- [Narrator] Jude verse nine refers to an event
that is found nowhere else in scripture.
Michael had to struggle or dispute with Satan
about the body of Moses, but what that entailed
is not described.
Jude 1:9: "But even the archangel, Michael,
when he was disputing with the devil, Satan,
and arguing about the body of Moses,
did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him,
but simply said, 'The Lord rebuke you.'"
This event occurs in Jude.
Here Jude shares with us an incident
which is found nowhere else in the Bible.
The question naturally arises.
Where did he get this information?
Some say that the information was passed down by tradition.
This may or may not be so.
We have no definite knowledge why the dispute arose
between Michael and Satan about the body of Moses.
It is not unlikely that Satan wanted to know the spot
so that he could have a shrine built there.
Then Israel would turn to idolatrous worship
of Moses' bones.
As the angelic representative of the people of Israel,
Michael would strive to preserve the people
from this form of idolatry
by keeping the burial site secret.
Daniel 10:21, Amplified Bible.
"But I, Gabriel, will tell you what is inscribed
in the writing of truth.
There is no one who stands firmly with me
and strengthens himself against these hostile spirit forces
except Michael, your prince, the guardian of your nation."
The mere mention of the name Moses arouses different images
in the minds of various folks.
The death of Moses is shrouded in some mystery in the Bible.
We know he died at the age of 120,
yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.
Despite his age, Moses was still in his prime
when he was called home.
Moses was barred from entering the promised land
because of his disobedience at the waters
of Meribah Kadesh.
He led the Israelites to the very edge of Canaan
and was given a glimpse of the land,
but he was not permitted to enter it.
At the end of Moses' life,
God gave Moses a glimpse of the land he had left Egypt for.
Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the planes of Moab,
to the top of Pisgah.
Mount Pisgah has a summit elevation of 4,500 feet.
That's nearly a mile.
There aren't many 120-year-old men
who can climb a mountain nearly a mile high
and live to tell the tale.
However, Moses could.
He managed it by scrambling hand over hand.
There was no trail wide enough for Moses
and he didn't need one anyway.
If you're wondering what condition he was in,
the feat will tell you.
He knew he would pass away since God had told him so.
And God had already set another man, Joshua,
in his stead before he died.
The weighty responsibility of guiding the nation
was lifted from his shoulders for the very first time
in the last 40 years of his life.
Moses could take each step on the slope in stride
with lightened shoulders.
He was well aware
that he was about to take his final breath at any moment.
As Moses took in his final visual feast
of the promised land, a piece of real estate
that he would never step foot upon,
this is what he was looking forward to the most.
And that was it.
God wanted him home.
Moses gave up the spirit.
Moses died according to the Word of the Lord.
Moses passed away by himself, but in peace.
The account of his passing is contained
within the final six verses
of the book of Deuteronomy chapter 34.
Death as a way of putting things
in proper perspective, doesn't it?
What a way to live.
120 and you don't need glasses.
A century and a fifth and you don't need crutches.
Moses never did sit around in a rocking chair,
rubbing on lineament and drinking Ensure.
Oh, how the Israelites
will miss their late leader's wise council.
His work among them stirred their emotions to such a degree
that it took an entire month for them to mourn his passing
after he had left them.
But finally that morning came to an end.
That ought to be true in our own lives.
After death comes a burial.
And so it was in the case of Moses.
But verse six contains one of the most remarkable statements
about the whole remarkable career of Moses.
Deuteronomy 34:6, Amplified Bible.
"And he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab
opposite Beth-Peor, but no man knows
where his burial place is to this day.
Moses is the only person in the Bible
whom God personally buried.
Did you realize that?
The Lord then hid the tomb.
What made Him do that?
Because that grave would've been turned into a shrine.
They'd still be beating a path up Nebo today,
erecting shrines, selling popcorn, and peanuts,
offering various rides,
and maybe even running a tram up there
with a big banner proclaiming Moses's burial place.
So it was concealed.
This is so crucial to the Lord
that it even sparked an angelic confrontation.
But the important point is this.
Even if Michael is an archangel,
the one whom God will used to cast Satan down from heaven,
still he did not presume to speak reproachfully
to the one who rules in the realm of demons.
He left all such rebuking to God.
Revelation 12:7-9, Amplified Bible.
"And war broke out in heaven.
Michael, the archangel, and his angels waging war
with the dragon.
The dragon and his angels fought,
but they were not strong enough and did not prevail
and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.
And the great dragon was thrown down.
The age old serpent who is called the devil, and Satan.
He who continually deceives
and seduces the entire inhabited world.
He was thrown down to the earth
and his angels were thrown down with him.
Michael, the archangel, is depicted in the Bible
in the text of Daniel, Jude and Revelation
as a fighter angel who contends in spiritual combat.
The word archangel means angel of the highest rank.
Most angels in the Bible are described as messengers.
Whereas Michael is represented
in all three books as contending, resisting,
or standing against evil spirits and principalities.
Michael is the name of the archangel.
That name implores the question,
who is comparable to God?
Michael is introduced to us by the prophet, Daniel.
Michael refused to presumptuously render judgment.
Instead, he simply announced the God's rebuke.
The language of this rebuke matches Zachariah 3:2.
"Where the Lord rebuke Satan for his accusations
against Joshua, the high priest."
Zachariah 3:
"Then he showed me Joshua, the high priest,
standing before the angel of the Lord
and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.
And the Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you, Satan.
The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you.'"
Despite his great power,
Michael remains completely submissive to the Lord.
The righteous angels have a rank
and are submissive to authority.
Considering Michael's strength,
the archangel's submission to God is all the more beautiful.
We can see that submission is never meant
to take away an individual's strength or purpose or value.
The strength of angel Michael was not under dispute
as the last mention of Michael, the archangel,
appears in Revelation 12:7,
as Satan is thrown out of heaven.
"Michael and the forces of heaven defeat the dragon, Satan,
and the devil is held to the earth.
There enraged, Satan went off to wage war
against those who keep God's commands
and hold fast their testimony about Jesus."
Confrontation is a necessary evil.
No one enjoys it, but it must be done
in order to rectify, purify, and unify the community.
It is not pleasant, but it is necessary.
Even Michael, the archangel, did not fight the enemy
on his own authority, but spoke in the Lord's name.
Michael regarded his office and position with reverence.
Lucifer had been created as the highest creature.
This is a lesson that both you and I must learn.
Many Christians have yet to learn to bow even to God.
You and I, my friend are creatures, he is the creator.
What gives you and I the right to question anything He does?
Don't get me wrong, we all struggle with doubts,
but we must acknowledge that God is not only the creator,
but also the redeemer.
He is the one who cares for us,
but our God is exalted, holy and exalted.
He is a righteous and just God.
He never makes a blunder and He never makes a mistake.
Everything He does is correct.
So you and I can trust Him.
But do we actually do that?
Do we acknowledge His authority?
Do we value His person?
When men are called to account,
the Lord Jesus Christ will say,
"You said, Lord, Lord, but you did not do what I commanded.
Each went his or her own way
and did what was right in his or her own eyes."
This is the image of humanity.
So how about you?
What an example, Michael, the archangel is.