Three Mistakes

“The Bible is a most wonderful and precious gift from the Lord to His people. But the Bible was not meant to take the place of the Lord Himself, nor the Spirit whom He sent. The Bible is a means, not an end. Knowing the book of the Lord is not our goal; our goal is to know the Lord of the book.”
Rick Joyner There Were Two Trees in the Garden Page 11

Three Mistakes

The whole of the Bible encourages us
to join faith with obedience;

mere mental assent is not true biblical faith
because what the Bible says
should always results in action.

This inconsistency
between understanding and obedience
is a bane of the contemporary church.

“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.”
Jude 11 NIV

Any time the Scripture uses the phrase
“Woe to them!,”
it has the effect of grabbing my immediate attention.

It is a stern warning given by the Spirit of God
saying in-other-words,
“Hey, listen up, you better pay close attention to this,
or something bad is going to happen!”

Here in Jude we are warned
not to fall into the mistakes
of three of the Bibles losers –

three who knew the way of the Lord,
but chose to go their own way
in their own wisdom.
We all know that wisdom apart from God is foolishness!

Cain: “ I’ll do it my way!”

Cain was a farmer,
while his brother able was a shepherd.
(Genesis 4:2).

The Word says he (Cain) was of the evil one
“not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother
And for what reason did he slay him?
Because his deeds were evil,
and his brother's were righteous.
1 John 3:12 NASB

as he was out of harmony with God

“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain,
through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous,
God testifying about his gifts, and through faith,
though he is dead, he still speaks.”
Hebrews 11:4 NASB

He chose to bring his own offering before God,
instead of the required offering of God,
as his brother Able did in obedience.

Cain’s offering was rejected by God

“but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard
So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.
Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry?
And why has your countenance fallen?
If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?
And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door;
and its desire is for you, but you must master it.’"
Genesis 4:5-7 NASB

Cain rejected God’s call
for his repentance and restoration with God,
refusing to enter into relationship with God
through the prescribed offering.

In his jealousy,
(unsubstantiated) feelings of rejection and rage
he killed his brother able.

How this still rings true today
of those who would contend
that there are many paths to salvation
outside of Christ Jesus –
the only prescribed way given by the Father.

It reflects the many doctrines of men and the evil one,
that have crept into many believer’s hearts,
that contend that worship and obedience
can be as men “interpret”
and pervert the Word of God.

Balaam: pursuit of wealth and fame (position)

Balaam, the son of Beor,
was a man endowed with the gift of prophesy.

“So he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor,
at Pethor, which is near the River,
in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying,
"Behold, a people came out of Egypt;
behold, they cover the surface of the land,
and they are living opposite me.”
Numbers 22:5 NASB

His reputation had proceeded him,
to the point that when the Israelites were encamped
in the plains of Moab,
Balak the king of Moab sent for Balaam
and enticed him to pronounce a curse on Israel
in exchange for personal gain.

The Word tells us that Balaam was at first prohibited by God.

He was summoned a second time and he refused to go.

At length, however,
God seeing the wickedness in his heart,
(the desire for riches and honor of man
that Balak set before him)
He allowed him to go.

God’s anger was kindled against his selfishness
and he set the angel of the Lord in his path as an adversary.

“forsaking the right way, they have gone astray,
having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor,
who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
but he received a rebuke for his own transgression,
for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man,
restrained the madness of the prophet.”
2 Peter 2:15-16 NASB

When Balaam tried to curse Israel
words of blessing flowed from his lips.

He nevertheless suggested to the Moabites
the expediency of seducing Israel
by enticing them to commit fornication.

The effect of this is recorded in Numbers 25;
as in a later battle against the Israelites
Balaam is killed at the hand of an Israeli sword.

How often today we hear the cry of Balak
being subtly offered to the people of God.

The deceptive offering of financial gain
or positions of power,
if you will only do what is “after all, politically correct.”

Any act that draws us away
from the security and purposefulness
of living a life in God’s presence
and an attitude of obedience
facilitates spiritual adultery against God.
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I remember distinctly on an occasion some years ago,
when I worked under an ungodly administrator
(who was a former believer in Christ)
who seemed to delight
in undermining the ways of righteousness.

I recall praying that God would ‘change this person’s heart’ –
or remove this person from the position of authority
(knowing that all authority comes from God)
which allowed such decisions.

Then it happened –
one day at a large public meeting,
this person make a public statement that mocked God!

In a flash I heard myself say out loud,
“Thank you very much!”

This was said loud enough so that
many of the people around me heard it clearly.

Many of them, who were believers,
came to me and asked why I would say thank you
for a statement that obviously had mocked the Lord.

I replied that I had said “Thank you”
because I knew that God would not sit by
and allow His name to be mocked!

From that moment I began to take authority in prayer
“With the high praises of God in my mouth
and a two edged sword in my hand…
I began to ask God to as David did in Psalm 149:
To wreak vengeance upon the nations of darkness
and chastisement upon
the evil people in authority,
To bind their kings with chains,
and their nobles with fetters of iron,
to bind up the principalities
and powers of evil in high places
To execute upon them
the judgment written in His Word.
This is the honor of all His saints.
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Asking God to remove this evil influence quickly,
I began to speak to believers proclaiming that God
was going to remove this person from office.

Most of the people I talked with
thought I had gone “over the edge”
because for all appearances this person’s influence
seemed to be growing,
rather than diminishing.

In the end it happened overnight!
This person was fired
and moved out overnight-
and many of the people
that had been hired by this administration
were gone within a few months.
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Korah: refusal to honor authority

Korah whose name literally means,
baldness, ice, or frost
was the son of Izhar
and he rebelled against Moses and Aaron,

together with Dathan,
Abiram and two hundred and fifty leaders.

A Levite, the son of Izhar,
the brother of Amram,
the father of Moses and Aaron (Exodus 6:21)

The institution of the Aaronic priesthood
and the Levitical service at Sinai
was a great religious revolution.

The old priesthood
of the heads of families passed away.

This gave rise to murmurings and discontent,
while the Israelites were encamped at Kadesh
for the first time,
which came to a head in a rebellion
against Moses and Aaron,
headed by Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
Two hundred and fifty princes, “men of renown”

i.e., well-known men from among the other tribes,
joined this conspiracy.

The whole company demanded of Moses and Aaron
that the old state of things should be restored,

alleging that “they took too much upon them”

“Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath,
the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram,
the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth,
sons of Reuben, took action,
and they rose up before Moses,
together with some of the sons of Israel,
two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation,
chosen in the assembly, men of renown.
They assembled together against Moses and Aaron,
and said to them, ‘You have gone far enough,
for all the congregation are holy, every one of them,
and the LORD is in their midst;
so why do you exalt yourselves
above the assembly of the LORD?"
Numbers 16:1-3 NASB

On the morning after the outbreak,
Korah and his associates presented themselves
at the door of the tabernacle,
and “took every man his censer,
and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon.”

But immediately “fire from the Lord”
burst forth and destroyed them all

“Fire also came forth from the LORD
and consumed the two hundred and fifty men
who were offering the incense.”
Numbers 16:35 NASB

Dathan and Abiram
came out and stood in the door of their tents,
and their wives, and their sons, and their little children,
and the ground opened that was under them;
and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up.


A plague thereafter began
among the people who sympathized
in the rebellion,
and was only stayed
by Aaron’s appearing between the living and the dead,
and making “an atonement for the people” (Numbers 16:47).

Aaron knew well about such intercession
It was Moses who interceded for him
when he made the ‘golden calf’
which saved his life. (Deut. 9:19-20)

The descendants of the sons of Korah
who did not participate in the rebellion
afterwards rose to eminence in the Levitical service.

The Word of God says
all things are naked and open before God
who alone is our judge.
“And not a creature exists
that is concealed from His sight,
but all things are open and exposed,
naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him
with Whom we have to do.”
Hebrews 4:13 Amplified Bible

We are further chastened
that we are to live in harmony
and under the authority that God has established for us.

There are three primary areas
where we are to submit to God’s authority:
In the Home
On the Job
In the House of God

All authority is established and ordained by God
(even when we don’t agree with them).

The life of David is a marvelous picture
of one who remained under authority
even when that authority was deceived,
even demonically controlled.

David refused to come against
God’s appointed authority
even though all his friends were telling him to do so.

Indeed he refused to come against Saul,
even after being anointed by Samuel
as the next king of Israel.

The Word tells us
that we should not murmur against,
speak evil of, or plot against authority….

But we are to submit ourselves humbly
and wait on God to make the change.

“Do all things without murmurings and disputings”
Philippians 2:14 KJV

We live in a ‘Homer Simpson’ culture
that has raised the ‘put-down’
and the rebellious complaint
to its highest idolatrous form

They are indeed words of rebellion against God
and His established authorities
in the Home,
on the Job and
in our Churches.

“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.”
Jude 11 NIV

Cain “ I’ll do it my way
Balaam pursuit of wealth and fame (position)
Korah refusal to honor authority


Let’s endeavor to live lives
that will glorify God
and not to be enticed and made captive to these three errors.

Let’s worship in Spirit and in Truth…
as God desires
Let’s place righteousness ahead of personal gain and position
And let’s be quick to listen
and slow to speak
so that when we perceive error in a brother or sister,
we are able to restore them in love
and be hands that lift them up,
not tear them down.

“Brethren, if any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual
[who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit]
should set him right and restore and reinstate him,
without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness,
keeping an attentive eye on yourself,
lest you should be tempted also.
Bear (endure, carry) one another's burdens
and troublesome moral faults,
and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ
(the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it].”
Galatians 6:1-2 Amplified Bible

May you grow in His grace,
and know the richness of your inheritance in Him,
who was, and who is, and who is to come!

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