At a Loss

At a Loss
Words of Faith 7-16-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Jude 1
[11] Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.

The rebellious teachers in the time of Jude were grievous in their error. In fact, Jude was at a loss for words. The word translated "woe" is pronounced "oo-ah-ee" and is more of a cry than anything. It is an exclamation of profound grief. It was generally used when there were no words to adequately describe the deep sadness and pain of loss.
Jude was not triumphant or gloating in the vivid pronouncements he had just made. He was just grieved deeply. The problems in the Church that he was addressing were not simply arguments to be won or lost. This signaled the loss of brothers in Christ, the potential loss of direction and clarity for the Church, and the destruction of integrity should these teachings persist.
These fallen teachers had erred in three respects, so Jude said, Woe to them! Woe because of them. They had taken the way of Cain. They had rushed for profit into the error of Balaam. They had been destroyed in a rebellion like that of Korah. All three were vivid biblical examples.
Cain had disobediently devised his own way of worship rather than giving the sacrifice of his best by faith. He had also been envious of his brother and hateful to the point of murder.
Balaam pretended to serve God but encouraged others to sin while at the same time seeking to gain monetarily from their error (2 Peter 2:15-16; Num. 22:21-31). Similarly, the false leaders of Jude's day, greedy for money, led others into sin without recognizing the danger of their actions.
Korah led a revolt against Moses and Aaron, not acknowledging that God had delegated authority to them (Num. 16). The errant teachers had led a rebellion like that of Korah. Their rebellion against God's appointed leaders was actually against God Himself. Likewise, the men Jude spoke of rebelled against God's authority and, as a result, would be destroyed suddenly. That destruction was so sure that Jude stated in the past tense that "they have been destroyed."
No wonder Jude was grieved, no wonder words escaped him, no wonder this was a time of woe. Error in God's Kingdom is not a matter of intellectual gamesmanship or the triumph of one idea that "sells better" than another. Failure to walk in truth was a matter of great grief, leaving one at a loss.

Father God, I am at a loss when I hear error spoken in the Name of Jesus. I am grieved when teachers fall away or sell out. But my most crucial watch is upon myself. Keep me from rebellion. Keep me free from defiance. Keep me from temptation. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< ><> <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an e-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an e-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. The daily devotion and archive are posted at https://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/blog
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.