We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
(1 Corinthians 10:8-10)
This is another hard passage to hear, recounting the disobedience of the people after the escape from Egypt and the punishment that followed (Numbers 21, Numbers 25). We are apparently slow learners and continue our disobedience to this day.
God is a loving father, but He wants what is right for us, and wants us to learn this. In Genesis 3 we hear of Adam and Eve being driven out of the garden due to their sin. God loves us all dearly, but He won’t let sin stand unpunished.
We must learn that even though we sin, God will accept our confession and repentance to restore our connection with Him. Through the sacrifice Jesus made for us, we can be made new and return to our loving Father.
Gracious God, we come to You in sorrow for our behavior. Forgive us and bring us back into a right relationship with You. Amen.