Emphasis Preaching Journal

Samuel Johnson, who created the famous dictionary, was a realist and something of a skeptic when it came to interpersonal relationships. A friend of his had endured an unhappy marriage, one that finally ended when his spouse died. To Johnson's astonishment, the man remarried almost immediately. Johnson's observation was that it was the triumph of hope over experience.

In this passage, Paul urges the Corinthians to learn from the experience of their ancestors -- and not make their sinful choices.