We are to contend, not run and hide, but we are not to engage in evil speaking.
Jude 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
What a very strange verse. It is directly related to verse 8 which talks about the apostates speaking evil of dignities. Titus tells us we should speak evil of no man (Titus 3:2).
This matter is so special that it requires its own verse to emphasize it. Once again I would repeat that the SNL skits mocking the birth of Jesus and talking about raping Roger Stone's wife are examples of railing against dignities. Already the point that Jude gives us many references that are not in the Bible like this one of Michael and the devil disputing over Moses body. Well the SNL skits are also not in the Bible. Anyone who speaks on the Bible will often refer to events the readers are familiar with and yet are not in the Bible. However, this is not simply a Bible teacher illustrating a point, this is Jude who was given the burden from the Lord to share this word with us, a word that has become part of the covenant. Also, even though it refers to Moses body this is not part of the Old Covenant, it is part of our New Covenant. This is a point of common ground with Jude and his readers at the time he wrote this just as I have done with the SNL skits.
This is stunning, Michael dared not bring a railing accusation against the devil. This is amazing, what many in the church want to do is pretend Satan is not there, this is not an idol, we are not involved in apostasy, etc. Big mistake. On the other hand many will rail against dignities and speak evil of men. Yes, it is true that these celebrations have pagan roots and yes it is true that we have been told very specifically to flee idolatry and that there is no communion between the table of idols and the table of the Lord. All that is true. But what is also true is that Jesus is Lord. He is the one that will rebuke them. In the meantime we need to learn to follow the Lord, hold to His word, and obey His commands.
Michael is no wimp, he is the warrior angel, and he was on a mission from God, yet even so he respects the chain of command. To me it is just like Lot thinking his mission is to reform Sodom and not stay on the mountain of communion. Abraham was no wimp and when Lot is taken captive Abraham leads his own band of warriors to go defeat four kings and rescue Lot.
So why is it that everyone knows what Jude is talking about? The Bible tells us that Enoch was a prophet prior to the flood and that Noah was a preacher. We have many prophets and preachers, their messages are not part of the New Testament, that doesn't mean they aren't the word of God and instructive for us. The New Testament is our covenant, just because something is not in the New Testament does not mean it isn't the word of God. The test is that no word of God will contradict either the Old or New Testament. For example Paul tells us that Jesus said "it is more blessed to give than to receive" yet it is not recorded in the gospels. Another example is Janus and Jambres, the two magicians that turned their rods into snakes. Their names are not in the Torah but they are in Timothy. In the old testament we see this drought at the time of Elijah and Ahab. However, you don't learn that it was a response to Elijah's prayers until the book of James. Elijah didn't just prophesy that there would be a drought he prayed. Acts 7 is another example of Stephen giving us all kinds of insights into the Old Testament that you would not otherwise get.
Michael is the Archangel, meaning chief angel. The name means "he who is like unto God". The first mention is Daniel 10 -- a chapter that pulls the curtain back from the powers and spiritual warfare behind the curtain. There are these spiritual powers behind every country and every government. This angel got help from Michael in his warfare with the prince of Persia. Michael is introduced as having a mission to fight for God's people collectively and specifically for Israel.
In Revelation 12 we see that Michael fights against Satan and is in charge of kicking him out of heaven. I believe this battle is going on right now behind the scenes, this is why there are "rumors of war". This will become visible for all to see at this time when Satan and his angels are cast to the earth. Think about it, if Christmas trees are really nothing and not part of idol worship why the big vehement response? There is a war going on right now about removing the leaven of apostasy from the church.
So then why are these two fighting over the body of Moses? There are 500 references to Moses and only 1 verse refers to the body of Moses. The Torah tells us that God buried Moses. Here Jude tells us there was a contest over this body, Michael won, and He is in charge of his sepulcher. One theory is that the sepulcher would have become an object of worship. So you can see why Satan would love to have the body to make it an object of worship. 2Kings 18:4 -- talks about how the Bronze serpent had become an idol. Now compare Hezekiah destroying the Bronze serpent which had a very strong Biblical history and basis. Can you imagine the outcry when he did that? If people are screaming and yelling over Christmas trees you can be sure they would be upset at destroying the Bronze serpent, an item of legitimate historical value. The children of Israel did burn incense to the Bronze serpent, that is like singing "O Christmas Tree",
There is another theory that God will have a future roll for Moses in the Tribulation as one of the two witnesses. If Moses is one of the two witnesses this is because he never finished his ministry. He was supposed to speak unto the rock. Moses was upset when God wasn't, that was a false witness. Second, he says "must we fetch you water out of this rock"? Is he taking credit for this? Again, a major mistake. Moses makes a full confession of this in Deuteronomy.
Jude's point is that Michael is on a mission from God to contend for the faith and even there he does not bring a railing accusation against Satan. This is the most extreme example he could give us for being under the headship of Jesus. Very strong warning against speaking evil and the focus is on keeping us balanced. We are to contend, not run and hide, but we are not to engage in evil speaking.