“As we study history, we must first understand that we never learn anything from history.” And so, it is—each generation seems to repeat the same mistakes made by previous generations. You would think that every member of the human race was in the same position as Adam and Eve—each one picking and eating the forbidden fruit, believing that he personally had invented a wonderful world of disobedience wherein he would be as wise as God (Genesis 3:5–6).
In I Corinthians 10:6 and 11, God warns us, “You had better learn from history. You had better learn from what happened before. All these things which are recorded in the Scriptures happened as examples for us, and were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.” God wants to teach us through the things that happened in the Scriptures. Every time you read a book from the Old Testament, you should pray, “Lord, what are You trying to tell me in this?” It is good to listen to God; He has many ways of speaking. He spoke to Moses out of a burning bush (Exodus 3:2–4) and to Elijah in a still, small voice (I Kings 19:12–13). He speaks to us out of His Word. And if we can hear Him, He will speak to us out of the circumstances of our life.
For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness. Now these things happened as examples for us, that we should not crave evil things, as they also craved. And do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.” Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. I Corinthians 10:1–10.
You may be thinking, “I have never committed any of those sins. I have never made for myself an image to worship. I have never craved after evil things. I have not acted immorally. I have never tried the Lord.” That may be true, but are you murmuring and grumbling about the way things are going in your life, and even everywhere else in the world?
There is a vast scope of sins which can alienate you from God. Read about the windup of events described at the end of the book of Revelation, and you will notice that the fearful and the unbelieving are the first to go into the lake of fire. Following are the murderers, immoral persons, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars. It is interesting that of all those sinners, it is the fearful and the unbelieving who lead the way into judgment (Revelation 21:8). Are you fearful? To begin with, fearfulness is a lack of trust in God. Are you unbelieving? Then you are not trusting God either. Perhaps you never murdered anybody or committed any of those sins listed in Revelation 21:8; but are you fearful and unbelieving? Do you grumble?
Are you a little more disturbed about things in your life now than you have been in the past? Perhaps there are more things to disturb you now than before; so weigh this in your heart: “Am I murmuring? Am I grumbling?” Constantly check yourself to see if you have a pure spirit, a right spirit. It must always be there. Even when you are winding up the slingshot to hit your Goliath, stop and examine your motives: “Am I doing this with vindictiveness? or am I doing it with the same spirit David had when he said, ‘I come at you in the name of the Lord’?” (I Samuel 17:45.) There must be a pure motivation in your spirit.
Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. I Corinthians 10:11. Everything that happened to the people we read about in the Scriptures happened for the purpose of teaching us. God has never done anything that was an end in itself. It was always a means to bring forth something more, a lesson to teach those who were to come along later. Isn’t that wonderful?
What marvelous grace God visited upon Saul of Tarsus. He became a wonderful preacher, the Apostle Paul who wrote one third of the New Testament. Imagine that man, who once persecuted the people of the Lord, being used so mightily by God! (Galatians 1:23.) He was to be an example of grace for the people coming into Christ after him, so that they could rejoice, “If God saved the chief of sinners, then there is room for me, a ‘lieutenant’ (I Timothy 1:15). God must love me very much too.”
I Corinthians 10:12–13 is of special importance to what the Lord is speaking to us right now. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Verse 12. The first lesson you learn from all the experiences of the men in the Bible is to not get cocky. Never think that you can trust in your own flesh. Never say, “Other people may fail, but I will not fail!” Remember how Peter confidently announced, “Oh, Jesus! Though all men forsake You, I will never forsake You.” But Jesus answered him, “Peter, the rooster will not crow” (in other words, the night will not pass) “until you have denied Me three times” (Matthew 26:33–34). That is exactly what happened.
“Let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Never feel that you are so set, so dedicated, that no one could ever offend you to the point where you would fail God. We walk with God through this world very carefully, lest we fall under the same temptations as others before us (I Corinthians 10:13). We learn from them that we too can fall if we give ourselves over to grumbling or the various other sins under which they fell. On one occasion, twenty-three thousand people fell in one day because of a tide of immorality in Israel (I Corinthians 10:8).
Do not be quick to say, “All of those failures that happened to Israel could never happen to me.” You don’t know that. But for the grace of God, every one of us has a potential to fail. And as long as the Adamic nature has any course in you, you do not know what you would do if you were put under the right circumstances. You do not know what will happen to you. Just open your heart and say, “Lord, I will walk carefully before You.” Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Oh, what carefulness was wrought in you through your repentance over the immorality in your midst” (II Corinthians 7:11).
The carefulness that Paul wrote about is not the same as being legalistic. A legalistic person thinks that in order to be considered religious, he must wear a very pious, pained expression. I do not want you to be legalistic. That strained effort is not the carefulness that God is setting before us. I Corinthians 10:12 speaks of the carefulness which every believer should have: “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Simply do not allow yourself to be in the place where temptation will come to you. But if it does come, remember that no temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it. I Corinthians 10:13.
In this verse is the heart of this Word. You must believe that no temptation can overtake you but such as is common to man, and that God will be faithful to give you a way out of it. There is always an escape hatch in every situation. Neither devil nor man can ever put you into a situation where there is not a way out. No temptation will threaten you without God being faithful to provide a way of escape. What about those testings in which you are pressed beyond measure? Paul spoke of how he and the other apostles went through such severe affliction that they despaired even of life itself (II Corinthians 1:8). God put them in a place where there did not seem to be any answer at all. (Actually, there was no answer!) You will not find in yourself any strength to take you through extremely difficult times either. Just make sure that you understand what God is saying to you. He is not saying, “You will be tempted, but you will be able to handle it.” He is saying, “There is a way of escape.”
Does this mean that you can slip out of it? You know better than that! When temptation comes, you are locked into it. By “way of escape” does Paul mean that there is some way you can run from it? Not necessarily. You cannot always avoid temptation. That is why Paul warns in I Corinthians 10:12, “Be careful, because everyone is tempted. If you think you stand, take heed lest you fall.” There is a jeopardy for everyone. Would you like to know how to get out of jeopardy when you are locked into temptation, locked into your own weakness, and you do not know how to escape it? There is a way of escape, and that way of escape is into God. You escape through appropriating more of God.
In the midst of spiritual warfare, do you ever feel, “I only have a limited amount of strength. When the enemy comes against me, I know I do not have the strength to prevail. I must have more strength, or I will fail. How can I get it?” Just reach up and take strength from the Lord. Appropriation is the escape hatch for people who are under stress. You draw from the Lord. You reach into Him. You appropriate His strength to overcome.
God may have blessed you with a wonderful blessing yesterday, but it is not enough to meet today, and God allows it to be that way. Each day, He puts you in a situation where you must appropriate a little more of Him. And each time, after the flood tides recede, there is a little more of His grace resting on your heart.
One of the most fertile areas in the world is the Nile Valley. Throughout history, it has produced fantastic crops. The Nile Valley is so rich because it collects the topsoil from half a continent. When the Nile River annually overflows its banks, it floods hundreds of square miles of the plains. When the waters recede, the silt—the fine topsoil that washes down from higher ground—rests upon those plains. Though it may be just a fraction of an inch each year and the winds may blow much of it away, that deposit of silt has built up through the centuries until there is an excellent topsoil.
The same is true of the heart that God is perfecting through His dealings. After enough floods, there is a good fertile soil. God can put a man under much stress, but every time that man reaches into God, a little deposit from God is made in his life. He overcomes each time because he reaches into God. He overcomes by the Word of his testimony and the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 12:11). When he reaches into God the next time for more, he receives a little more. Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little there a little, he prevails and he breaks through (Isaiah 28:10, 13).
As this man walks along, there are times when he feels, “I just can’t handle this anymore.” Of course he cannot; then he must reach up to God. “But I’m so tired,” he groans. “I have been chasing Philistines all day. I’m so weak that I’m almost ready to die. I’m going to faint and fall off my horse.” That is the time when the Lord says, “Look up, Son! Snag that honeycomb! Eat a little bite. It will refresh your spirit and brighten your eyes. Then you can chase them some more” (I Samuel 14:27).
Have you come to the end of yourself? That is the place to get more of the Lord. God always puts you in a place where you cannot quite handle things. Then you cry, “What am I going to do?” Pray. Praise and worship Him. Take a little more of His provision. You may protest, “But you don’t know what is happening to me.” It does not matter what is happening to you. It is what you do in reaching into God that will be the answer. Then you will have your answer, and it will work for you. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man, and God is faithful (I Corinthians 10:13). That is the secret: God is faithful. Reach in and take a little more of Him.
Are you just about ready to give up? Perhaps you have already given up. If you have, that is just too bad. As you lie there and bleed a while, decide this: Do you want the devil to grab you by the leg and drag you off the battlefield, or will you get up and fight some more? If you choose the latter, the Lord will bless you and give you more of Himself to strengthen you.
Each of us has felt at times, “I have so many things to discourage me now. So many things are happening that I do not like.” I suppose that is true. In the first place, how often do we feel ecstatic, encouraged, or hilarious about God’s ways? We are like the homely little fellow with a contrary attitude toward what God had done for him. You may recall this story of the Sunday school teacher who asked her class one morning, “What did the Lord do for you, children? How has God blessed you?” The banker’s son stood up and said, “I am so thankful that God gave me a rich father, and I get a good allowance.”
“Oh, that’s fine. Now you may sit down.” Turning to a little girl, she asked, “What about you, honey? How did God bless you?”
“Oh, I’m so grateful that the Lord gave me beautiful curls and made me so pretty.” Then the teacher’s eyes fell upon one homely, slightly deformed little fellow over in the corner. His hair stuck straight up and his face was covered with freckles. She asked him, “Son, what did God do for you?”
“I don’t think He did anything,” the lad grunted. “I think He just about ruined me!”
Do you ever feel as if God “ruined” you? Praise the Lord! If you are in a corner, that is good. It means that you cannot run very far. It is a terrible sin to run. If you do, you are making a big mistake. Jonah could give you a good testimony that it does not pay to run.
When you are in a corner and you cannot figure things out, that is the best time to trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him with a nice, beautiful spirit (Proverbs 3:5–6). Does this cause you to become defensive and react angrily, “What do you mean by ‘a beautiful spirit’? Of course I have a good spirit! Don’t even talk to me about it!” Is that the response of a good spirit? Are you sure that you do not have a bitter spirit? “Who’s bitter? Not me! But I’ll tell you one thing: They are not going to do that to me again!”
Wherever you are in your walk with God, listen to what God is saying to you. He employs marvelous ways of persuading people to escape into Him. Are you in a corner, not making much progress? Do you need some help? Just reach up, grab hold of His help, and proclaim, “It is mine!” God is faithful. He always makes a way of escape. Make God your escape hatch. Say to Him, “Lord, there is only one way out of this. I must come into You.” In God’s ears that is truly beautiful.
You must face this fact in your heart. Everyone from the least to the greatest—from the babe in Christ to the seasoned saint—experiences the dealings of God which continually put him in a little more difficult place than the one he was in yesterday. If you stubbornly refuse to grow from the dealings, then you will get stomped on—and God will be the one doing it.
The way the Lord provokes us to grow up in the Spirit is similar to the method a mother eagle uses to get her little bird out of the nest, so that she can teach him to fly. “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions. The Lord alone guided him.” Deuteronomy 32:11–12a.
A baby bird will eat three or four times his weight in food every day. His mouth seems double-hinged as he opens it wide and makes all kinds of hungry sounds until mama drops little pieces of meat and vegetation into his mouth. Weeks pass while he eats and sprouts more feathers. He is especially enjoying that lovely down which lines the nest. But when the mother eagle stirs up her nest, this means it is time for the baby eagle to think about flying. The only problem is that her baby is too happy to think about flying. He is just as contented as he can be.
How will this mother eagle get her young bird willing to fly? As she clucks over him, she pulls out some of the nice feathers and down, and throws it out of the nest. From time to time she picks up more and throws it out of the nest. Soon the sharp prickles are sticking that little bird right behind his wings. Every time he tries to settle comfortably on the down, he feels a little prickle. Before long, that bird is so uncomfortable that when mama says, “Here, let’s fly a little bit,” he exclaims, “Fly? Oh, no! But I guess it is better than staying here. I can’t stand these prickles!”
Thoroughly prickled, the baby eagle finally climbs on the back of his mother, with painful punctures behind his wings, and sighs, “Ahhh, nice soft feathers again.” Then mama starts flying. Imagine how wide that baby’s eyes open up as he clutches his mama. Now it is time for him to fly. So the mother takes her little eagle up high and drops him. Ten stories down, the baby is flopping. Deftly, mama swoops down under him with her wings spread wide and catches him. That little bird has the nearest thing to a heart attack that you have ever seen a little bird have. But this is how eagles learn to fly. The mama bird carries him up into the sky again, drops him, then catches him, until finally he can soar by himself. The Lord likewise spreads His wings and catches us, then carries us on His pinions.
What persuades that young eagle to fly? What will persuade you to be more hungry for God? God cannot make a person “fly” until He makes him dissatisfied with sitting where he is and ready to move. And do not get the idea that you will fly until it has become too uncomfortable to sit in the same place any longer. Get out of the nest and start flying. It is time to move on. Let’s go! Lord, meet our hearts! We are ready to reach into more of You with everything that is within us!