v.8, 9 “Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
Having spent three verses counteracting the false teachers’ rejection of the idea of judgement for sin, Jude now speaks directly of the false teachers themselves. There is definitely some correlation here. Jude has argued against the false teaching and in v.8 it’s as if Jude starts off saying, “And as for those who teach such things…”
You can sense the disdain as Jude refers to these false teachers as “dreamers”. The sole authority upon which the false teachers based their teaching was that God had revealed such things to them in dreams and visions. No Scriptural support. No support and agreement from other Apostles. Just their own, unquantifiable dreams.
Once again with the triplets, Jude makes reference to the three arguments he has just used against the false teaching. We can see that as well in rejection of the false teaching, there is clear biblical precedent to reject the false teachers based on their actions also.
Firstly, they defile the flesh
The false teachers commit the very sins they claim are okay to commit, but even more than that, they justify their sinful actions by the revelations they claim to have received.
There may even be a reference here to the mixing of sinful actions with the seeking of the revelations, as had been common in the paganistic prophetic rituals. Examples of this could still have been found in pagan worship, such as in the Greco-Roman mystery religions of Jude’s time.
Jude’s opening point is to say that these false teachers are simply defiling and corrupting their bodies by this allowance and encouragement of sinfulness. By denying judgement and in acting this way they are simply bringing themselves under condemnation. In this they are proven to be no different from the people of Sodom and Gomorrah – people who already have received judgement for their actions and attitude.
Secondly, they reject authority
Here we are reminded of the angels in v.6 “who did not keep their proper domain”. They rejected the authority above them, trying to leap-frog that authority to make themselves the authority over and above those who ought to be in authority over them.
We can take this to understand that the false teachers were placing themselves above the authority of the apostles and leaders of the early church. Firstly, they denied that these church leaders had any authority over them, and then they claimed their own teaching to be more authoritative than the rest.
We saw in v.6 that these ‘angels’ are being “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgement of the great day”. The position of the false teachers is not much better. By seeking to put themselves forward into places of great authority they have simply served to put themselves forward for judgement.
Thirdly, they speak evil of dignitaries
There are some commentators who think of these dignitaries (called ‘glories’ in the NIV) as being angels. Others think that it is speaking of the attributes (or ‘glories’) of Jesus Christ. Based on the reference to Israel in the Wilderness, however, I think that Jude is referring here to emissaries, or God-ordained representatives, of the Lord Jesus.
We see Israel rebelling against Moses’ leadership (as well as against God Himself) numerous times throughout their wilderness journey, even plotting to kill Moses on occasion. We can think of God’s response to a dejected Samuel when Israel desired a king, when God said, “They are rejecting Me, not you” (1 Samuel 8:7).
In Numbers 12, for example, we can find Miriam and Aaron speaking evil against Moses, desiring, it seems, to usurp him as leader.
For Jude, it was the apostles and early church leaders who were being spoken evil of by these false teachers. We have already noted how the false teachers also desired in to usurp, or rise above, the apostles and church leaders.
To speak evil of, reject, and try to usurp (all intimately related here) the God-ordained representatives of Jesus Christ quite simply is to speak evil of, reject and try to usurp God Himself (for so long as they faithfully seek to represent Christ, of course).
Michael the archangel’s encounter with the devil
These three things that the false teachers were guilty of can easily impress and deceive when done authoritatively and charismatically, especially to those who are younger in the faith and/or more easily impressionable.
To highlight their hypocrisy and deception, Jude relates an encounter between Michael the archangel and the devil. We have to admit that we know very little about this encounter.
In Deuteronomy 34:6 we are told that Moses’ grave was hidden from the Israelites – possibly to remove the temptation for turning the grave into an idol-worshipping type of shrine. We don’t know what the devil’s disputation over Moses’ body actually was, however. Perhaps it had to do with Moses’ ultimate failing to enter into Promised Land, or with the devil wanting to reveal the grave’s location. We quite simply do not know.
What we can learn from Jude is that if even an angelic being as impressive as Michael the archangel should show trepidation in disputing with the devil, then when we come to deal with the issues of sin – its teaching, denouncement and consequence – a true representative of Jesus Christ will do so with humility and fear, and not the self-confidence, brashness and nonchalance that characterised these false teachers.
God’s ministers ought to humble themselves under God’s Word. True gospel ministry is never about what the minister says but is all about what God says.