v. 9 – But when Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”

Devotional:

What an interesting verse! This is the only place in the entirety of scripture that makes mention of this supernatural contest between Michael and Satan. Jude is putting forth that after
God Himself had Moses buried after his death (Deuteronomy 34:5-6) Satan wanted to do something different with the body. Maybe Satan wanted to reveal the burial place of Moses to the nation of Israel so the people could idolize it or make it sacred in an unholy manner. Perhaps he was contending against Moses being allowed into heaven because he had committed murder or because of his disobedience at Meribah which cost him entry into the promised land. We don’t know exactly what Satan’s agenda was, but whatever the details are, they are not nearly as important as the fact that there is an ongoing contest in which the angels of God’s army are contending against God’s enemies on behalf of God’s people.

If you are a Bible-believing Jesus follower there is absolutely no denying the reality of angels and their role in fulfilling God’s commands. I have never seen an angel though I trust some people who say they have, I don’t believe in angels because of what I have personally seen but because of what the Bible says. There is an almost endless number of accounts of them throughout Scripture. John the revelator writes that there are 10,000 x 10,000 angels in the throne room ministering to the Lamb (Revelation 5:11) and King David writes that God’s chariots are 20,000 with thousands of angels (Psalm 68:17).

Billy Graham talks about the work of angels in this way: “Angels belong to a uniquely different dimension of creation which we, limited to the natural order, can scarcely comprehend. God has given angels higher knowledge, power, and mobility than us. They are God’s messengers whose chief business is to carry out His orders in the world.”

Angels are fascinating creations of God’s design and worth ample time in study and learning, but today I want to encourage you with this truth; there are angels watching over you just as Michael was watching over Moses.

In 1 Corinthians 4:9, Paul writes, “For I think that God has exhibited us, apostles, as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.”

Paul, no stranger to the divine action of God’s righteous angels as well as those of the deviant fallen angels, reminds us here that angels are watching. God’s good angels, created for His work and to carry out His Word, are pulling for you and want to see you flourish according to God’s plan for your life. I believe these angels are fully aware of all the splendor of God’s kingdom and want us to experience it in every way. It is and should be a comfort to us that God loves us so much He has tasked divine warriors of light to care for and watch over us.

REFLECTION:

What account of angels in Scripture brings you comfort or peace? When have you sensed the oversight and protection of God through an angel?