Hey Jude, Verses 5-7
Jude, verses 5-7, from the NET Bible:
Now I desire to remind you (even though you have been fully informed of these facts once for all) that Jesus, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, later destroyed those who did not believe. You also know that the angels who did not keep within their proper domain but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept in eternal chains in utter darkness, locked up for the judgment of the great Day. So also Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns, since they indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire in a way similar to these angels, are now displayed as an example by suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
Okay:
- What happened in the text?
Jude reminds his readers of disbedience/unbelief in the Exodus, among the angels, and in Sodom and Gomorrah. - What do I learn about God?
That rebellion and attempts to thwart His will are as old as time, and probably as continuous. That He gives consequences to rebels. - What should I do about it?
Today’s snippet of Scripture seems like it points to looking inward: Where am I still rebellious? The eternal consequences of my rebellion have been completely dealt with by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, but I still show plenty of interest in my own way of doing things. I still trust in my own power too much. Today’s prayer is, “Thy will be done on earth (and in/through/by me) as it is in heaven.”
Further thoughts:
- As I told the youth a week and a half ago, my degree in English Literature required a course titled “The Bible As Literature.” It’s a good idea, as it’s a demonstrably influential collection of books. However, you run into trouble when people who don’t want to take a text seriously have to teach a bunch more people who don’t want to take the text seriously. So according to the professor who taught that class, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for their violation of Near Eastern hospitality laws, not about the reason Jude gives. I’m not sure why God executing whole cities for lack of hospitality would seem more palatable than the reason Jude gives, other than it portraying God in a bad light.
- This also seems like a good place to bring up the pattern of prayer we often use: upward (praising and thanking God); downward (submission to God); inward (requests to God); outward (asking God’s preparation for what comes next).