Hey Jude, Verses 14-16

Today’s paragraph, from the NET Bible.

Now Enoch, the seventh in descent beginning with Adam, even prophesied of them, saying, “Look! The Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all, and to convict every person of all their thoroughly ungodly deeds that they have committed, and of all the harsh words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These people are grumblers and fault-finders who go wherever their desires lead them, and they give bombastic speeches, enchanting folks for their own gain.

So then,

1. What happened in the text?
   Trouble-makers, prophesied by Enoch, go where they want, influencing people for their own gain by pompous speech.
2. What do I learn about God?
   That He will deliver justice for harsh and damaging words and actions.
3. What should I do about it?
   Thing One is to take stock of my own deeds and words. Jude is talking about a particular group of people who were making trouble in the church, but honestly, I am very capable of ungodly deeds and harsh words that can be damaging. For example, people who hurt people I care about are often targets of pretty savage judgment and words from me. Whether they ever hear about my wisecracks about them, what does it say to other people when I praise God and ridicule individuals with the same mouth?
   What’s particularly cool about Jude’s message is that while he’s absolutely sure about the wrong motives, words, and actions of the people he’s warning about, the point is that he’s warning the other people. He’s not just talking smack about bad people to vent or entertain. But that’s often what I do.

Other thoughts

• I chose to start with Jude because he takes Scripture seriously and is applying it, but also because I wanted to try a book for which I didn’t have an immediate application. So today’s passage isn’t one that resonates (and if it did, I certainly wouldn’t be blogging about it!) directly. Nevertheless, it’s a chance to examine my life, my words, and my actions, in the light of the same concern that Jude has.
• Reading Jude (and 2 Peter 2), there is one fundamental principle I don’t want to ignore entirely: that there are false teachers out there, whose doctrine is warped and whose personal behavior, ethics, and dare I say it, morality is (or will become) obviously corrupt. This is another reason we have to be able to feed ourselves with Scripture, so that we can evaluate what people teach, and not just accept what they say. “They,” of course, includes me.