Word
of God
Man
does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from
the mouth of God
Matthew
4:4
The
Epistle of Jude 1:16
Study
notes by John Gill
Edited/Prefaced
by Doktor Riktor Von Zhades
16
These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts:
whose mouths speak proud things, having men’s persons in
admiration, because of advantage.
Brethren:
That is, at others; secretly, inwardly, in a muttering way, grunting out their murmurs like swine; to which, for their filthiness and apostasy, false teachers may be filly compared: and their murmurs might be both against God and men; against God, against the being of God, denying, or at least wishing there was no God, and uneasy because there is one; against the perfections of God, particularly his sovereignty over all, his special goodness to some, his wisdom, justice, truth, and faithfulness; against his purposes and decrees, both with respect to things temporal, spiritual, and eternal; against the providence of God and his government of the world, and the unequal distribution of things in it; and especially against the doctrines of free grace, and the ordinances of the Gospel. Not only are they murmurers against God, and all divine things and persons, but also against men; particularly against civil magistrates, who restrain them, and are a terror (Read Romans 13:1; Titus 3:1) to them; and against the ministers of the Gospel, whose gifts and usefulness they envy; and indeed against all men, their neighbours, and what they enjoy, and at everything that goes besides themselves.
That is, at others; secretly, inwardly, in a muttering way, grunting out their murmurs like swine; to which, for their filthiness and apostasy, false teachers may be filly compared: and their murmurs might be both against God and men; against God, against the being of God, denying, or at least wishing there was no God, and uneasy because there is one; against the perfections of God, particularly his sovereignty over all, his special goodness to some, his wisdom, justice, truth, and faithfulness; against his purposes and decrees, both with respect to things temporal, spiritual, and eternal; against the providence of God and his government of the world, and the unequal distribution of things in it; and especially against the doctrines of free grace, and the ordinances of the Gospel. Not only are they murmurers against God, and all divine things and persons, but also against men; particularly against civil magistrates, who restrain them, and are a terror (Read Romans 13:1; Titus 3:1) to them; and against the ministers of the Gospel, whose gifts and usefulness they envy; and indeed against all men, their neighbours, and what they enjoy, and at everything that goes besides themselves.
As
such it follows that they are complainers; some join the above
character and this together, and read, as the Vulgate Latin version,
"complaining murmurers"; others, as the Syriac version,
place not only a comma, but a copulative between them; and as the
former may design secret and inward murmuring, this may intend
outward complaining in words; not of their own sins and corruptions,
nor of the sins of others, with any concern for the honour of
religion; or of the decay of powerful godliness in themselves or
others; or of the failure of the Gospel, and the decrease of the
interest of Christ; but either of God, that he has not made them
equal to others in the good things of life, as the Arabic version
renders it, "complaining of their own lots"; or that he
lays so much affliction upon them more than on others; or of men,
that their salaries are not sufficient, and that they are not enough
respected according to their merit; and indeed, as the Syriac version
reads, "they complain of everything", and are never
satisfied and easy: walking after their own lusts; which are carnal
and worldly, (Read 2 Peter 3:3); and their mouth speaketh great
swelling [words]; both against God and men; and this may point at
their boast of knowledge, their great ostentation of learning, their
vain and empty doctrines, their high flights, their rhetorical style,
and bombast language.
Seeking
out men of their own stamp for the advantage of the party; and giving
flattering titles to men of wealth and riches, for the sake of their
money: so the Ethiopic version, "they studied to please persons,
to make gain of them"; they were respecters of persons
Post
Script by Dr. R.V.Z.
Friends
consider also today the following scripture in relation to our study;
Deuteronomy
10:17, 28:50; Job 34:19; Proverbs 18:15, Isaiah 9:15
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