* Notice verses 6 & 11 are identical - Paul is trying to make a very clear point about the importance of history.

* Today our history is being erased.

* Psalms 78:9-11 - The men of Ephraim turned back at battle because they forgot their history.

* But history is written down so current and future generations can remember.

* Paul mentions twice that these things were written so we wouldn’t repeat them (vs 6 & 11).

* Four things he derives from his Jewish history:

* 1) Don’t be idolators (vs 7) - an idol is anything that gets in the way of your relationship with God.

* 2) Don’t act immorally (vs 8) - God made us sexual beings, but it’s like a fire in a fireplace - there’s a proper place and time.

* 3) Don’t test the Lord (vs 9) - We are not to provoke God to jealousy or anger (like a wife flirting with another man).

* 4) Don’t complain (vs 10) - in the OT when people complained bad things happened - God actually killed people.

* Complaining is a slap in the face of God.

* Now, with their history written down and the people paying attention to it, they would be more inclined not to do these same things.