Today I decided to start my journey through the book of Jude. I started by reading the book 5 times in a row. I was aiming for 12, but after 5 times, I realized just how hard 12 is going to be. I am going to have to work my way up to 12 times. A few things made the process easier. My digital commentaries and my physical concordance were invaluable.
With each pass through the book, I noted in my bullet journal one thing that stood out. I came up with 9 thoughts over those 5 readings. I got hung up on the phrase "hating even the garment stained by the flesh" in verse 23. I went to one of my digital commentaries to figure that out.
Context matters. The full verse reads, "save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh". The stain is sin. While trying to help those who sin willfully, we must never lower ourselves to the level of sin. Love the sinner, hate the sin is what I took out of it.
Another idea that struck me comes from verse 5: "Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people from the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe." Here, I was amazed at how Jude named Jesus as the one who freed the enslaved Israelites from Egypt. He is purposely equating Jesus with God.
I took more notes on Jude. But I'd like to save them for another day. When I finish this, I plan to put together a full Bible study on Jude. What I can say is that Jude is a book relevant to our times.
Jude is very clear about what he thinks of false teachers infiltrating the church. He makes references to other places in scripture, some subtle and some unmistakable. He also takes the time to remind his readers that God is just. He will punish those who openly mock God and spit in His face by twisting His word into sinful behavior.
Reading Jude in such detail is hard but spiritually fruitful. While I did not meet my reading quota, I will do this again with Jude. Next time, I will read it 7 times and see what the Holy Spirit reveals to me. The important thing is that I am spending time in His word, determined to understand it. As it says in Acts 17:11, "...they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."
Have you ever done an exhaustive Bible study? If so, what book(s) did you choose and why? If you haven't, what keeps you from trying it? I would love to hear your thoughts.
—Daniel