Issue 16 - Day 6

1 Corinthians 10

1 Corinthians 10:18-21
18)  Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
19)  What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?
20)  But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
21)  Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

It seems this week the prevailing theme is against eating halal food, or anything sacrificed to other gods. It is true that we come together in communion and eat of bread and wine that has been prayed over, and dedicated to God. In fact in bible times before Christ this was the same as the priests taking their part in the drink offering and meat (which meant bread on the old testament) offering. Likewise we must be on our guard and not eat halal meat when others may think we are eating in agreement with muslims, and their beliefs.

The example of the Israelites goes far beyond this however. They would sit to eat with some other nation, end up marrying their sons and daughters, and before they could blink they were joining with them in their worship, “to keep the in-laws happy”. A few years later and half of Israel is worshiping another God, in preference to the true God. As Paul said, it was not a problem eating the food, it was the end result. We speak of “the thin end of the wedge”, and it says in scripture to avoid the appearance of evil. By the time you have slipped slowly into a sin you have also justified it to yourself and it takes a cataclysmic event in your life to wake you to the error of your ways.