“Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men” (2 Timothy 3:8-9 ESV).
The Egyptian sorcerers who opposed Moses and Aaron as they appeared before Pharaoh are traditionally identified by the names Jannes and Jambres. These men sought to invalidate Moses’ claim to represent the one true God by duplicating the miraculous signs that God had given to Moses to perform. Their actions characterized the opposition posed by the false teachers of Ephesus.
Although Jannes and Jambres were initially successful in their efforts to reproduce these signs, their failure to do so entirely presents us with an important spiritual lesson…
“When Moses cast down his rod and it turned into a serpent, Jannes and Jambres could do the same. When he turned water into blood, they could do the same. When Moses brought forth a plague of frogs, Jannes and Jambres could do the same. Yet eventually they could not match God miracle-for-miracle, and their occult powers were shown to be inferior to God’s power.
The ability to do miracles by the power of darkness and the willingness to receive them as authentic will characterize the end times (Revelation 13:13-15 and 2 Thessalonians 2:9). Some of us are amazed by any spiritual power that is real, without carefully thinking that real power may have a demonic source instead of a Godly source. And even if a psychic or new age power seems to feel right, we must not be seduced by it because demonic powers can come masquerading as angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:15).” (1)
Thus, their failure was immortalized for all to see in the pages of the Scripture and represents the kind of example we should seek to avoid…
“We can hide our sin for a while, but eventually the truth will be revealed. Sooner or later, distraction, opposition, anger, or fatigue will wear us down, and our true hearts will be exposed. The trials of life will conspire against our efforts to maintain a religious front. We can’t pick when and where we will be tested by adversity. Build your character carefully because it will come out under stress. Live each day as if your actions will one day be known to everyone. It is useless, in the middle of a test, to acknowledge that you should have prepared. Now is the time to change anything you wouldn’t want revealed later” (2)
(1) Guzik, Dave, 2 Timothy 3 – Perilous Times And Precious Truth (8-9) https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/2-timothy-3/
(2) Life Application Study Bible [2 Timothy 3:9] Copyright © 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2004 by Tyndale House Publishers Inc., all rights reserved.