When you read a book of the Bible verse by verse (or attend a Bible study where this is done), you will encounter sections of Scripture that most Christians never hear.  One of my favorites is the very short account where the archangel Michael, a commander of God’s angel army, confronted another powerful angel, the Devil, over the body of Moses.  God had buried Moses in a secret location in Moab (Deuteronomy 34:1-8).  God reveals the confrontation between Michael and Satan in the New Testament book of Jude: “But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”” (Jude 1:9).

   The point in Jude is that we should not speak abusively about celestial beings.  A separate lesson is how the archangel Michael, one of the most powerful beings in existence, did not rely on his own vast power, but on God’s power, when he said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

   We, like Michael, should rely on God, not our own abilities.