The body of Moses

[Madeline]

Jude 1:9 - Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

I apologise if this sounds morbid, but what did Satan want with Moses' body?

Love,
Madeline

[Colin Stolzer]

I don't really have scripture to back this up, it's just a bit of conjecture on my part, so take it for what it's worth.
I believe that because Moses was held in such a position of authority and honor, Satan wanted his body so he could use it as a god figure, think of it like the way the RCC elevates the status of dead saints, they are worshiped and deified. I believe Satan had the same thing in mind with Moses body, it could be used to distract and get people to worship something other than the one true God. Satan has always been about separating God's people form him and this is just another tactic that he has exploited over the millenia.
Like I said just opinion on my part and not really anything I can support with direct quote from scripture. Worth what you paid for it.

C

[Guest Guest]

John Gill wrote about this and said..

but it is best of all to understand it of the law of Moses, which is sometimes called Moses himself, Joh_5:45; and so the body of Moses, or the body of his laws, the system of them; just as we call a system of laws, and of divinity, such an one's body of laws, and such an one's body of divinity: and this agrees with the language of the Jews,

Gill believed that it concerned the body of the law given by Moses and not the actual physical body of Moses. He uses John 5:45 as an example of how the law of Moses is called "Moses".

Joh 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.

Its goes on to talk about the written law of Moses.

Joh 5:46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.
Joh 5:47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

If Gill is right then this is the only time I know of in which the word "body" is used this way.

[qwerty guy]

wonder what kinda damage Satan could of done if he re-animated Moses and told Israel to go somewhere else. I'm more in line with what Cowboy was saying, that Satan wanted the actual body, what for we can only speculate.

[John81]

God purposefully hid Moses body for a reason. Satan could have used the body of Moses for many wicked purposes whether somehow possessing it for a time or bringing the people to build a shrine to Moses and eventually coming to worship Moses.

God, who knows all, certainly forsaw what Satan planned and this is why He hid the body of Moses.

[Madeline]

I don't know to what extent the adversary is capable of, but I am quite certain that fallen angels possess extensive knowledge regarding science and what not. What I'm saying is that it's quite probable that satan wanted to use Moses' body in some sort of scientific way that we're unaware of. Or perhaps he did want to possess his body, but I don't see how that's possible since only God can give life (cf. Rev. 11:11), unless he wanted to possess his body when he was still alive.

Thanks for the replies and I hope you all have a blessed Turkey day. lol

Love,
Madeline

[IM4given]

Satan might have preserved Moses corpse and made him to be an "incorrptable" which are bodies that do not decompose and are worshipped as saints by the RCC

http://www.overcomeproblems.com/incorruptables.htm

[JerryNumbers]

Anything anyone would come up with would be pure speculation. Cowboypreacher gave a very believable answer which might be right.

And IM4given gave one as well, making an idol out of Moses body would surely have been a distraction for many and probably many would have followed.

[Guest Guest]

Satan might have preserved Moses corpse and made him to be an "incorrptable" which are bodies that do not decompose and are worshipped as saints by the RCC

http://www.overcomeproblems.com/incorruptables.htm

Thanks, Janet. I am so glad that as a rescued RCC, I never had the misfortune of viewing one of these "incorruptible" bodies. It was difficult enough when they told us to pray for the dead. I couldn't understand that reasoning at all. Praise the Lord!!

[Madeline]

The commentary found in my bible states that Jude was referring to a Jewish tradition called the "Assumption of Moses" which the archangel Michael refused to be provoked by satan, who charged that Moses was a murderer (Ex. 2:11,12) and therefore undeserving of a proper burial.

Love,
Madeline

[heartstrings]

Whatever the devil wanted with it, he never got it. But I believe the underlined phrases and John 5:45 could be clues.

5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. 6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. 7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. 8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

John 5
44How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
45Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
46For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.

1. The children of Israel wept for Moses.
2. God hid the body and no one knows the whereabouts even today.
3. They possibly would have venerated or even worshipped Moses, if they knew where his body was.
4. Because even in the NT, they trusted in Moses, instead of God.

[Salyan]

I looked up a bit on the 'incorruptibles.' **shudder**
Found this page to have some interesting counter-information. Warning -- it's a skeptics site, so expect some atheistic comments at the bottom of the site.

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4126