Jude 9But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.
Verse 9 refers to something not found in the Old Testament but in intertestamental literature, based on the story of Moses’ death in Deuteronomy 34:1-12. This story is found in a document called The Testament of Moses. In canonical Scripture, the archangel Michael is mentioned in Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1, Revelation 12:7, and in this verse. The name Michael means “Who is like God.” The obvious answer is, “No one.” Michael represents God’s power at critical times in the story of God’s people. Daniel 12:1 calls Michael “the great prince who protects your people.” Michael will intervene at the end of time to help God’s people and will lead to the deliverance of all who have their names written in the book, possibly referring to the “Book of Life” (Revelation 3:5; 20:12). The word archangel occurs only here and in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. It has the sense of the highest angel.
The devil evidently wanted the body of Moses. Deuteronomy 34:6 implies that the angels were the ones to bury Moses. The devil wanted Moses’ body, which was against God’s will. In this way, the devil was slandering Michael as the one who was to bury Moses, and indirectly slandering God whose will Michael was following. The basic idea is that the devil was going against God’s word. For this reason, Michael rebuked the devil. What the devil did is what the false teachers were doing: they were saying things they did not understand. They were following the way of the flesh or the way of their fallen instincts. By following this way, they will eventually destroy themselves.
Jude writes to warn early Christians about deception and heresy. Michael was the protector of the body of Moses and called on the Lord to rebuke Satan for possibly trying to steal the body. In the battle against evil and apostasy, early Christians could follow Michael’s example and seek God’s help. Michael shows someone calling on the Lord in humility, based on his name, in order to rebuke evil. The clear message to the readers of this letter is that if these opponents are heading towards destruction, then why follow them? The way of obedience and life is the way of the truth found in Jesus.