1 Corinthians 10:14-22 – Honor God alone

In calling them to flee idolatry in verse 14, we sense Paul’s resolve in the matter of eating food offered to idols. He was basically asking them not to play with fire. Inadvertently participation in the feast held in pagan temples where they ate meat offered to idols, could easily lead a person into idolatry. So tenderly addressing them as his beloved spiritual children, he urged them to flee, shun or avoid idolatry. Using a little sarcasm, he called them wise or sensible men and then goad them to use their wisdom to judge for themselves what he would be saying to them.

 

To Paul, idolatry was not an option for believers. Why? That’s because the believers were already united with Christ. The Lord’s Supper demonstrates that believers have entered a relationship with the Lord. And this Lord’s Supper or the Communion is not just a symbol of the believers’ unity with the Lord, it is also a reminder to them that they have been united to the Lord. Besides, it’s a call to continue in the participation of that unity. In verses 16 and 17, Paul used the word “sharing” twice. The stress is on partnership. In other words in partaking of the Lord’s Supper we are in partnership with Him. So when people participate in the meal offered to idols, they are unwittingly drawn into partnership with those idols as well, and closer to paganism which those idols represent. Paul then looked back to the past of the nation Israel. He was probably referring to the incident during the time of Balaam, when the Israelites partook of the meals offered to idols and were drawn to share the altars of those pagan idols.  

 

In verse 19, Paul aligned their thoughts by saying that he didn’t think that food offered to idols or idols themselves are nothing. On the contrary, Paul was sure that when the Gentiles offer their food to idols, they have offered them to demons. Hence for believers to participate in eating food offered to idols or participate in the meals of pagan temples, would mean that they are sharing in the table of demons. A meal always binds a relationship. Christians who have their relationship cemented with the Lord in the participation of the Lord’s Supper should therefore not be participating in fellowship meals with the demons.  For that matter, we believers should not just refuse to participate in meals that have demonic connotation, we should also not participate in any activity that have any association with demons.

 

Paul then ended this discussion here asking the believers not to provoke God to jealousy. This is not the kind of jealousy we understand. God’s jealousy is to protect us. Knowing that the devil and his demons only have intention to harm and destroy believers, God’s nature is to guard over us. When it comes to the devil and his demons there is no stronger protection than being in the Lord.

 

As we think of such great protective love the Lord has for us, the only appropriate response is to honor Him. To this God we should gladly bend our knees in worship. Meanwhile we will take precautionary measures in life not to participate in any thing that has the slightest hint of demonic involvement.