Sermon Tone Analysis

Jude 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.

(NIV)

Now, Jude 11 is composed of four declarative statements.

The first solemnly asserts that disaster will strike these unregenerate Jewish Zealots.

The second presents the reason for the first and asserts that these individuals have allowed themselves to follow Cain’s course of conduct.

The third declarative statement presents the second reason for the first and asserts that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots have abandoned themselves to Balaam’s perversion, namely, financial reward.

The fourth declarative statement presents the result of the first three declarative statements and asserts that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots will certainly cause themselves to be destroyed in association with Korah’s rebellion.

Jude 11 presents three examples from the Old Testament of individuals who were judged by the Lord for rebelling against His authority.

The first is Cain’s rebellion against the Lord, which is recorded in Genesis chapter four.

The second is Balaam’s rebellion against the Lord which is recorded in Numbers 22-24, Numbers 31:16 and Deuteronomy 23:4-5.

The third and final example is Korah’s rebellion against the authority of Moses, which was delegated to him by the Lord Himself, which is recorded in Numbers chapter sixteen.

These three examples which appear in Jude 11 are in addition to the three presented in Jude 5-7.

As we noted, the third declarative statement in Jude 11 presents the second reason for the first declarative statement in this verse.

It asserts that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots who were seeking to usher in the kingdom of God on earth apart from Jesus Christ by rebelling against Rome which was occupying Judaea in the first century A.D. had abandoned themselves to Balaam’s perversion, namely greed for financial reward.

Therefore, this indicates that disaster will strike these individuals “because” they had abandoned themselves to Balaam’s perversion, namely greed for financial reward.

“Balaam” was a non-Israelite seer whom the Moabites hired to curse the Israelites as they traveled from Egypt to the land of Canaan promised to them by the Lord as an inheritance.

The noun planē(πλάνη), “perversion” pertained to causing someone to turn aside or away from what is good or morally right.

Here it is used in the context of Balaam, whom Balak, the king of Moab, hired to curse the Israelites prior to their entrance into the land of Canaan.

He went to Balak even though God told him initially to not go to Balak because He was blessing Israel (cf.

Num.

22-24).

Thus, it does not mean “error” since this word in English speaks of an act involving an “unintentional” deviation from the truth and Balaam “intentionally” deviated from the truth of God because of greed.

In Jude 11, it speaks of Balaam receiving wages or pay from Balak, the king of Moab, to curse Israel and thus it refers to his greed for financial gain.

Balaam completely abandoned himself to cursing Israel in order to receive a great financial reward from Balak, the king of Moab in the sense that he gave up the Lord’s control and influence over him since the Lord commanded him to not go to Balak.

As we noted, the fourth declarative statement presents the result of the first three declarative statements and asserts that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots will certainly cause themselves to be destroyed in association with Korah’s rebellion.

“Korah” was a Levite who rebelled against Moses’ authority which led to his death (cf.

Numbers 16:1-40).

In Jude 11, the noun antilogia (ἀντιλογία), “rebellion” speaks of Korah’s open, public defiance of Moses’ authority which was delegated to him by Yahweh.

This word functions as a dative of association, which indicates the person or thing one associates with or accompanies and to “associate” is to join as a partner or to connect together and speaks of something closely connected.

Therefore, this is indicating that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots will cause themselves to be destroyed by the Lord “in association with” Korah’s rebellion.

It is expressing the idea that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots will be killed by the Lord for their rebellion against Rome just as Korah was killed for his rebellion against Moses.

Korah and these unregenerate Jewish Zealots are in association with one another and closely connecting with each other because they both rebelled against the Lord’s authority by opposing those to whom He delegated authority.

Korah rebelled against the authority the Lord delegated to Moses and these Jewish Zealots rebelled against the authority the Lord delegated to the Roman government.

The verb apollumai(ἀπόλλυμαι), “they have been destroyed” is proleptic or futuristic aorist tense, which is emphasizing the certainty that the Lord Jesus Christ will kill these unregenerate Jewish Zealots just as He killed Korah for his rebellion against Him.

Also, the middle voice of this verb is a direct middle, which is expressing the idea that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots “destroyed themselves” by rebelling against the Lord like Korah did.

It can also be interpreted as a causative middle, which is expressing the idea that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots will as a certainty “cause themselves” to be killed in association with Korah’s rebellion.

This again expresses the volitional responsibility of these individuals in that they are responsible for their own deaths because they unrepentantly rejected the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ by rebelling against Him by rebelling against the authority which He delegated to the Roman Empire to rule over Judaea.

These unregenerate Jewish Zealots were destroying themselves in the sense that they were bringing the judgment of the Lord Jesus Christ upon themselves for rebelling against Him.

By rebelling against Satan’s authority over human governmental authority, they were rebelling against the Lord Jesus Christ because He temporarily delegated authority to the devil and his angels to rule over unregenerate humanity until He establishes His sovereign authority over the nations at His Second Advent.