And the apostle goes on to enlarge upon this, by describing the many calamities that came upon the people of God because of their idolatry, the immorality, their tempting of Christ, and their much murmuring. Then he tells us that all these things happened to them as a warning and as an admonishment to us, so that we would NOT fall into the same tragic things that they did. And so their journey through the wilderness was not intended to be a pattern for you and I to follow, but a warning to God's people of the dangers that accompany the wilderness life, and God's provisions for making us to be an overcoming people. We are to learn from their experiences, and so avoid making the same mistakes they made. But we are slow to learn from the mistakes of another.
Human nature is just that way.
Usually we have to learn the hard way. But as we do, it is good that we can look into the Scriptures, and into the wilderness episode, and discover God's faithfulness in and through it all, and His pattern of deliverance for an erring people. For we too are on a journey. It is good if we can recognize that. We have not been redeemed just to cross the Red Sea and sing the victory song of deliverance from the bondage of Pharaoh.