1 Cor 10:11 “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

In this passage, Paul has just finished listing many of the sins of the Children of Israel while they wandered in the wilderness. He rehearses not only their sins, but also the consequences of their sin! These judgments of their sins were meant to be an “ensample” to their fellow Israelites. (Note: difference between “example” and “ensample”: These words are built by adding either the prefix “ex-” or “en-” to the root word of “sample”. The word “sample” has the idea of something that is representative. If you look at that idea, combined with these prefixes, you get the ideas of: something that is representative outward; and, something that is representative inward.) God executed these judgments upon the Israelites that sinned, so that they would be an “ensample” to those that weren’t judged to show them what happens when you sin against God. This was to instruct them not to disobey God.

After pointing out the “ensample” of the sinful Israelites to their fellow Israelites, Paul tells us that their record was written to admonish us, Christians. Merriam-Webster defines “admonish” as “counsel or warning against fault or oversight”. We don’t have to make the same mistakes, and sin the same sins as others to know they are wrong, to realize that there are consequences for them. God has providentially written down the experiences of those that have gone before us, so that we can be warned by them.

This leads to a question of application. Are you learning for the experiences of others in your Bible? This can only happen if you are spending time reading and studying your Bible. How are your devotions? Are you spending time in your Bible, so that God can admonish/counsel you from the experiences of others?

~ Nate