Three Examples from History (Jude 5-7)
Jude reminds his readers that the evils of false teaching are nothing new. In Israel’s past, they have many examples of people who should have known better, but who were punished for lack of belief, unfulfilled purpose, and perversions of God’s plans.
Firstly, there were God’s people themselves. The Israelites were rescued from Egypt in a miraculous, astounding manner. And yet they still failed to believe in God and trust Him with their lives. There is a lot to unpack in this brief mention of the crucial moment in Biblical history!
Jude says it was Jesus who rescued Israel from Egypt. This is one of the many passages where we see that the New Testament authors (apostolic teaching) equated Jesus with God. This is not just a claim that Jesus made for himself. The early church, right from the start, knew that Jesus was God incarnate.
And how incredible is it that the Israelites failed to believe after all that they have seen in the exodus? Actually, this is not that surprising. We often think today, “What if God were to simply show Himself in a miraculous way? Then people would happily believe!” But history shows us again and again, that people will come up with any number of reasons to explain away any hint of the divine.
But if the lack of faith was a danger for Israel, then this as an important warning for the church today. In here history, the church often seems to act like it can do no wrong, but if Israel is any example, we should instead assume we are prone to err and be on our guard always.
Secondly, as if to reinforce this danger of veering off course, Jude cites the teaching that some angels have deviated from their created purpose. We see this hinted at in scripture, where the devil and fallen angels are examples of heavenly beings gone wrong. Jude’s specific example appears to be from tradition and perhaps from the apocryphal book of 1 Enoch (which he will quote later). This would make his example have something to do with Genesis 6, but we can only speculate about specifics.
Suffice it to say, the Bible here tells us that even angels have given in to falsehood and been punished as a result. It the people of God in the Old Testament, and even the heavenly host are not immune to going against God’s plans, why would we ever become comfortable in the lie that we are cannot err? We should always be on guard against heresy and lies in the church!
Jude’s final example here is not one of a group who were chosen and turned away, but rather more an example of the sorts of errors the false teachers in the church (then and now) tend towards. Sodom and Gomorrah are a particularly clear biblical example of people receiving God’s judgement for sin. The sin mentioned in this example is the sexual sin of the people of these cities. However, the root of this sin that applies more broadly than mere sexual sin is that of not caring for the other, the outsider. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah didn’t just give into unnatural debauchery. They preyed upon the weak and the helpless. When God’s angels of judgement came to their town as men, Lot knew that they would not be safe in the town square. And even under his protection, the people tried to take them by force.
We need to be on our guard against any sin—even subtle ones—that place our interests and desires over the needs of others. That allow us to see other people as objects and means to our own plans and ends. That dehumanize. To be sure sexual sins apply here, but also other things like racism, abuse of power, and sins of omission, where we fail to do right for others out of a selfish desire to advance our own agenda.
Firstly, there were God’s people themselves. The Israelites were rescued from Egypt in a miraculous, astounding manner. And yet they still failed to believe in God and trust Him with their lives. There is a lot to unpack in this brief mention of the crucial moment in Biblical history!
Jude says it was Jesus who rescued Israel from Egypt. This is one of the many passages where we see that the New Testament authors (apostolic teaching) equated Jesus with God. This is not just a claim that Jesus made for himself. The early church, right from the start, knew that Jesus was God incarnate.
And how incredible is it that the Israelites failed to believe after all that they have seen in the exodus? Actually, this is not that surprising. We often think today, “What if God were to simply show Himself in a miraculous way? Then people would happily believe!” But history shows us again and again, that people will come up with any number of reasons to explain away any hint of the divine.
But if the lack of faith was a danger for Israel, then this as an important warning for the church today. In here history, the church often seems to act like it can do no wrong, but if Israel is any example, we should instead assume we are prone to err and be on our guard always.
Secondly, as if to reinforce this danger of veering off course, Jude cites the teaching that some angels have deviated from their created purpose. We see this hinted at in scripture, where the devil and fallen angels are examples of heavenly beings gone wrong. Jude’s specific example appears to be from tradition and perhaps from the apocryphal book of 1 Enoch (which he will quote later). This would make his example have something to do with Genesis 6, but we can only speculate about specifics.
Suffice it to say, the Bible here tells us that even angels have given in to falsehood and been punished as a result. It the people of God in the Old Testament, and even the heavenly host are not immune to going against God’s plans, why would we ever become comfortable in the lie that we are cannot err? We should always be on guard against heresy and lies in the church!
Jude’s final example here is not one of a group who were chosen and turned away, but rather more an example of the sorts of errors the false teachers in the church (then and now) tend towards. Sodom and Gomorrah are a particularly clear biblical example of people receiving God’s judgement for sin. The sin mentioned in this example is the sexual sin of the people of these cities. However, the root of this sin that applies more broadly than mere sexual sin is that of not caring for the other, the outsider. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah didn’t just give into unnatural debauchery. They preyed upon the weak and the helpless. When God’s angels of judgement came to their town as men, Lot knew that they would not be safe in the town square. And even under his protection, the people tried to take them by force.
We need to be on our guard against any sin—even subtle ones—that place our interests and desires over the needs of others. That allow us to see other people as objects and means to our own plans and ends. That dehumanize. To be sure sexual sins apply here, but also other things like racism, abuse of power, and sins of omission, where we fail to do right for others out of a selfish desire to advance our own agenda.
Comments
Post a Comment