Jude 8-13

⁸ Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. ⁹ Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. ¹⁰ But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. ¹¹ Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. ¹² These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; ¹³ Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

Many years ago, Jesus warned a multitude in the Sermon on the Mount about “false prophets” who would come “in sheep’s clothing,” but would actually be “wolves.” How would believers be able to identify these “wolves” who came “in sheep’s clothing?” Jesus provided the test, “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). It was not their outward appearances that would give them away, but the eventual fruit that would be produced in their lives. Time would bear out that some who appeared to be sheep were, in fact, something altogether different. What “fruits” did Jesus have in mind? The list found in Jude 8-13 provides with those fruits He had in mind. In verses 8-13, Jude gives to us eight deadly patterns that believers should beware of and avoid. Last week, from verses 8-9, we looked at the first two of these: irreverence and pride. This week, verses 10-11 will give us three more deadly patterns we should beware of.

The third pattern that Jude identifies for us in this section is found in verse 10; it is ignorance. “But these speak evil of those things which they know not” goes back to “speak evil of dignities” in verse 8 and the example of Michael in verse 9. Irreverence and pride ultimately breed ignorance. Pride and ignorance are a deadly combo. It is one thing to be wrong and not know it, but it is another to be self-deceived and arrogantly consider ourselves to be right while being wrong. The type of ignorance Jude speaks of here is the latter. No matter how educated and no matter how much knowledge a false convert receives, they cannot arrive at the truth. They end up misspeaking about “things which they know not.” Paul wrote about the world in rejecting its knowledge of God in pride saying, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22). Jude describes them as “brute beasts” (“wild [or unreasoning] animals”) that even “corrupt [or destroy] themselves” in “what they know naturally.” You can give a wild animal the finest things, but because of its nature, it will destroy something nice. What this means is that even the good truth they do have is twisted and misused for their own sinful purposes. Paul described this attitude in 2 Timothy 3:7 where he wrote, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” It is this type of ignorance that Jude points out here. It is this type of ignorance that the Pharisees were guilty of. While they had the truth, they were not able to use the truth rightly, but instead used it and twisted it to manipulate people for their own selfish gain (Matthew 23:15, 23-24). When our irreverence and pride lead us to claim the truth without submitting to the truth we end up with such ignorance, blinded by hypocrisy.

The fourth deadly pattern that Jude identifies is that of envy.  “Woe to them!” is a strong statement of condemnation of those who are described this way. Jude then proceeds to give three Old Testament examples in verse 11. The first of those is “the way of Cain.” We find Cain back in Genesis 4:1-16, where he is the first son given to Adam and Eve, had his sacrifice rejected by the Lord, and saw his brother’s accepted. Cain’s sacrifice was not accepted by God because his heart was not right with the Lord. God offered Cain the opportunity to repent, but Cain became bitter and envious over his brother Abel. In the process of time, Cain, in his envy, killed his brother Abel and was cursed by God for his sin. While envy does not seem as big as deal to us, consider that James 3:16 tells us that envy and selfishness are at the heart of sin against others. This is not always as obvious as it may sound. It may be subtle, but it is about harming someone, in some way, out of selfishness. This can be done in less obvious ways (murmuring, gossip, or lying). The real mark of a wolf is that eventually their nature takes over and they harm the sheep. That may be done through slander, grumbling, or a variety of harmful behaviors.

The fifth deadly pattern Jude presents to us is that of covetousness. Here, Jude gives a second example in verse 11 from the Old Testament. Balaam is marked out as a false prophet in the Old Testament. He shows up in Numbers 22-26 during the Israelite’s time in the wilderness. Balaam was hired by Balak, a king of the Moabites, to put a curse on Israel. Since Balaam could not do this but still desired the money offered to him, God was angry with him and sent an angel to frighten his donkey. Afterwards, Balaam’s greed led him to help Balak bring a curse upon Israel by getting the Israelites to participate in idolatry and intermarry with the Moabites. Therefore, God punished Israel for their sin. Covetousness will inevitably lead us to destruction, not just for ourselves, but for others around us. Greed, not just for money but also for position, power, or influence, can cause us to lead others astray. When our motivations are off, disaster is on the horizon. “Beware of covetousness” (Luke 12:15). Be content with where God has you in life and serve Him from that place.

Ignorance, envy, and covetousness are three things that run contrary to Christian living. The difficulty with these three things is that they are not often obvious or external in the midst of a church until it is too late. These patterns are much more difficult to confront, correct, and even identify because they lie beneath the surface in the hearts of people. Willfully blinding ourselves to the truth in pride, living our lives envious of others and their standing before God, or never being content or satisfied with position, social standing, or our circumstances in life are all issues that arise, not from our environment, but from the heart. The key, as with all other maladies that exist in our hearts is humility, repentance, and faith. Only the Holy Spirit can make us new and only the blood of Jesus can wash us clean. Could it be that these things dominate the lives of so many Christians because some have merely professed faith in Christ, but never actually surrendered to Him as Lord? If today we desire to be made new, set free, and protected from these deadly patterns, the answer is to run to Jesus.