Verse 6
The experiences of the Israelites provide lessons for us. Their baptism and partaking of spiritual food and drink did not protect them from God’s discipline when they craved evil things. Participation in baptism and the Lord’s Supper will not protect Christians either. We should never regard participation in these ordinances as immunizing us against God’s discipline if we sin against Him. The Israelites had sometimes felt immunized against God’s judgment because they were His chosen people.
The Greek word translated "examples" is typos from which we get the English word "type." The experiences of the Israelites in the wilderness are types. They were early examples of situations that would recur later in history that God designed to teach His people lessons. [Note: For further information on types, see Bernard Ramm, Protestant Biblical Interpretation, pp. 196-219; Milton S. Terry, Biblical Hermeneutics, pp. 334-46; Patrick Fairbairn, The Typology of Scripture; and Elliott E. Johnson, Expository Hermeneutics: An Introduction, pp. 126, 208-9.]
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