We’re currently studying Jude’s small letter. He’s dealing with the subject of false teachers. He wants us to be able to spot and avoid their ways.
They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
Jude 13 NIV
In my last post we looked at Jude’s wild wave analogy. Today we see that he calls them wandering stars.
That’s an interesting way to look at them and I need to explain it. First, we need to see that stars in general seem to rotate around the earth. Now, we know that’s not actually the case, but it appears that way because it’s the earth that’s rotating.
So, to the ancient people, all of the stars seemed to be marching in unison through the night sky. There were some notable exceptions to this. I’m talking about the planets that we can see with the naked eye. These are Mercury, Mars, and Venus to name a few.
The thing about planets is that they don’t travel through the sky with the stars. They take their own path because they orbit the sun.
Why am I talking about planets? Because that’s what Jude is referring to in this section. The Greek word for wandering in this verse is actually planetai, from which we get the English word, planet.
Why is this important? It’s all about agreement.
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
1 Corinthians 1:10 NIV
The analogy is this: All of the stars agree on the direction they’re heading. The planets, however, have their own idea of where they should go. These false teachers are not following the sound doctrine of Christ. They have their own way of thinking.
Please remember, agreement is not about you agreeing with what I say. It’s both of us agreeing with what the Word tells us. We need to all be following the path that Jesus laid down for us.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6 NIV
False teachers don’t live this way. They have their own beliefs that they are trying to convince others to follow. They try to get you to believe that they’re living on a higher level than others.
Unfortunately, according to Jude, they’re operating in perpetual darkness. Darkness is the absence of light. God’s Word is light. These people are living according to their own thoughts. They don’t know the destruction that their path is leading them to.
That’s why it’s so important that we stay in prayer and in the Word. In that way we can hear the Holy Spirit’s warning to avoid these pitfalls.
Questions: When has to Holy Spirit kept you from spiritual harm?
© 2026 Nick Zaccardi
The Spirit and the Word 