IN DESPERATION

Jude 11 - “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily after the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.”

There are THREE CONCLUSIONS when humanity follows its own devices -

First we have the way of Cain. I call that THE BANALITY OF SELFISHNESS - The Incarnation of Evil. Cain murdered his own flesh and blood. From there on we see humanity began to perpetuate evil and finally evil became so ordinary and so mundane. God-given conscience was seared with a hot iron. Man has no more conscience. Look around you. Read the news and you would soon have realized that evil has no face – many have become selfishly wicked. That’s what banality means – ordinary! 1 John 3:11-12 gave us an insight into the evilness of Cain. Cain’s action was evil while his brother Able was righteous. He had offered up unacceptable sacrifices before the Lord when he knew full well what needed to be done for an acceptable sacrifice. Instead of repenting and making good he allowed hatred, bitterness and jealousy to develop within his heart and the full force of evil took over from then on. He plotted to kill his brother. We see that later on in the life Joseph and much later in the life of Jesus too. In Joseph’s life, his brothers allowed bitterness and jealousy to take control. In the end, they sold him into slavery. The same with Jesus, the religious authority were proud and took matter into their own hand – claiming to be God’s defender of faith but in reality they were the religious bigots of the day, the framer of the true faith! “The way of Cain” is acting on fleshly impulses, being deliberately presumptuous and intentional to spike God. But what a contrast to Abel his brother! Hebrews 11:4 tells us that “by faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.”

Second comes the error of Balaam. I call that THE CUPIDITY OF SELF-PROFITABILITY - The Propensity to Error. Balaam tried to make a profit out of the gift of God. He possessed some knowledge of the true God. He acknowledged that his superior powers as poet and prophet derived from God. He was famous but self-conceited and covetous. He was not sensitive - a donkey was used by God to reveal Himself to him proving that he doesn't know it all (Deuteronomy 23:4; Numbers 3:8). Three things can be said about him: (1) He tried to commercialize the gift of God. (2) Apparently there was no fear of God in him. He did not see the gravity of his action because greed had taken over. (3) There was a religious deception. Presumptuous living is living not just on the edge but on the brink of hell! In 2 Peter 2:15 Apostle Peter lamented on the depravity of the adulterous people who followed after “the way of Balaam”. The adulterous people had forsaken the right way, gone astray, and loved the wages of unrighteousness. In fact, the way of Balaam had turned into a doctrine (Revelation 2:14), a set of principles and beliefs. They had abandoned godly separation and a pilgrim character in favor of worldly conformity. Balaam taught Balak to corrupt the people that could not be cursed. (Numbers 31:15 & 16; 22:5; 23:8). The error of Balaam was living presumptuously - doing what God did not say to do by deception, covetousness, and greed. He used pagan ritual to carry out what God hates.

Third is the rebellion of Korah. I call that THE MUTINY OF SELF-AGGRANDIZEMENT - The Finality of Egoism. Korah perished in rebellion. He fell into the trap of conspiracy (Numbers 16:1-49). He was jealous of the high honor and privileges of the priesthood. This priesthood was exclusively the family of Aaron. He was also jealous of the supreme authority of Moses. Their offices were small compared to Aaron and Moses. He joined up with Dathan, Abiram, and 250 others in a usurpation of authority (Numbers14:5). The gainsaying of Korah brought him destruction. He's a self-seeking rebel that had the sin of pride. Moses' intercession gave the contrast - humble and full of compassion.