstances certainly were not due to random fate. In fact, they were not only intended to benefit the Israelites. God also had mind New Testament believers down to this very day.
I see two profound lessons in this thought. First, God is so powerful, wise, and sovereign that He remains in ultimate control even while giving humans free will and allowing them to disobey Him. This becomes incredibly good news when we realize that God’s ultimate plan is the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28-39). I’d encourage you to let your mind dwell on that for a while.
Secondly, God’s plan is not small or simple. It is awesome in depth and breadth, to the degree that the incredible stories we find in the Bible were carried out not only because of, and in the interest of, the people in the stories, but also for us who are coming behind. There is a goldmine of rich truth in the types given in the Old Testament and revealed in the New Testament.
The latest article from Harold S. Martin is a study of one group of types: The Annual Festivals in Israel. As you consider the meaning of those rituals from thousands of years ago, remember that we serve the same God today — and He is still weaving the details of your life into the vast fabric of His good plan.
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