This is part 2. Read part 1 Here.
Conclusion: Now Why are Michael and Satan Fighting Over The Body of Moses?
This was a lot of work to get to this final section but hopefully, you now see why it’s so important to take into consideration cosmic warfare and how the natural and supernatural are always connected. When you look at commentaries on Jude 9 you will usually see them noting there isn’t an Old Testament reference, which is true. So then they point out that there is a reference to a 2nd Temple text called “The Assumption of Moses” (there could be a second reference if The Testament of Moses is considered a second source). In this text, there is a debate between good and evil supernatural powers over the body of Amram, who is the father of Moses in the Old Testament. So, this could be the inspiration. But from here, most commentators will connect to Zechariah 3:1-3 and show a divine council scene where the Angel of the Lord is standing with Satan who is bringing accusations against Joshua the High Priest for his guilt. Dr. Michael Heiser points out some very important details about the incongruence of this approach that I will restate for us here.
The Jude text never says anything about the accusation of the Devil against Moses
The Jude text never says anything about the “guilt” of Moses
So if that isn’t the background what is? Again, following Dr. Heiser’s trajectory along with what I’ve outlined earlier, the issue is a divine council scene, but the nature of the issue is most likely related to cosmic geography. I came across a quote by Andreas a 7th-century monk who gets close to the idea when he comments on this verse saying, “Here Jude shows that the Old Testament agrees with the New and that they were both given by the same God. For the devil objected, claiming that the body was his because he is the lord of matter.…”1
Andreas gets close when he starts talking about Satan as being the “lord of matter.” This brings in the idea of cosmic geography in light of Deuteronomy 32:8-9, and 4:19 and the geo-political cosmic warfare on display in the book of Daniel. We need to go back to a fundamental question, where was Moses buried?
“So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the Lord’s word. He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows where his grave is.” (Deuteronomy 34:5–6, CSB)
The Tension of Where Moses Was Buried
Moses was buried in the Transjordan, the territory on the other side of the Jordan. In other words, not in Canaan. Well, this is a problem. Canaan is the promised land of God’s people. Moses’ body is in a land that was outside the boundary of Canaan. Here in lies the tension of cosmic geography, territoriality, and the perpetual war between Israel and nations of the Ancient Near East who were being led by pagan gods (rebellious Sons of God). Moses was buried on enemy ground. And this is a problem! In the New Testament Satan is depicted as the “Prince of the power of the Air” and the “ruler of this world” (Ephesians 2:2; John12:31-33). There are two Hebrew words we need to grasp as we finish this section.
Oboth - This is a place name (an actual location) but also a word that is used to reference underworld spirits.
Oberim - Again, a place name and word that refers to “crossing over.”
Heiser makes this observation:2
“Both of these places in the Transjordan were known for underworld spirits and something crossing over into this territory, the Transjordan.”
The location where Moses is buried is roughly the same geographical location as Oboth and Oberim (Numbers 21:10-11, 33:43-48). Now this is where things get even more interesting. Mt. Nebo (the mountain where Moses saw the promised land before his death) is explicitly connected to O[a]berim in Deuteronomy 32:49.3
This sets the backdrop of the dispute between Michael and Satan. Satan is saying Moses died in my territory, his body is mine. Michael is saying, hold up. Not so fast. It’s not that simple. He disputes with Satan, and the assumption/conclusion is that of course, he wins because God is the judge and King of the cosmos. How do we know this? In the transfiguration of Christ who shows up? Moses does! Where is Moses now? With Jesus among the divine council, the great cloud of witnesses.
Jude wants us to be aware of the cosmic reality of our human existence. It is both natural and supernatural. They intertwine. He also points to proper conduct, especially when it comes to things of the supernatural realm. The false teachers were acting out of immense hubris to slander the “glorious ones/celestial beings” whom even Michael who is kind of a big deal doesn’t do with Satan. What does Michael do? He quotes God’s words to the enemy. What are we to do? We quote God’s words and verdict back to the enemy.
Gerald Bray, ed., James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 252.
See Heiser’s Angels and Demons book for more.
It’s very possible the valley mentioned in Deuteronomy 34:6 is the valley of Oberim mentioned in Ezek 39:11.