Our fathers the Jews were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They, like us, were inaugurated into the body of God’s people. And they also had spiritual food and spiritual drink in the wilderness. The drink came from the rock that accompanied them, the rock that was Christ. They had manna, the bread of heaven that came down from heaven, just as Jesus did.
The Corinthians had begun to put on airs over against the unbelieving Jews of their day. We have a spiritual meal. We have spiritual drink. Paul makes a point of showing them that when it came to the substance covenantal identity and covenantal nourishment, the Corinthians had nothing that the Jews did not also have. Nevertheless, with many of them God was not well pleased.
But note the structure of Paul’s argument. He is not saying that God was not well-pleased with the Jews because they did not have spiritual food and drink. He was not pleased with them because they neglected the covenanted nature of the sealed oaths that these sacraments established, these sacraments being something that they had. And then Paul goes on to warn the Corinthians against committing the very same sin.
Of course the new covenant has a much higher degree of glory. But we must be careful to locate the differences where the New Testament does, and to locate the similarities where the New Testament does. As we renew covenant week after week, as we assemble before the Lord, together in our households, let us take care to remember that this wine is a liquid oath. This bread is an edible vow. And the Lord Jesus is present with us to enable us to keep covenant with Him. So come and eat. Come and drink.