Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall

 “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.”

1Corinthians 10:11-12

After describing the baptism into Moses of the “fathers” as they were under the cloud and in the sea, Paul goes on to note that God was not well pleased with many of them as they journeyed through the wilderness. Paul says that their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. What happened? How could this be? They had begun with a dramatic rescue from Pharaoh and the Egyptian army, and they were immersed into Moses as they passed through the sea; they ate spiritual food; they drank from the spiritual rock of Christ. However, they are later described by Paul as idolaters, sexually immoral, testers of God’s patience and complainers. Paul’s conclusion is that we should learn from their mistakes and that we must take heed lest we fall.

In Luke 17:32 Jesus made a very remarkable statement. He said, “Remember Lot’s wife.” There is not a whole lot of information about Lot’s wife. The main incident for which we remember her is that she disobeyed the Angels’ command to not look back when she and her family fled from Sodom and Gomorrah. We read, “But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt” (Gen. 19:26). Her rescue had been secured. She was on her way to safety. It appears she could not resist the urge to take one more look back. She disobeyed the warning and she perished. Jesus in teaching about the Day of Judgment warns us to remember Lot’s wife.

There is another prominent character in the Old Testament who reminds us that Paul’s warning to “take heed” applies to all of us. King David is described as a “man after God’s own heart” and yet he stumbled. It was in the spring of the year and King David had sent Joab and the army to besiege the city of Rabbah. But a terrible battle was about to beset David’s heart right in the city of Jerusalem. From his roof one evening David saw Bathsheba bathing and this great king fell prey to temptation. We are familiar with this dark episode in David’s life and Psalm 51 is David’s confession and prayer for forgiveness. However, again we are reminded to take heed.

The Apostle Paul was well aware of “every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us.” In 1Corinthains 9:27, just before he relates the warnings regarding the fathers who fell in the wilderness, Paul declares, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” Paul wasn’t just giving an idle warning to the church at Corinth. He was emphasizing to them the struggle that he knew we all face. No matter who we are or what we have done, we must take heed lest we fall. Paul realized that he was subject to the same pitfall.

Matthew Henry writes in his commentary on 1Corinthians 10:6-14, “Carnal desires gain strength by indulgence, therefore should be checked in their first rise. Let us fear the sins of Israel, if we would shun their plagues. And it is but just to fear, that such as tempt Christ, will be left by him in the power of the old serpent. Murmuring against God's disposals and commands, greatly provokes him. Nothing in Scripture is written in vain; and it is our wisdom and duty to learn from it.” Take heed lest you fall is a warning for Christians. God help us to listen and learn.

--South Hill Church of Christ
1136 South Hill Avenue
PO Box 3425
Fayetteville, Arkansas