“But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you’” (v9).
Duke and Carolina. The Yankees and Red Sox. Frazier and Ali. Every one of these is a bitter rivalry. But they don’t hold a candle to the supernatural showdowns between the archangel Michael and Satan. These two squared off more than once for epic knockdown-dragout slobberknockers. Just how big? Let’s just say they were of biblical proportions. Jesus’ kid brother looks back on these ancient rivals and reminds us that the lead dog of the angels kept his battles in perspective. He didn’t take it personally. Michael knew he was on assignment. Michael knew he was representing God.
Let’s get a couple of things straight right out of the chute. First of all, don’t forget the whole reason Jude is writing his short but power-packed epistle. It seems a posse of false teachers have weaseled their way into local churches with a corrosive message (Jude 4). The author sounds the alarm and reassures us that His big Brother has our back (Jude 24). He compares these con artists to three infamous examples from the OT: the rebellious Israelites (Num 14:22-23, 29-30, 35,37; Jude 5), the renegade angels (Gen 6:1-5; Ezek 28:14-17; Jude 6), and the Twin Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18:20-33; 19:1-14, 23-28; Jude 7). The false teachers execute their three point plan to perfection (Jude 8). Sexual sin. Authority rejected. Dignitaries dissed.
The second point is about this specific showdown between Michael and the devil. We don’t know exactly when and where this went down. As a matter of fact, we don’t know much beyond what Jude jots down here. It has something to do with Moses’ body. The Big Mo died on Mt. Nebo just after seeing the Promised Land. He and God were so close that the Almighty personally attended to his buddy’s funeral arrangements (Dt 34:6). Apparently there was some sort of metaphysical cage match between the archangel and the Prince of Lies around that time. Honestly, that’s about all we know.
Jude wants us to know that the mighty Mike never loses his perspective when it he dukes it out with the devil. He always remembers his position. He always remembers that he’s a soldier in the army of the Lord. He never talks smack to his evil opponent. Let’s face it, if there’s never been a being that deserved it more. Our author calls him by the Greek word diabolos. He’s diabolical. It literally means false accuser, slanderer, or liar. One look at this name let’s us know that Satan certainly never keeps his demonic trap shut when it comes to talking trash. He lies. He accuses. He slanders. It’s part of his game.
Michael doesn’t stoop to name calling. He doesn’t get dragged down to the devil’s level. While Satan lets the smack fly, the archangel does not “pronounce a blasphemous judgment” (v9) back at his enemy. Check out how some of the other translations describe this same phrase. He “durst not bring against him a railing accusation” (KJV). “He did not dare to bring a condemnation of slander” (NRS). He “did not dare to bring up an evil-speaking judgment” (YLT). He “did not dare accuse Satan of blasphemy” (NLT). One way to translate this from the original language is, “he did not take it upon himself to bring a charge of blasphemy” against the devil.
The mighty Mike provides us with a great example of how we’re to deal with the evil one. Remember, this is in contrast to the false teachers who “blaspheme the glorious ones” (Jude 8). Jude is NOT saying that Satan should be worshiped for his glory. What he is saying is that we need to remember something that the spiritual hucksters failed to do. One, the devil is an angel. A fallen angel, for sure. But an angel. These supernatural beings are fearsome. One look at one of these heavenly warriors would send us to our knees in terror. Jesus and His army have whooped Satan and his rebellious horde once and for all. But we need to be careful if and when we ever have some sort of demonic showdown. Let’s simply follow Michael’s lead. Let Christ’s words be enough, “The Lord rebuke you” (v9).
Michael and Satan have, shall we say, a history. Their rivalry goes way back. When God appeared to Daniel on a Persian riverbank, He told the prophet how Mike was “one of the chief princes, came to help Me” as God did battle against the prince of demons (Dan 10:13). Yahweh tells Daniel that when it comes to fighting the evil one, Michael is a rock star. “There is none who contends by My side against these except Michael, your prince” (Dan 10:21). Later, God reveals to Dan that the archangel will play the role of personal bodyguard over His people during God’s grand finale (Dan 12:1). Jesus pulls back the heavenly curtain to show the Apostle John how Michael played a key role in tossing Satan’s sorry carcass out of heaven after defeating the dragon-lead rebellion (Rev 12:7). So yeah, they have a history.
Despite their epic and bitter rivalry, don’t miss two important points. First of all, Michael never lost. The archangel was a perfect 3-0 according to the Bible. It doesn’t mean these weren’t brutal throw-downs. But Satan never came out on top. Ever. And Jesus makes sure that His number one general will never lose. Ever. Second, the mighty Mike clearly understood Whom he was fighting for. These are actually God’s battles. These are actually God’s victories. Eugene Peterson captures the essence of this verse in his paraphrase. “The Archangel Michael, who went to the mat with the Devil as they fought over the body of Moses, wouldn’t have dared level him with a blasphemous curse, but said simply, ‘No you don’t. God will take care of you!’” (v9 The Message). And did He ever.
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