It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh
from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of
his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all
their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and
of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These
are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are
loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. (Jude 14–16 ESV).
Our reading today mentions another little-known
prophet, Enoch. It is another example of Jude, knowing his first readers not
being inclined to give any supporting details. We can be sure, however, that
the Holy Spirit’s inspiration included that in His plan for future audiences.
So, we should begin with what we know historically. We do know that the period
of time between the Old and New Testaments was marked by a great deal of
international upheaval. The Maccabean revolt (ca. 164 BCE) ended the tyranny of
Antiochus IV who defiled the Jerusalem temple. Israel subsequently enjoyed
independence from foreign rule. This continued until 63 BCE when the Roman
general Pompey made Palestine a part of the Roman empire.
Though prophets were silent during the
intertestamental period, the Jews continued to produce many religious works.
These works came to be known as the deuterocanonical books, and many of them,
such as 1 and 2 Maccabees, are included in the canon of the Roman Catholic
Church. However, many other works were produced at this time and were never
recognized as inspired, even though they may have been used as devotional aids
by some Jews.
One of these is known as the Testament
of Moses and is the likely source for Jude’s description of the fight over
Moses’ body (cf. v. 9). Jude’s reliance on an uninspired source immediately
raises concerns for us. These concerns are only compounded by today’s passage.
In verses 14–15, Jude quotes 1 Enoch, a pseudepigraphal (falsely attributed)
work written between the third and first centuries BCE. This book is based on
the enigmatic “Enoch” of Genesis 5:18–24, and was a favorite of the Dead Sea
sect.
It is natural for us to then consider whether
Jude viewed the aforementioned works inspired? If so, then we need to add to
our Old Testament canon. If not, maybe Jude ought to be disqualified as an
apostle for quoting an uninspired work as if it were inspired? Indeed, many in
the early church had problems accepting Jude as canonical because of his use of
these sources. But we need not resort to such a thing, for Jude’s use of this
material does not mean he recognized these works as a whole were inspired.
While operating under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Jude was led to
include portions of these sources in his inspired letter. The apostle could
distinguish the truths from the errors in these apocryphal books, and thus his
use of a non-canonical writing is perfectly in keeping with the inspiration and
inerrancy of his letter.
All truth finds its origin in God
Himself. Therefore, we should not be dismayed that Jude quotes from sources not
inspired by God. We can be sure Jude, under the superintendence of the Holy
Spirit, was able to sift the wheat from the chaff in these non-canonical
sources. Thus his letter, like all of Scripture, remains authoritative. Thank
the Lord for giving us His Word and study it so that you may apply its truth to
your life.
The message is clear. Jesus is coming and
He will judge the living and the dead. Those that Jude singles out (“… the grumblers,
malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed
boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage”) will face the wrath of the Sovereign
Lord. Take care to stay away from such people! Contend for the one true faith!
