She Sells Seashells

Seashells
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

I doubt the Israelites had time to collect seashells as they passed through the Red Sea... (okay, for all you scholars, the Reed Sea... and I know, not really a sea). But the passage in Corinthians for this day (10:1-13) recounts the story of Israel's escape from Egypt, the passing through the Red Sea, eating manna in the wilderness, and drinking water from a rock. And reminds us that these are our ancestors. And that we have not strayed far from the family tree. Though, like Israel, we may have strayed far from God. Though God fed them and led them and cared for them, the Israelites disobeyed God and few of them ever made it out of the wilderness.

Paul's point is not to judge the story of the Israelites. Rather, it is to remind us that even though we might be chosen by God, we are always prone to temptation. We should never grow overconfident in our own righteousness. Rather, we must always check ourselves. The Corinthians had grown over confident. They thought they had been specially chosen by God and that had given them license to do whatever they wanted. Paul reminds us that even when we are at our most confident spiritually, we need to check ourselves.