READING: 2 John 1; 3 John 1; Jude 1
It’s one of the stranger verses in the New Testament: “Yet Michael the archangel, when he was disputing with the Devil in a debate about Moses’ body, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” (Jude 9). We don’t know all the details of this story, as its original source is something other than the Bible. Jude, though, likely believed it to be true, and thus he used it to make his point about false teachers of his day.
Similar to what we read in 2 Peter, the false teachers were so arrogant that they were unafraid to “blaspheme glorious ones,” who likely were demons (Jude 8). The false teachers established themselves as their own authority, and in claiming that authority they seemingly lost any respect for spiritual beings. They certainly had little fear of the demonic.
In contrast, Jude summarized a story about the death of Moses. God superintended the burial of Moses so that no one knew where he was buried (Deut 34:6). Tradition taught that the archangel Michael was instrumental in Moses’ burial, but the devil fought Michael in the process — perhaps because he wanted to accuse Moses of sin. Michael, a leader among the angels, was more powerful than the devil. He surely could have himself rebuked the enemy, but he chose to leave the rebuking to God. The God who rebuked the accuser before he could say a word against Joshua the high priest in the Old Testament (Zech 3:1-6) would be the One to rebuke the devil over Moses’ body.
What’s the point here? Jude was making the case that the false teachers in his day were quite foolish. If even an archangel were humble enough that he would not take on the devil, how preposterous was it for human beings to rail against him? The false teachers were so blinded, deceived, and haughty that they put themselves in the position of God when they leveled condemnation and disrespect against demonic beings.
The point of this text is not to give us a spiritual warfare strategy, but it is still a needed reminder for us: God is the only one who sovereignly rules over the demons, and he’s the one who does the rebuking. If our spiritual warfare includes our doing more rebuking Satan than seeking God to do it, we may have been subtly turned in the direction of arrogance.
ACTION STEPS:
- The false teachers were arrogant enough that they had little respect for spiritual beings. They apparently dealt flippantly with the demonic. Consider whether you do the same in any way.
- Evaluate whether you spend more timing rebuking the devil or speaking to God as you do spiritual warfare.
PRAYER: “Thank You, God, for rebuking the accuser. Remind me how much I need you every step of the way in this spiritual battle.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Revelation 1-3