Empty Clouds-Jude 1:12

I sat on my porch swing, watching the clouds above closing rank, merging into a united battlefront.  Like ancient war drums, an ominous, distant thunder heralded the oncoming attack.  The sun faded as if an immense, cosmic hand slid a giant dimmer switch on this heavenly chandelier.  The day’s uncomfortable humidity intensified, making the air steamy and viscous.  The slow, peaceful arc of my swing contrasted the mounting tension in the atmosphere as the storm approached.

From under the cover of my porch roof, I scanned the yard and driveway for the first sprinkling drops.  I sensed the climbing roses and begonias in the flower bed nearby lifting up and leaning out just a bit to grab that first drink.  The eggplant and peppers seemed set to plump out their ripeness with this anticipated watering dose.  All of the living, growing things in the yard which had been surviving with the water from the hose and watering-can still looked a bit parched, ready for a soak.  The sky darkened, the thunder rumbled, the wind blew.  All waited.  But, the rain never came.  The sky was full of empty clouds.

In the Bible, there are references to empty clouds– clouds without rain.   Proverbs 25:14 states,   “Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.”    An approaching storm gives to the thirsty land beneath it the promise of needed rain.    The wind and thunder boastfully support the claim of ensuing precipitation.  But, when the clouds have no rain–the boasted gift is not given– the cloud, like the promising man in Proverbs, is useless.

We can see this same imagery in the New Testament.  In Jude 1:12,  “Waterless Clouds, swept along by winds…” and II Peter 2:17 “Mists driven by a storm…”  the rainless, empty clouds are used to describe false teachers.  A healthy plant needs adequate amounts of both sunlight and water to grow and produce fruit.  Jude and Peter analogously equate the believers in a church congregation to plants striving to grow strong in the Lord.  The job of the teacher of these tiny, fragile plants is to assure plenty of light and water for healthy growth.  The false teacher is a puffed cloud.

1.  Empty Clouds Block the Light

When the clouds move in before a storm, the sky darkens, even in the midday.  The false teachers, then, do the work of the one who blinds the eyes of those who are perishing, so that the gospel’s light does not shine through.  II Corinthians 4:4.  Jesus is the light of the world that His followers need.

2.  Empty Clouds Give No Water

Clouds have been designed by God for the purpose of watering the land.  Good, reliable amounts of water ensure growth.  False teachers promise things that sound like they will be helpful.  With empty, clanging, thunderous words they teach not of Christ but of themselves.  They have no life giving water.  Jesus is the living water that His followers need.

These Scriptural pictures are given so that believers can identify teachers who want to exalt themselves or misrepresent the Word of God.  Be on your guard against the false, empty clouds that build tension, thunder promises, and darken the light only to move on with no rain.

With Joy,

Kathleen