Post by Ben on Jun 21, 2014 15:15:00 GMT
Verse 9: "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee."
As noted in Wrested Scriptures, this verse is commonly cited to prove that the devil is a personal superhuman being. However, we have several reasons to think otherwise. The phrase, "the Lord rebuke thee," leads us back to the prophecy of Zechariah 3.
"And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Yahweh, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And Yahweh said unto Satan, Yahweh rebuke thee, O Satan; even Yahweh that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment."
If we compare these two passages, we see some parallels:
This part of Zechariah 3 seems to relate back to Ezra 3-5, where we read the historical record of the rebuilding of the temple. In Zechariah 4:1, "the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin" stood against the people of Israel as they sought to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. For a time, the rebuilding ceased, until the work began again in Ezra 5:1-2 with the help of the prophets of God.
From these references, it seems that the "body of Moses" (Jude v.9) being disputed about is Israel. The "devil" or "Satan" were the adversaries who opposed Joshua, the high priest, and who opposed Yahweh's purpose. Yahweh firmly rebuked these adversaries when the work of rebuilding was allowed to continue. Jude appears to be citing this incident, and others, to show the untenable position of those who would corrupt the truth.
As noted in Wrested Scriptures, this verse is commonly cited to prove that the devil is a personal superhuman being. However, we have several reasons to think otherwise. The phrase, "the Lord rebuke thee," leads us back to the prophecy of Zechariah 3.
"And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Yahweh, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And Yahweh said unto Satan, Yahweh rebuke thee, O Satan; even Yahweh that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment."
If we compare these two passages, we see some parallels:
| Zechariah 3 | Jude v.9 |
| "An angel of Yahweh" | "Michael the archangel" |
| "the devil" | "Satan" |
| "Yahweh rebuke thee" | "The Lord rebuke thee" |
This part of Zechariah 3 seems to relate back to Ezra 3-5, where we read the historical record of the rebuilding of the temple. In Zechariah 4:1, "the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin" stood against the people of Israel as they sought to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. For a time, the rebuilding ceased, until the work began again in Ezra 5:1-2 with the help of the prophets of God.
From these references, it seems that the "body of Moses" (Jude v.9) being disputed about is Israel. The "devil" or "Satan" were the adversaries who opposed Joshua, the high priest, and who opposed Yahweh's purpose. Yahweh firmly rebuked these adversaries when the work of rebuilding was allowed to continue. Jude appears to be citing this incident, and others, to show the untenable position of those who would corrupt the truth.