9 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!”
Just to correct the NIV here, the KJV includes 'contend' with and shows Jude is back to his main point of contending for the faith. Why don't we hear of this dispute before? Is there any place we can hang our hat over this? Here are some things we can draw from the above altercation...
- Michael and the devil had a dispute
- We don't get to see the nature of the dispute
- In the dispute the devil brought a false accusation against 'someone.'
- It is not fitting for Michael to be the judge even when right
There have been many explanations for what this refers to and we can start by making a strong assumption. Moses died having been banned from getting into the Promised Land. He was buried (by God!) in an unmarked grave in the valley of Moab (Deut 34). It was as if God had him die as the text says he wasn't really expiring. Many feel this was harsh of God and some stumble to find out why this strange occurrence happened.
What Moses demonstrated to Israel
On two occasions Moses was to draw water from a rock. On the first occasion in Horeb he was required to strike the rock with his staff. Water poured out from that rock and the people drank (Exodus 17). The second time the people were thirsty and God commanded Moses to speak to the rock. After attributing the miracle to himself (error number 1) he struck the rock instead of speaking to it. Paul helps us in 1 Cor 10 by reminding us that that rock was Christ. So the story speaks of a very serious thing indeed.
Israel were party to the death of Jesus. So we can say that Moses striking the rock (Christ) was his murder by the Jews and authorities. The plan was that the resurrection would underline Messiah and they would believe. All they have to do is speak to the risen Messiah. Moses actions in striking instead of speaking was a grave warning to Israel that striking Jesus a second time is rejection of Messiah. In an enormous gesture towards warning Israel, Moses is denied entry to show that EVEN Moses, with all his God-accompaniment, heritage and calling HAD TO speak to the risen Messiah to gain salvation. So this may form part of the dispute with Michael and the devil, i.e what is Moses status having been barred for the Promised Land?
Some simply say that the devil wanted to set up a shrine to Moses and was miffed because the location of his body was not known. The devil knows people would flock to worship if they could find a gathering place. All speculation but good to knock some ideas about.
By far the most important thing to take from this verse is to NOT try to rebuke the devil or demons. Stand firm. Wear the armour (Eph 6). The battle belongs to the Lord.
Gary Ward
What Moses demonstrated to Israel
On two occasions Moses was to draw water from a rock. On the first occasion in Horeb he was required to strike the rock with his staff. Water poured out from that rock and the people drank (Exodus 17). The second time the people were thirsty and God commanded Moses to speak to the rock. After attributing the miracle to himself (error number 1) he struck the rock instead of speaking to it. Paul helps us in 1 Cor 10 by reminding us that that rock was Christ. So the story speaks of a very serious thing indeed.
Israel were party to the death of Jesus. So we can say that Moses striking the rock (Christ) was his murder by the Jews and authorities. The plan was that the resurrection would underline Messiah and they would believe. All they have to do is speak to the risen Messiah. Moses actions in striking instead of speaking was a grave warning to Israel that striking Jesus a second time is rejection of Messiah. In an enormous gesture towards warning Israel, Moses is denied entry to show that EVEN Moses, with all his God-accompaniment, heritage and calling HAD TO speak to the risen Messiah to gain salvation. So this may form part of the dispute with Michael and the devil, i.e what is Moses status having been barred for the Promised Land?
Some simply say that the devil wanted to set up a shrine to Moses and was miffed because the location of his body was not known. The devil knows people would flock to worship if they could find a gathering place. All speculation but good to knock some ideas about.
By far the most important thing to take from this verse is to NOT try to rebuke the devil or demons. Stand firm. Wear the armour (Eph 6). The battle belongs to the Lord.
Gary Ward
No comments:
Post a Comment