Reflection on 1Cor 10:10

“Nor grumble, as some of them did

and were destroyed by the Destroyer.”

Concerning the sin of grumbling against God, the apostle Paul recalls an event that occurred after the Israelites miraculously crossed the Red Sea. Then they could immediately enter the land God had promised them. It was the land their fathers came out of when they descended into Egypt 430 years earlier. Now they were to return there. God promised to be with them and to overcome the pagan nations. Moses sent spies into the land to find out the details so that he could determine exactly how to proceed in taking the land. However, when the spies returned, they put a terrible fear into the people. Caleb and Joshua, on the other hand, reassured the people, “We will enter this land flowing with milk and honey. The Lord will give us this land, trust in Him.” But the Israelites were so strong in their spirit of fear that they even wanted to rebel against Moses and stone Joshua and Caleb. Moses therefore cried to the Lord in prayer, and God spoke to him, saying, “How long will this wicked community grumble against Me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.

So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: In this desert your bodies will fall – every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against Me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. But you – your bodies will fall in this desert. Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. For forty years – one year for each of the forty days you explored the land – you will suffer for your sins.’” (Nm 14:26-34)

Each of us can search our conscience as to how we accept even the slightest trials that God allows in our life. How many times we grumble before others instead of trusting God, waiting patiently and believing that God can turn even the greatest evil into good. By our grumbling, we not only sin against God, but we give offence to other people. We should then apologize, confess our sin of unbelief and distrust in God, and repent publicly before those before whom we have poured out our gloomy feelings and murmurings.

We will repeat this word of life for two weeks. May we recall the various grumblings of the past, since the time we believed in the Lord, so that we may immediately repent and beat our chests at least three times, saying: “Lord, have mercy.”

Before this word of life, the apostle explains, “For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: ‘The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.’ We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did – and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did – and were killed by snakes.” (1Cor 10:1-9) Then there is the word we reflect on: “Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the Destroyer,” and then the apostle emphasizes, “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. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (vv. 11-12)

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