This is an interesting passage to try and preach. I think the best start is to just say what the point of it is and then get into it and explain it.
Jude doesn’t want slander to become a sin that the believers he was writing to become guilty of. The word “slander” comes from the Greek word “blasphemia.” It’s used in verse 8, “HEAP ABUSE on celestial beings”; in verse 9, “did not dare to condemn him for slander”; and in verse 10, “these people slander whatever they do not understand.”
To slander means to verbally degrade the dignity of someone else. Greek scholar Vincent says slander also has an element of “savoring” the attack on someone’s dignity. In other words, slander is the act of verbally attacking another person’s due dignity and getting enjoyment out of it.
This sin of slander relates to angels, or as the bible says, “powers, rulers, authorities, majesties, in the heavenlies.” Again, Jude is echoing 2 Peter 2, so turn to 2 Peter 2:10-12 with me.
These men “heap abuse” on angels. They mock, degrade, insult, malign, and attack the dignity of heavenly beings. And as Pastor Ray said last week, it is in reference to both good and evil angels. There is no license for anyone to slander even the evil angels, it is a sin in God’s eyes. Think about the exalted place of dignity these beings have. First they are in the invisible heavenly realm, which is greater than the visible, physical realm. Then they are angelic creatures holding positions of great power and authority and dignity by God’s decision. Good or evil, that should cause us to fear God and speak carefully about even angels. Ephesians 1:20-21 says, “God raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked…” Ephesians 6:12 informs us, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” “For in him all things were created” Colossians 1:16 declared, “things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.”
As a matter of fact, to illustrate how lawless such speech is, the most evil man in history, the Antichrist, will be the most slanderous man in history of everything in heaven. Turn to Daniel 7:25a; 8:25a; 11:36-37; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Rev 13:6). When someone tries to lift themselves up they do it by tearing others down. Slander is an act of self-exaltation, abusively speaking down on creatures above yourself.
In a sense, therefore, the false teachers Jude was writing about were little antichrist’s with their slander. Here’s the thing: Jude did not want their sin to infect the believers he was writing to because he wanted them to have a joyful and faultless day before Jesus Christ in Jesus’ presence. The wickedness of these false teachers with whom the believers were to contend with was seen in many things, and today it is seen in their slander.
THE FIGHT FOR MOSES (9)
The way Jude brings it up is with a curious story. Apparently, after the death of Moses, an argument took place between Michael the archangel and the Devil over the dead body of Moses. What in the world is Jude talking about, and what in the world does it have to do with anything important to his readers?
Now the NIV I am using says its the devil who was slandering, but every other translation says that Michael refused to bring a slanderous judgment against Satan, or “rail against” Satan. In other words, every other translation says Michael refused to slander the devil whereas the NIV11 says Michael refused to judge the devil for slander. So which is it, right? Was the devil slandering or did Michael refuse to slander? I think its probably both. Probably in the dispute the devil was slandering Moses or Michael or God and Michael refused to escalate in the argument to slanderous railing judgments of Satan.
But I think Jude most certainly was saying that Michael did not slander because of the context of the passage. The reason he brings it up is because Michael’s refusal to slander even the devil is a sharp contrast with the gushing slander of angelic beings by the false teachers Jude has been warning about. In other words, their tongue, like James says, is an uncontrolled source of sin, a world of fire, set on fire by hell even.
Jude is still excoriating the false teachers from verse 4. Remember why Jude is writing this letter: to warn the church of false teachers in their midst and obligating the church to “contend for the faith once for all entrusted to the saints.” Jude has said a lot in the short amount of type we’ve covered so far: those false teachers were condemned long ago in writing, they teach grace is a license to commit sexual immorality, they deny Jesus is sovereign and Lord, they are unbelievers, they are sexually immoral, they are dreamers who pollute their bodies, they are ungodly, they reject authority, they slander celestial beings and they slander whatever they do not understand. Jude will go on to talk about their greed, their deception, their destruction, their destiny, their fruitlessness, and even how they follow their own natural instincts and do not have the Holy Spirit.
Again Jude’s purpose was larger than mere warning or urging to fight for the faith. It was the purity of the believers so that they would stand faultless before Jesus Christ on His great day (v24). These teachers were a great threat to that day for the believers.
First, this event Jude mentions is not mentioned anywhere else in Scripture. The death of Moses is found in Deuteronomy 34:5-6. Turn there with me and follow along. Moses died and the Lord buried him somewhere that no one knew. No mention here or anywhere other than Jude that there was an argument between Michael and the devil.
Early Church Fathers said that Jude was referring to a book called “The Assumption of Moses,” where this argument between Michael and the devil takes place. The Assumption of Moses has not survived history so we can’t read it, but apparently it was something Jude’s readers may have already been familiar with.
Who is Moses? Moses is the author of the first five books of the Bible. He is the great leader of the Isrealites. God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and shepherd them in the wilderness for 40 years. Moses is right up there with Abraham as the most revered man in Biblical history. When Jesus was Transfigured on the mountain it says that Elijah and Moses were with Him. When Jews wanted to refer to their Scriptures they used the phrase, “Moses and the Prophets,” which referred to the Law (Moses), and the rest of the OT (Prophets).
Who is Michael? Michael is an archangel, one of the most powerful angels in existence. He is the angel prince assigned to the nation of Israel (Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1). He is also the angel who will lead the angelic armies of God against Satan and will defeat them, resulting in Satan and demons permanent banishment from heaven down to the earth (Revelation 12:7)
Who is the Devil? He has many titles in Scripture from “Lucifer” to “Beelzebub,” to “Satan,” to “the Dragon” to “the Serpent” to “the devil.” He was the most beautiful, wise and powerful created being, a guardian cherub (Isa 14; Ezk 28). Then wickedness was found in him, and he became proud, and rebelled against God and when he resolved to climb above God he was thrown down. Jesus said from the beginning he has been a liar and that lying is his native language. Think about that when you realize the word for “devil” is a word that means “false accuser” and “slanderer.” He slandered God in the Garden. He, the accuser, accuses us before God daily. Revelation 12:10 says, “The accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”
APPLICATION: This is why we need Jesus as our advocate. This is one reason why the NT repeatedly tells us that Jesus Himself intercedes for us. Turn to Romans 8:33-34 with me [READ]. That’s why Hebrews 7:25 says “Therefore Jesus is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.” And its why 1 John 2:1 says, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” Do you see that?! In heaven you have two persons bringing up your name to the Father. You have the Accuser pointing out how unworthy you are because of all your sin. But you also have an Advocate pointing to His own blood shed for you, and testifying that you no longer belong to Satan, you no longer are “in” your sins, you no longer are condemned, but you now belong to Jesus, you now are “in” Christ, and Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are IN Christ Jesus.”
APPLICATION to the APPLICATION: If you plan on showing up before God, representing yourself, I’m telling you that God will listen to Satan’s accusations of you and not any defense you give of yourself. You may try with tears and begging to point out any righteousness you have to offer, any good works you have done, you may plead in terror that the Holy One of heaven would have mercy on your soul then and there after you spurned His mercy your whole life as Christ was preached to you. But you will arrive on that day already condemned (John 3:36) and you will stand on that day condemned and you will be taken away by angels that day condemned to be thrown into the place of eternal condemnation. ALL BECAUSE you did not have Jesus as your Advocate. All because you refused the One salvation God offered you from that terrible day.
Satan is the prince of this world, the ruler of the kingdom of the air, and the one who deceives all the nations. He will continue menacing this world until Jesus destroys Him by casting him into the lake of fire, which God prepared for him and his fallen angels.
Why were they arguing? Who knows. There are a range of theories. One is that Satan was claiming a right to Moses’ body because Satan was the ruler of this world. Another is that Satan believed he had a right to Moses’ body because Moses had committed murder. Another is that Satan had in mind to use Moses’ dead body and grave as a shrine to lead the Israelites astray into worship of the dead. We don’t know for sure if this situation actually happened and if it did what was the actual argument.
Let me say a couple things about that. First, the historicity of this event is not even Jude’s point. Jude is not trying to establish this event as biblical history. Whether fact or fable Jude is bringing it up because it is an example of how a holy angel restrained himself from committing slander against an unholy angel – the devil. The story doesn’t have to be true to illustrate Jude’s actual point, which is that the false teachers he was warning about do sin by slandering angels. His point is that if a creature far greater in power and dignity than humans (Michael) did not even dare to slander another powerful angel, even if that angel was the most evil creature in existence (Satan), then how cosmically foolish and wicked are those puny little men to run their mouths verbally assaulting such exalted creatures in heaven?
Think about what Jude’s letter is all about. Jude warned about false teachers (v3-4) and he is spending a lot of time describing what these false teachers are like (v3-19). He has given a very wicked profile so far, and here, in verses 8-10 he zeroes in on their sinful slandering. He contrasts how these men slander angels without any thought to such a sin. His point is that this slandering of angels is in fact a sin and a very serious one at that. And in order to make it clear how grave a sin this is, he points his readers to this story, where even Michael the archangel did not slander the devil while in an intense argument with him over the body of Moses. The point is not the curious story of this angelic argument. The point is not apocryphal books and mysterious sources outside of the canon of Scripture. The point is Christians must be holy and reverent in their speech so that they will stand faultless and with great joy before Jesus Christ (v24). But if Christains begin following these immoral and wicked teachers in their midst then they will not only hear these men slander angels but will imitate them and speak wickedly against heavenly powers and authorities.
CONCLUSION
- Make Jesus Christ your Advocate
- Do not slander angels
- Do not slander human rulers and dignitaries
- Practice Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
*COMMUNION*