Jude 9-10 But 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 references something not found in the Old Testament but in intertestamental literature. It is based on the story of the death of Moses in Deuteronomy 34:1-12. This story is found in a document called The Testament of Moses. The archangel Michael is mentioned in Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1. He was believed to the the protector of Israel. The devil evidently wanted the body of Moses. Deuteronomy 34:6 implies that the angels were the ones to bury Moses. The devil wanted to 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. The clear message to the readers of this letter is, if their path is heading towards destruction, then why follow them? The way of obedience and life is the way of the truth found in Jesus.
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