Hey Jude, Verses 8-13
Biggest chunk of text I’ll tackle at once, again from the NET Bible:
Yet these men, as a result of their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and insult the glorious ones. But even when Michael the archangel was arguing with the devil and debating with him concerning Moses’ body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” But these men do not understand the things they slander, and they are being destroyed by the very things that, like irrational animals, they instinctively comprehend. Woe to them! For they have traveled down Cain’s path, and because of greed have abandoned themselves to Balaam’s error; hence, they will certainly perish in Korah’s rebellion. These men are dangerous reefs at your love feasts, feasting without reverence, feeding only themselves. They are waterless clouds, carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit – twice dead, uprooted; wild sea waves, spewing out the foam of their shame; wayward stars for whom the utter depths of eternal darkness have been reserved.
And my responses to the three questions:
- What happened in the text?
Jude describes some very bad people – ones who have only an animal’s response to life, and who have no understanding of the significance of anything that does not feed an appetite. - What do I learn about God?
God wants people to comprehend the significance of the spiritual world. God makes and equips people to do more than take – He didn’t design us to feed only ourselves. - What should I do about it?
Well. To what extent do I follow my appetites? (To two doughnuts this morning, ahem.) To what extent am I taking the spiritual world for granted? That’s not an easy question to answer. To what extent am I going through the motions?
How am I doing more than feeding – am I being more than a “waterless cloud?” I am certainly attempting more than that. Are the people I’m attempting to help feed turning around and feeding others? If you’re one of those people, feel free to comment.
Other thoughts:
- Jude refers to lots of other texts in this passage. Follow the margin notes in your Bible or online to read about or refresh your memory about references like Balaam and Korah.
- Hasn’t been the most uplifting text thus far, has it? But Jude is very concerned about what’s going on, because the believers he’s writing to have, participating in their midst, people who are beyond confused, they’re actually dangerous.