Ignorant – Living the Word

1Corinthians 10:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

‘Ignorant’ – It seems that many Corinthians thought they were secure in their salvation because they had repented, were baptized and had partaken of Christian ordinances. According to them nothing they did could cut them off from Christ – they could partake of idolatrous feasts and still be saved (8:4-13; 10:16-33). This is why Paul made the plain statement of 1Corinthians 9:27. He now shows them that Israel also had sacramental ordinances in the wilderness similar to those of Christians; and that, regardless of their typical baptism (10:2), their typical eucharist (10:3), their eating of manna and drinking of that spiritual Rock – Christ (10:4), when they joined with idolaters and partook of idolatrous feasts, going into sin, that God cut them off and destroyed them (10:5-11). He then warns Christians that God will also cut them off from Christ if they sin (10:11-14; 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21; Rom. 8:12-13; Heb. 3:6, 12-14; 6:4-11; 10:26-38).

‘Under’ [Greek: hupo] denotes the underside of anything and is in contrast with upper, above or over anything. Israelites were completely overwhelmed by the cloud and the Divine Presence. This is called a baptism in the cloud (10:2).

‘Passed through’ [Greek: dia] a passing through. Israel’s experience is called a baptism in the sea (10:2). The baptism was in the cloud and in the sea in the same sense of baptism in water and in the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:11).

‘Spiritual’ [Greek: pneumatikos] non-carnal; religious; or spiritual. Twelve spiritual things are noted in the Word: Man who follows the things of the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 2:15; 3:1; 14:37; Gal. 6:1; Hos. 9:7); gifts of the Spirit (1:11; 1Cor. 1:7; 12:1; 14:1, 12); things (15:27; 1Cor. 2:13; 9:11); body (resurrected, 1Cor. 15:44-46); blessings of the Spirit (Eph. 1:3); songs (religious, Eph. 5:19); wisdom and knowledge (Col. 1:9); house (spiritual people, 1Pet. 2:5); sacrifices (1Pet. 2:5); law, because it typified the spiritual thing of the New Testament (7:14); meat and drink, typifying Christ the Spiritual Rock of 1Corinthians 10:3-4; wickednes because it is of evil spirit origin (Eph. 2:2; 6:12; John 8:44).

‘Meat’ – The food rained from heaven is called: Manna (Ps. 78:24); grain from heaven; angels’ food (Ps. 78:25); meat; bread (John 6:31-32).

‘For they drank of that spiritual Rock’ – this refers to the waters from the smitten rock (Ex. 17:6; Num. 20:11; Ps. 78:15). The rock was a type of Christ (10:4; cp. Deut. 32:4, 15, 18, 31, 37; 1Sam. 22:2,47; Ps. 18:2; 27:5; 62:6-7; Isa. 32:2).

‘Them’ – There is no word in the Greek for them here. The meaning is that the miracle of the smitten rock followed the miracle of manna from heaven (Ex. 16-17).

2Peter 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

‘Ignorant’ [Greek: lanthano] to be unseen or unnoticed. Translated “ignorant of” (3:5, 8); “unawares” (Heb. 13:2); and “be hid” (Mark 7:24; Luke 8:47; Acts 26:26).

‘That by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water.’ Things that people are willingly ignorant of: [1] That by the Word of God the heavens were created of old (3:5; Ps. 68:33; 93:2; 102:25; Mic. 5:2). [2] That the earth was established in and out of water (3:5; Ps. 24:2; 136:6). [3] That “the world that then was” refers to the pre-Adamite world or social system which was destroyed by a great universal flood before Adam (3:6; Gen. 1:2; Ps. 104:5-9; Isa. 14:12-14; Jer. 4:23-26; Ezek. 28:11-17). [4] That the heavens and the earth which are now were restored from chaos and judgment about 6,000 years ago in Adam’s day (3:7; Gen. 1:3-2:25). [5] That the heavens and the earth entered their second sinful career through Adam and are now reserved for a second universal renovation (by fire) at the time of the great white throne judgment at the end of the Millennium (3:7, 10-12; Rom. 8:18-25; Heb. 1:10-12; 12:25-28; Rev. 20:7-15). [6] That with God a thousand years is like a day and a day like a thousand years. He inhabits eternity and is not subject to time to get His work done before death as is the case with us (3:8-9; Isa. 57:15; Eph. 3:11). [7] That the Lord is not slack concerning His promises but is longsuffering to all men, wishing that all would come to repentance (3:9; 1Tim. 2:4; Rev. 22:17). [8] That the day of the Lord is to come as a thief in the night, in which day (the end of it) the heavens and the earth will be renovated and made new a third time (3:10-13; Isa. 65:17; 66:22-24; Rev. 21-22). [9] That all rebellion will then be put down (3:13; 1Cor. 15:24-28). [10] That the righteous natural people left on earth after the rebellion of Revelation 20:7-10 will multiply and replenish the new earth forever, carrying out God’s original program for Adam, as would have been done if man had not sinned (3:13; Gen. 1:26-31; 8:22; 9:12; Isa. 9:6-7; 59:20; Dan. 2:44-45; 7:13-14, 27; Matt. 25:34, 46; Luke 1:32-33; Rev. 11:15; 21:1-22:5). [11] That God will move His capital city from heaven to the earth to dwell with men forever and administer the affairs of the universe from the earth (3:13; Rev. 21:1-22-5). [12] That the resurrected saints, saved from Abel to the Millennium will be heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ and will reign as kings and priests on earth helping God administer the affairs of the universe forever (3:13; Ps. 149:5-9; Dan. 7:18-27; Matt. 19:28; Rom. 8:17; 1Cor. 4:8; 6:2; Eph. 2:7; 2Tim. 2:12; 2Thess. 1:4-10; Rev. 1:6; 2:26-27; 5:9-10; 11:15; 12:5; 20:4-6; 22:5).

This ignorance of the Biblical facts is not forced upon man. They are willingly ignorant, preferring to remain in darkness, even scoffing at the second coming of Christ and denying Him who bought them with His own blood (2:1-2; 3:5, 8). They shut their eyes against light and refuse all evidence.

‘By the word of God the heavens were of old’ this refers to God speaking the materials into existence out of which He then formed the heavens and the earth (Heb. 1:10).

‘Standing out of the water and in the water’ this proves the earth was not created all wet as in Genesis 1:2, but dry, then flooded, and later restored to a dry state as in Genesis 1:9-10.