Topical Bible: Wicked (People): Compared With: Clouds Without Water

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In biblical literature, the term "wicked" refers to individuals who live in opposition to God's commandments and moral order. The wicked are often characterized by their unrighteous actions, deceitful hearts, and rebellion against divine authority. Throughout Scripture, they are depicted as those who reject God's wisdom and pursue their own sinful desires, leading to spiritual and often physical ruin.

A poignant metaphor used in the Bible to describe the wicked is "clouds without water." This imagery is found in the Epistle of Jude, where false teachers and ungodly individuals are likened to such clouds: "These men are hidden reefs in your love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the wind; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead after being uprooted" (Jude 1:12).

Clouds Without Water:

1. Promise Without Fulfillment: Clouds typically signify the promise of rain, which is essential for nourishing the earth and sustaining life. However, clouds without water fail to deliver on this promise, symbolizing emptiness and disappointment. Similarly, the wicked may present themselves as offering hope or guidance, but ultimately, they lack the substance and truth that lead to spiritual nourishment and growth.

2. Instability and Aimlessness: Clouds without water are driven by the wind, lacking direction and purpose. This reflects the nature of the wicked, who are often swayed by their own passions and the changing tides of worldly influence. Proverbs 4:19 states, "The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble" . Their lives are marked by instability and a lack of true direction.

3. Fruitlessness: Just as clouds without water fail to produce rain, the wicked fail to produce the fruits of righteousness. Their actions do not lead to the flourishing of themselves or others. In contrast, the righteous are described as trees planted by streams of water, yielding fruit in season (Psalm 1:3).

4. Deceptive Appearance: Clouds without water may appear promising from a distance, yet they deceive those who hope for rain. The wicked often present a façade of wisdom or success, but their lives are devoid of the true substance that comes from a relationship with God. Jesus warned against such deception, saying, "Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15).

In conclusion, the metaphor of "clouds without water" serves as a vivid illustration of the nature of the wicked. It underscores their lack of spiritual substance, their instability, and their ultimate fruitlessness. The Bible calls believers to discernment, urging them to seek the true wisdom and righteousness that come from God, rather than being led astray by the empty promises of the wicked.

Nave's Topical Index

Jude 1:12
These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit wither, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Sanctification
... of the divine nature; it is our riches, therefore compared to rows ... is the only thing
that makes us differ from the wicked. God's people have his seal upon them ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/5 sanctification.htm

2 Sam. 23:4-5. Without Clouds.
... this kingdom were dim and vague compared to those ... no crosses, no disappointments,
no wicked children, no ... grand gathering together of all God's people, and when ...
/.../the upper room being a few truths for the times/chapter xiv 2 sam 23 4-5.htm

What are the Clouds?
... Compared with God there is nothing great ... of locusts, have made their appearance;
and the people, being so ... one vast globe of fire; the wicked"shrieking, wailing ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/what are the clouds.htm

Perseverance of Saints.
... in the general, he did not live a wicked life, though ... of them, as it is written;
The people sat down ... You have great light and privileges when compared with the ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture li perseverance of saints.htm

Fourth Sunday after Trinity Redemption of the Creatures.
... angels and we are drawn up into the clouds to meet ... What is it compared to the glory
to be revealed in us ... is captive to the devil and to wicked people, and must ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/fourth sunday after trinity redemption.htm

Steadfast unto the End
... God has called His people to glory and virtue, and ... their brethren in the faith, the
apostle compared to "wells ... led away with the error of the wicked, fall from ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 52 steadfast unto the.htm

Appendix.
... and above all order of stars; being compared with the ... hasted He to take him away
from among the wicked. This the people saw, and understood it not, neither did ...
//christianbookshelf.org/anonymous/the general menaion/appendix.htm

The Water of Life;
... The waters of a full cup the wicked shall have; and a ... The grace of God is compared
to a river, to show ... When the people lusted for flesh, Moses said, 'Shall the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the water of life.htm

Scriptural Predictions of an Apostasy.
... had a mild, gentle, lamb-like appearance compared with Catholicism ... of Noah the world
became very wicked and God ... a time after the flood the people were righteous ...
/.../orr/the gospel day /chapter ii scriptural predictions of.htm

The Desolations of the Lord, the Consolation of his Saints
... of brass, to make a way for his people; they are ... mountains, the first-born of
nature"new compared with these ... fade not; but the words of the wicked are like ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the desolations of the lord.htm