II Timothy 3:1-17
Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses… (v. 8a) My Study Bible said that according to Jewish tradition these two men were Egyptian court magicians who opposed Moses when he went to Pharoah – Aaron threw down his staff and it became a serpent, then court magicians did the same (Exodus 7:11). But I was thinking also of other times when people opposed Moses – one of the two Israelites whom Moses found fighting (Exodus 2); Miriam and Aaron (Numbers 12); Korah’s rebellion (Numbers 16); the people who supported ten of the twelve “spies” who searched out the land in Numbers 13-14 (see especially Num 14:4, And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”); and any number of people who complained and grumbled during the Israelites’ 40 years in the wilderness. So Moses had more than his share of people opposing him. My guess is that the incidents reported in Exodus and Numbers only touched the surface!
Following verse 8 noted above, we have verse 9a, Paul’s reflection back to Jannes’ and Jambres’ attempts: But they will not get very far… True, Jannes and Jambres did not get very far. However, we can’t say the same about opposition in the church today. COVID and “the world” have brought church attendance down dramatically, and many who are still in the church today are under the influence of liberal theology that weakens God’s power in their lives. I fear for future generations. Come, Lord Jesus, come!!
See also: October 12 / II Timothy 3:1-9; October 13 / II Timothy 3:10-17