Trios of Evil, 5of6

~ Cain – Balaam – Korah ~

In the Book of Jude we find three apostate groups (identified in the previous post) and three apostate individuals (identified in this post).

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

Cain ~ “The way of Cain.”  Over time Cain became a generic symbol of evil men.  Some of Cain’s specific sins included persecuting believers, moral skepticism, spiritual murder, general unbelief, envying the spirituality of others, and in general acting upon natural instincts and selfish desires.  In Hebrews 11:4 we see Cain’s sacrifice compared to Abel’s.  The Beloved Disciple wrote, “This is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother.  And why did he murder him?  Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous” (1 John 3:11-12).  (The story of Cain can be found in Genesis 4.)

Balaam ~ “The error of Balaam.”  Balaam’s mind set was to do what he wanted to do even if he knew it was contrary to God’s desire.  He also was a great justifier of his actions.  At its essence the error of Balaam is resistance to God—not just unthinking carelessness.  “They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet” (2 Peter 2:15-16).  (The story of Balaam is found in Numbers 22-24.)

Korah (a.k.a. Core) ~ “The rebellion of Korah.”  Korah was the leader of a rebellion against Moses and Aaron (his cousins).  He was a bold, proud, and ambitious in a bad way.  He resented his exclusion from the priesthood.  Korah represents a spirit of insubordination towards legitimate spiritual leadership.  (The primary story of Korah is found in Numbers 16.)

Additional Comment ~ All three of these individuals were religious men.  Jesus said, “I am the [only] way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6b).  Each of these individuals, Cain—Balaam—Korah, thought they had a better idea, a better path for their behavior.  The essence of apostasy is unwillingness to have Jesus Christ is refusing the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your life.  How are you doing?

The Bottom Line ~ After presenting three apostate groups and three apostate individuals the Book of Jude says this:  “These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves.  They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.  Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him’” (Jude 12-15).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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