No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
Bell Road stretches east of Nashville and runs through several miles of rolling hills. When our family moved to the area years ago, Bell Road was a lazy two-lane country road, but after living there seventeen years, the north and the south sides of this road erupted with shopping centers, movie theaters, offices, churches, and apartment buildings. Ten years into this explosive development, the state decided to widen Bell Road.
Unfortunately, this pathetic little blacktop path was already filled to capacity— bumper to bumper from dawn to dusk. Three full years of construction only made this problem much worse. After it was completed, every time I drove on this four- and sometimes six-lane highway, I was reminded that, as handsome as it had become, it was built too late.
On the other hand, when Cool Springs Boulevard was built, I was a little surprised. Here, a few miles from our house, in the middle of what looked like nowhere, was a beautiful four-lane highway, complete with turning lanes, medians, and traffic lights. Perfect preparation in case one of the farmers in the area needs to herd his cattle on nice, smooth pavement, I surmised. That was years before several huge office buildings, apartment complexes, and the largest shopping mall in the cosmos were built directly adjacent to Cool Springs Boulevard. Those traffic lights and turning lanes were put to excellent use. I wonder if the folks who built Cool Springs Boulevard learned something from those who remodeled Bell Road.
Preparing for the discipline of living righteously is like building a wide road before it’s necessary—before the overbearing weight of heavy traffic brings everything to a standstill. The lessons of living righteously are often learned by watching what happens in the lives of people who decide not to do so.
In the Old Testament, instead of listening to God and obeying Him, many of the Israelites lived for the moment, as we so often do. The Bible is filled with stories of idolatry and debauchery. “God was not pleased with most of them, since they were struck down in the wilderness,” the apostle Paul wrote (v. 5), reminiscing about the Jews’ foolishness—their shortsightedness regarding God’s perfect plan.
So, why did God preserve the record of His people’s folly? For the same reason the Cool Springs guys watched the Bell Road guys. “These things took place as examples for us, so that we will not desire evil things as they did,” Paul asserted (v. 6). So before we deliberately walk the way these folks walked, we can see the devastating results.
All of this precedes Paul’s often-quoted promise: “No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it” (v. 13).
You and I have a chance to build our lives in such a way that we’re ready for trouble before it comes. We can learn from those who have gone before us. God’s faithfulness includes His help in the discipline of preparation as well as in salvation from disaster. Cool Springs Boulevard, not Bell Road.