Legendary Snake Charmers

Legendary Snake Charmers
Words of Faith 7-31-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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2 Timothy 3
[8] Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth--men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. [9] But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

If you have read your Old Testament much, especially the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy, you might be scratching your head. Well, not to worry, you didn't "miss" something. Jannes and Jambres are not mentioned in the Torah or any other part of the Hebrew Scriptures. So who were they?
These names come from a widespread Jewish legend about the two magicians in Pharaoh's court who competed against Moses and lost (Exodus 7:11, 9:11). When Aaron, the brother of Moses, threw down the staff of God, it became a snake. But Pharaoh then summoned his magicians, who did the same things with their "secret arts." By some trickery, these snake charmers imitated the miracle of God in a way that looked pretty convincing. But there was one difference; the staff of Aaron then swallowed up the staff of the magicians!
An ancient Jewish legend had assigned the names of Jannes and Jambres to these magicians. The great significance for us is that while these false teachers may creep into the fold of God's people, they will not slither away. They will be consumed by the Truth! The Truth of the Gospel will always prevail.
So what of these names? In much the same way that Christian legend assigned names and descriptions to the three Magi who traveled from the east-- Melchior, a Persian scholar; Caspar, an Indian scholar; and Balthazar, an Arabian scholar-- so Jewish legend had assigned these names to the magicians of Pharaoh. While this is fascinating, it does not carry the weight of Scripture until now.
This was now a little different. Because the names Jannes and Jambres appear in another part of the inspired Word (2 Timothy) through the pen of the Apostle Paul, these names gain more significance and credibility. Even though knowing these names does not change the story, the reference point to a sobering truth.
As a comparison, Paul likened the false teachers at Ephesus to these ancient magicians. He described them as "men of depraved minds." The language he used was very strong and meant "utterly corrupted." Regarding the faith, they are totally rejected and cannot be trusted to teach the truth. This is the worst sort of imposter.
There was another implicit comparison, that of Timothy to Moses. This must have been incredibly encouraging to the young protege of Paul. To be compared to Moses was a high honor and challenge. The significance of Timothy's leadership should not be underestimated. Nor should the threat of the false teachers be taken lightly.
So what do we gain from this? Those who slither or creep into the company of God's people seeking to take advantage of the weak are utterly depraved and will be consumed by the Truth just like the Staff of Aaron consumed the false snakes in Pharaoh's court. There is reassurance here that the Truth of God will prevail.

Father God, give me eyes to see and ears to hear the Truth. Help me to discern carefully sound teaching from that which is whimsical or faddish. Help me to be solid in all the teaching I embrace. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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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, 2023 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.