“Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam and perished in the rebellion of Korah” (Jude 11).
God demonstrates by illustration the activities of certain persons who have crept unnoticed into the church, “ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). His descriptions of the activities of these first century defilers of His bride are penetrating:
♦ They have gone the way of Cain
♦ For pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam
♦ They have perished in the rebellion of Korah
The behavior of the false teachers alerts you to the caution from King Solomon:
“There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers” (Prov. 6:16-19).
What was the way of Cain? Cain’s way was to refuse to worship God in the manner He desires to be worshiped. Cain did not present to God a “holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Ro. 12:1). Cain did not offer God a spiritual service of worship. Cain’s way was contrasted to his brother’s way: “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain” (Heb. 11:4). Cain’s way was not to sacrifice the sacrifice God wanted sacrificed. Cain’s sacrifice was immoral because he substituted his definition of sacrifice for God’s definition, but Abel’s sacrifice was righteous because he obeyed God in the sacrifice he offered as his spiritual service of worship (I Jn. 3:11f.).
What was the error of Balaam? Peter reports Balaam’s sin declaring that he “loved the wages of unrighteousness” (II Pe. 2:15). Balaam abandoned principled living because the bait of money was his darling weakness. Financial gain removed from his sight any interest he had in the consequences of sin. Balaam taught the people of God the principles that would cause them to stumble by granting them licentious permission to commit acts that their surrounding society did not view as immoral, but God did (Nu. 22-25; Rev. 2:14).
What was the rebellion of Korah? Korah was jealous of Moses – worldly ambition breeds heavenly treason (Nu. 16:1ff.). Korah was privileged as a son of Levi with serving God in the tabernacle and ministering to His congregation, but that was not sufficient for one discontented with merely being near to God. He camped closest the tabernacle of the Lord and handled the sacred objects, but that was not enough for this son of Eve who had taken on the heart of the devil.
Look closely at your way. Do you note any error or rebellion in the way you live your life? Are you refusing to make a holy sacrifice acceptable to God? Does your love for the wages of this world, the pleasures those wages purchase or the creature comforts they insure influence the principles you bring to your marketplace? Are you jealous of anyone or do you covet the blessings God has gifted to others?
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